Day Three - Improvement

Prompt:  Discuss one "observation" area that you would like to improve on for your teacher evaluation.

It only seems fitting that I break this post up into two sections because my school district is piloting the new appraisal system for Texas.  So, I'll post on which domains I would like to improve on in the old system (PDAS) and the new one (T-TESS).  Not going to lie, I was a bit apprehensive about the new evaluation system for teachers here in Texas, but after a successful PD session on understanding the system, I'm kinda stoked about it.  Well, here we go...


PDAS (Domain - Learner Centered Instruction)

I should start off by saying that I've just entered into my fourth year teaching within the school district that I graduated from a little less than 10 years ago.  So, my views about the appraisal system can be filed under the "newbie" viewpoint.  However, it still counts, right?

I found that out of all the domains, this particular one was very difficult for me in the first couple of years teaching.  I had recently graduated from college, and was taking master's courses at the local university, and it seemed that my professors clearly didn't understand this teaching style.  With very little exposure in the years before I began my teaching career, it was no wonder that this was difficult.  Over the first couple of years I was able to wade through all the curriculum and instructional strategies, and develop coursework that slowly moved away from me teaching from a podium or a computer screen.  Truth be told, the worst time for me was when my subject was had an EOC (end-of-course) exam at the end of the year, which the students had to pass as part of their graduation requirements.  I was so focused on covering all the material that I really didn't focus on my students' needs.

I think that this domain would have remained at the top of my list, and would always stay there.  Students need to be the sole focus of my job because without them, I would have no job.  Besides, students learn best when they are teaching each other and getting their hands dirty.  I will always concern myself with what is the best thing for my students.


T-TESS (Domain - Learning Environment)

Okay, so a couple of days ago I mentioned in my post about goals for the year that I wanted to create a more inclusive setting for my students.  It is challenging trying to find ways to reach students at a level where they feel that investing in their education is absolutely, positively worthwhile.  By the way, I teach ninth-graders (hormone-driven, always right freshmen).

Today on our campus, our principal met with us during our planning periods to establish our professional goals for the year because it was inclusive in the new appraisal system.  As I sat there going through the various examples of how to fill out the necessary forms, I actually started reflecting on what I want to accomplish and what I need to change to be a better teacher.  While some teachers were focusing on specific topics within their curriculum that they feel they could teach differently to reach their students, I found myself considering how I could create a more inclusive classroom.

In the past couple of years I found myself with students of all varying educational styles, levels of comprehension, and attitudes (which pretty much every teacher understands).  I tended to have more students that had IEPs and 504s than other teachers within my department, but I loved it because I was learning how to work with these students to better aid them in the classroom.  Now, I'm teaching students that belong to the Tech Academy, and are at the higher end of the achievement spectrum (in testing terms, so to speak).  I'm finding it a bit more difficult to create a classroom that nurtures their varying learning styles, and it's driving me NUTS!  These students are prone to take charge of their education, but when you have 15 students all charging at the same time, it's positively CRAZY!

I know that this is going to be a domain that definitely needs to worked on this year.  And as I prepare my professional goals for the new appraisal system, I definitely know that this is where I going to put some major emphasis.  It's going to take a lot of planning and reflecting, but a safe, honest learning environment will only make things more accessible for the students and myself (while keeping me sane).

-A