real people...hoping for real results!

i just met with my master educator today regarding the evaluation she had in my classroom last week for a half hour.

it was very fair and not full of reprimands and insults like so many people feel is going to be the outcome. or at least for me, that is not how it was at all.
she begun with asking if i understood the evaluation system, which i said i did. she asked how i felt about it,so i felt comfortable sharing my feelings. i was able to share that i felt that the system seemed much needed in the DC public schools and was very thorough. it also seems that it is something we can all benefit from as we all have something to learn from people who evaluate us. that being said, i asked if she was familiar with my background, and i let her know that i have been teaching for eleven years in colorado. that i am used to working with a broad curriculum and having access to all of these materials.
also, that i am used to utilizing a planning and pacing guide for my teaching.
she nodded and smiled. i also shared with her that my district was sending us all to be certified in linguistic and diverse education to meet our population. but i have never before been in a bilingual school.

she then asked how i felt the lesson was that she saw me teach. i explained a bit of the background. that it was my second week of teaching reading. but the first week, i was out of the classroom for three days with a substitute while i was testing my students in reading. so really, it was my first week really teaching reading with my students. i also mentioned that i am used to having groups. that i teach full group and do both guided and shared lessons. she mentioned that grouping was something she mentioned in the evaluation and that i should make use of the sped teacher and anyone else that is in the room by taking groups. they would not affect my evaluation as she is not evaluating them when she is watching me.

i also freely expressed how many things in my classroom have been being stolen and how i do not have a lock on my classroom door, so i do not feel comfortable bringing my books in with that thought in my mind. i expressed that i have brought this situation to my principal and vice principal and am hoping that something will be done regarding this situation.

she asked if i had a mentor in my building and i told her i did not. the district mentor is not assigned to me and we do not have mentors in our building.
she expressed that although she thinks rhee has some great things she is going to accomplish, that inequities are not being met and we need to address them ourselves.

she also got quite emotional when speaking with me regarding materials that we need for our classroom and that i was doing the best i could for the kids with the materials that i have.
she gave me some suggestions on places to look for more resources and i will definitely look into that!

she also said when she was leaving that she is a native washingtonian and knows alot about the city and all it has to offer and she also enjoys the outdoors and has great suggestions on things if i would like any ideas on things to do!

she did not go over the eval with me but encouraged me to read it and write back to her with clarification regarding what we spoke about.

she said that i am great with technique and scaffolding which is so important and is usually where people seem to need the most help so that was good.
also, that most of the things she commented on could be fixed in a day or two and that my score should be raised by the next time i meet with her in the spring.

i asked about us being evaluated in Group one for IMPACT and she said she thought we were all in group four and she would get back to me on that as well.

i thanked her for sharing everything that she did including her emotions with me. it really made me feel better about what has been going on and the future of my teaching in dcps...onward!!