Reflection on Teacher Evaluation

Reflection on Teacher Evaluation

                Teacher evaluations, I believe, should be partly self evaluation, partly student evaluation, partly bits and bobs evaluation, and partly colleague evaluation. I don’t think that something like student test performance or an over examination of lesson plans is valuable to any part of an evaluation, unless it is a small portion. Just because a student isn’t performing well on the test doesn’t mean the teacher isn’t worth their salt. Just because lesson plans aren’t too far in advance or aren’t quite detailed doesn’t mean the teacher doesn’t know what message to get across to the students. Grading a teacher is difficult because it needs to be based on several methods of assessment: lesson plans, in class observation, conversations with the teacher in question, conversations with students, conversations with the faculty, standardized test scores, and general upkeep throughout the school year.

                If I was going to be assessed for my teaching, I would first like to know what I am doing right, even if that list isn’t so long. Like with a student, start on a positive note. Then I would want to know what I am doing wrong. Do NOT sugarcoat this for me. It is easier to rip off the band aid so that the healing process can begin. After telling me what I do wrong, I’d like to know conscious steps and procedures that I need to complete and work on to improve my teaching in the classroom and with my students. After addressing how to improve certain areas, I would hope to be assigned a mentor that could check in on a weekly or biweekly basis to determine my level of improvement or lack of improvement. Being kept accountable for my actions makes me feel like a student, and I promise, I will do whatever it takes to get that feeling taken away; therefore, I will work my behind off to get a higher mark from my mentor and improvement from my students.