ILTs (that’s the acronym for my job as Instructional Lead Teacher) have a code–they invoke the “pinky-swear” when they want to share something that we really shouldn’t share. So I’m invoking the code now, with you good people–pinky swear or you’ll get no good stuff here. Agreed?

Alrighty, then. So part of my job is to observe other teachers. My principal has made it clear that I’m expected to conduct teacher observations–lots of them. Honestly, it’s a bit uncomfortable for me still. I know the teachers feel as if they’re put on the spot. I know just having me in there makes all but the most confident tense. And I know they don’t really believe me when I say that I am there to observe and assist, never to evaluate (and that is REALLY true). What’s sad, though, is when I see a teacher choosing not to do a good job. Recently, when discussing an observation with such a teacher, I asked why she had chosen not to correct or redirect any of the off task behaviors that were taking place. Her response? She didn’t want to make a big deal of it with me in the room.

Okay, now if I had simply observed a kid chatting to his neighbor, I’d believe that. But I watched and listened as numerous students banged out beats on their desks and performed snake-like dance moves with arms outstretched, all while this teacher continued to lecture to the class. As Jerry Lee Lewis might say, “C’mon, baby.”

So I’m curious–to the teachers out there, how do you feel about being observed? And what impact, if any, does being observed have on your classroom management?