I have known that I would be getting an observation for a week or so. With all the testing that is going on, it has been a nightmare trying to schedule it. I obviously want my observation, that dictates how good of a teacher I am, to be done during one of my better classes. Teachers know exactly what I am talking about!
After having an awful day, I felt defeated. I knew that my observation wasn't going to go well and that I was going to have to suffer the consequences. Thanks to my amazing wife, we hammered out a great lesson that I know would have gotten me top scores! Unfortunately, I will never know how well I could have been scored on that lesson. You see, during that awful day, we had a faculty meeting in which some sensitive topics were discussed; multicultural diversity, racism, and stereotypes. Things that can cause an uproar quickly if not handled with delicacy. It weighed on me hard. I'm not sure why it did, but it did.
I woke up the day of my observation and I told my wife, "I think I am going to talk about multicultural diversity today during my observation." Without skipping a beat, "I wouldn't do that" she said. Generally, when it comes to education, my wife is on her A-game and she TOTALLY knows what she is talking about. She can help me with anything I throw at her in regards to assignments, students, rules, consequences, you name it. However, I am a teacher. It is my job to prepare students for the next chapter in their life. I am realistic, not all my students will go to college. Some of my students may drop out of school. Either way, if I don't talk to them about sensitive subjects, who will? Who will educate them on diversity? Who will educate them on what education really is? I am not saying that it is my way or the highway, I just want my students to be informed about whatever the topic is and to not just jump to conclusions.
So I did just that, taught a lesson about diversity, racism, and stereotypes. I didn't mention one thing about Geometry other than to apologize to my principal, who was doing my observation, that she would not be seeing me teach math today. IT....WAS....GREAT! The students were engaged. They were giving great feedback. You could see them really thinking about the rhetorical questions I posed to them about these sensitive topics.
Now the suspense. When will my post conference be? What will my evaluation be like? Will I get 1's and 2's (top marks are 5's) because I didn't teach my subject? Most teachers would have an anxiety attack if they were in my shoes. But let's be honest, most teachers wouldn't have done what I did. They would have just taught the lesson they knew they would score great on. Not me. Not this guy. I like to push things to the limit. I like to see what young minds think and/or know. I like to make them think in ways they haven't thought.
What will the scores on my evaluation be? I don't know and I'm not sure I care. I teach my students about choices. I made a choice to do what I did and I will accept whatever happens because of my choice. Here is what I know and what I care about. I know that I was a TEACHER today. I taught something that those kids will think about the rest of their lives. I taught those kids something they will need to know about the rest of their lives. Those kids were engaged and we had a very respectful conversation about a topic that a lot of people are afraid to talk about. I will accept whatever scores I get because I know that it doesn't define me as a teacher. It doesn't define what kind of relationship I have with my students. And it certainly doesn't define the ultimate intention that I had when I became a teacher, to produce citizens that are respectful and genuinely good people that will help others when the time arises.
I know I was placed in my new school for a reason. Not sure what that reason is. It may have been to deliver the message that I did today. I will never know. But I do know that I trust Him to get me wherever it is He wants me to go.
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