Understanding Feedback for All Ages

One of the things I've noticed most about my school is that the administrators have created a culture of competitive rule following. It is what we expect of students and teachers alike. The barometer of a quality classroom is how obedient children are: whether students are quiet, raising hands, and following orders (or directions as they are more euphemistically called). While I believe in structure and routines, I think that they can look extremely different in different classrooms. However, the standard is always set by administrators who, in our case, do not have such a flexible understanding of what education looks like. Similarly, when we are observed and assessed, much of what we are critiqued for is if we are teaching exactly what the curriculum requires of us at the exact moment that other teachers are also teaching the same material. Yet still, they somehow emphasize differentiation and making adjustments for our students who have IEPs or speak English as a second language during all meetings and PDs. Strict curriculums don't offer the flexibility that is necessary to meet students at their level and keep them engaged throughout the day. Similarly, following strict curriculums is easy. What is challenging is creating inventive lessons and long-term projects; differentiating for each and every student; providing parent feedback that is tailored to each family; etc. However, this is not what is expected. It is the look of your displays and the orderliness of your students that is most important. The result, in the best cases, is that teachers are overly stressed trying to impress the administration and keep up with their own priorities, burning out quickly. The worst case scenario is that teachers become lazy - doing the bare minimum to meet the administrators' expectations because true dedication is often unrecognized.

Head Start Teacher
Prince George's County