If you watch me teach, I won't look that different than other teachers.
I may look a bit scattered, and that's not because I'm not planned, but instead because I may be rethinking the lesson start, flow, or ending in response to what just happened before, a parent's email, a change in plans or a student's question.
And as far as the students' behavior--they won't be in rows and they may not all be on task--I'm watching that too understanding when a little wait time is necessary or hands-off is the best approach. I'm navigating the landscape to see who is engaged, who is learning, and who may need a different approach.
Last year when Mr. Musselman came to the class, the students were a bit distracted. It was the end of a big, big project, and the end of the school year. I knew I had to let some of their scatter exist as they had pushed really hard to do the good learning that was now complete and at the share stage.
For these reasons I always have a bit of trepidation when someone wants to visit. I generally offer students' learning tasks that have many avenues, some steep and some deep. Their reactions are not usually "picture-ready," but instead varied and at times, unpredictable. I react in different ways too depending on the learning needs at the moment.
My classroom also doesn't look like it's cut from a magazine. I have a lot of odds and ends of comfy chairs, cushions, rugs, plastic bins, art supplies, books, old desks, chairs, and tables.
What matters to me about my classroom and students is their happiness, academic growth, willingness to create, and the challenges they create each day for themselves and for me. It's the story and conversation that unfolds throughout the year, and it's quite intimate as I know them and they know me. That's another reason why it's challenging to have people visit.
When the principal visits, I never mind as he knows me and he knows the students. He's privy to the teaching story that's unfolding as he receives the newsletters, sees the children each day, and is familiar with the school goals and curriculum guidelines.
I remember years ago I went to see a teacher that was considered the best in my system. I sat there and noticed little that was different from other classrooms. At that time, I wondered why she was held up with such esteem.
Years later I worked side by side with the same teacher and that's when I knew what was so special. It wasn't a particular lesson or her classroom design that set her apart, but instead it was the investment, relationship she built with students, the special touches in terms of comments on papers and individual coaching, and the varied palette of learning she offered throughout the year. Simply visiting the classroom would never have relayed the teacher's depth and skill. Instead a series of conversations led by questions with some classroom observations would have served as a good way to share this stellar teacher's skill and service to children.
Yes, if you'd like to watch me teach, come by for a visit, but please know that what you see is only a snippet of what is truly happening as that's a much deeper story, one that would take more time and talk to understand. If you're a classroom teacher, I wonder if you feel the same way.
