Final Observations

I survived all three of my observations this week! Not unscathed. Not without tears. Not without a significant amount of personal reflection. But, I survived, and I learned something along the way. Teaching is not easy. There is not a magic formula for it that satisfies every observer. There is not a singular means to success or failure. In fact, what someone may praise, someone else may harshly criticize. This I learned first hand.

Observation #1- The Principal

She sat in my class for an hour and left before I concluded my lesson and never issued me feedback. It is hard to correlate two very busy schedules and after three days we have not found a time to meet for reflection. I did hear through the grapevine that she had a lot of points for improvement. At first I heard that she disliked my classroom management (a continuous point of contention for me), but then I heard that she was satisfied with my performance, seeing as I am new at this whole gig, but that she thought I was wasting my time spending five days on the Arab Spring. If that is the case, I can of course defend myself both with Michigan's state standard for seventh grade that requires them to take an in-depth look at a contemporary issue and by explaining the relevance of the major revolution that is bringing democracy to the Arab world. Though criticism is hard to hear, it does give me an opportunity for improvement.

Observation #2- Content Professor

Though I feared this observation the most, it honestly made me realize the progress I have made this year. My list of things to work on is not necessarily getting shorter, but the severity of the issues I am having in the classroom is certainly diminishing. This is the only observation I was required to write a reflection on, and in the end it is the observation I learned the most from. I was also video taped (which is nerve wracking) but it is actually interesting to see yourself as the students see you and to realize how you come across from their perspective.

Observation #3- College of Ed Professor

This was my final observation of the semester, and I have to say that I ended it on a high note. I was reassured that I am well prepared for my student teaching experience part I and that there are no glaring issues with my performance as an educator. He even said that there were no unusual issues with my behavior management. He said that it could improve, but that it was normal for me to still be struggling with classroom management at this point. He had mostly positive feedback for me so I was reassured that I have chosen a good career path.


Though it is nerve wracking, and though I am my harshest critic, there is a lot to be learned from others who observe you in the field. I still take what they say about my performance personally, but that is the best motivator for me to continue to work to improve. I am hard on myself because I want nothing short of the best, and I expect nothing short of the best from myself. Students deserve it.