encouragement and conversations

It seems that a lot of micromanaging is going on in DPS right now. There have been a lot of small, unimportant things pushed onto this year that don't really have any great impact on students or their learning. It's like we've been given this massive to-do list to do just to say we've done it so we/they can check it off of a list. I'm all for being organized and working together and using data to plan instruction, but I'm not for being micromanaged. So, the beginning of this year has been frustrating as I've developed this fear of an administrator coming into my room and fussing at me for not having the "right" papers on my desk or the "right" things written on the board. Clearly these are not things I should be worried about getting fussed at for...there are plenty of other things that are way more meaningful for student learning and effective teaching to be checking for.
However, this week I had my first formal observation and it was great! The first one is announced so I was able to pull out all of my tricks and really show off. Last year the administrators really wanted to see my students collaborating more and to see me doing more formative assessment. (If they had come in my room more than just for a formal observation, they would have seen this...but I won't go there now) So, that's what I did this time to go ahead and get those standards checked off of my evaluation from the beginning. We were doing a review activity in groups. I used assessment data to flexibly group my students and differentiated the lesson based on each group's needs by having them start at different places in the packet. Yea! Look at all of those big education words. The lesson/activity went really well; even I was impressed. And, my assistant principal loved it! He sent an email out later that day and copied my principal and our instructional facilitator on it.

It was so nice after so much fussing and micromanaging over little, petty, so unimportant things to get a compliment and some encouragement. I know I'm doing a good job. And, I really know I'm working hard to best serve my students. It's just nice for someone else to notice every once in a while, especially when it's your boss. I was so glad to finally have an administrator come in and watch what I was doing with my students instead of making sure I have the "right" stuff on my desk, the "right" posters on my wall, and the "right" things written on my board. Because isn't that what teaching is really about: Teaching. Students learning. Best practices??

everyday conversations
S1: "Mrs Snyder, you, Ms. A. and Ms. Z really look like you're in your 20s."
S2: "Yea! On the first day of school I totally thought you were 25!"
Me: "Well, how old to you think I am now?"
S1: "Well, Ms. Z said you have to be 20 to go to college...so...(counting on fingers)...26?"
S2: "28?"
Me: "Hmmm...interesting." (walk away)

The next day with two other students after school:
S1: "I want to go to Appalachian State for college. Did you have fun there?"
Me: "Yea! I loved it!"
S1: "Did they have a lot of frat parties there?"
Me: "No, App isn't really known for their parties."
S1: "Oh. Well I want to go to a school that has a lot of frat parties."
Me: "How do you even know what a frat party is?"
S1: "I heard someone talk about it. They have them at frat houses."
Me: "Do you know what a frat house is?"
S1: "No."
S2: "Yea...I do...it's a big house with big fancy chandeliers. No one lives there, but they have parties there with lots of dancing so it's kinda like a house party, but not really because no one lives there."
Me: "Hmm..." (change the subject)

Overheard in the hall:
"Does it make me a racist if I don't call my Grandma?"