8 Tips for Acing Your Teacher Observation in your Classroom [episode 71]

Kelsey

You are listening to episode number 71 of wife teacher mommy the podcast eight tips for acing your teacher observation in your classroom. If you want to hear about the time I totally bombed my classroom observation and listen up, you’ll hear what I learned from that experience. Plus, you’ll learn from the experience of tons of the teacher friends in our wife, teacher, mommy zoo night Facebook group and our Facebook page.

Kelsey

Welcome to wife, teacher mommy the podcast. I’m Kelsey Sorenson, a former elementary teacher and current homeschool mom. And even though I’ve been a resource creator since 2014, I’ve realized that printables alone aren’t all you need in order to thrive as a teacher or homeschool parent. That’s why I also created this show and got certified as a life coach to help you finally kick burnout to the curb and feel confident with whatever challenges come your way. With the right mindset strategies and new teaching inspiration, you’re going to be well on your way to your best teacher life. Now let’s go.

Kelsey

I’m really excited to be talking teacher observations with you today. It’s something that a lot of you who are teachers were listening might feel a bit nervous about whether you’re brand new, and you’re just like about to have when you’re first ones as a student teacher, or you’ve been doing this for 27 years, you know that a principal will walk in your room at some point, either planned or unplanned, and you’re going to have an observation. And our brains like to do a lot with that. Sometimes we judge ourselves we get nervous, we try to do extra special flashy things, potentially for an observation. We’ve got so much to talk about this today. But first before I dive in, I really want to make sure that you didn’t miss Tuesday’s episode with Christina Kuzmich V Christina Guzman, who has 2.9 million followers on Facebook and keynote speaker at educating rejuvenate 2023. She is incredible. And she shared some amazing insights. I want to share one quote that she said during that interview that just really stuck with me. And it was actually one that my mom texted and she was like, this really stuck out to me actually, I relisted and after I actually did the interview, and I was like, this was so good. This is gold. She said we humans are really good at rejecting something just because it didn’t show up the way we envisioned it should be. And I love that and she talks a lot about looking at our Tada list instead of our to do list not judging ourselves, giving ourselves more credit than criticism and more grace than judgment. So if you need to feel inspired this week, be sure to go back and listen to that episode, it is well worth every minute of that interview. But today, I’m so excited because not only do I have an embarrassing and hilarious story to share that you’re gonna be like, Oh, Kelsey, if if she does that, then I’m going to be okay. But you’ll also hear tips from a lot of our members in our wife, teacher, Mommy is Unite Facebook group. And if you’re not in that group, be sure to go join and we may even quote you in the next one that is our free Facebook group. It’s called wife, teacher mommy unite. And also our Facebook page. So I posted on there too, we got over 100 comments between the two. And I wasn’t able to fit everybody’s comment, obviously, because they needed to make sure that this episode like there were some tips that were similar. So I tried to include as many people as I could, but also just make sure that this episode was concise for all of you as well. But first, before I dive in, I want to tell that story of my observation. So when I was a student teacher, and it was not my first observation, it was kind of like a near the end of my student teaching where it was like my final observation. But this one just happened to be during a time block where I wasn’t as confident with the content yet. Like I mentioned, it was a new teacher, student teacher, I was still learning but it was also for me at that time kind of doing things the way my mentor teacher did them. And I just wasn’t comfortable with it yet hadn’t quite figured out my groove. So the admin she would be watching while we did 15 minutes of our word work with the kids on the floor. And then we needed to get up and transition back to our desks for our math blocks. So it was kind of like this transition that we did. And I was following the schedule that had been previously done just doing that and figuring out my groove with that I’m pretty sure it was the math book Anyways, if I remember correctly is this was some time ago, but what I do remember is the moment the principal walked in the door, I just kept telling myself, I better not mess up. I better not mess up because I was so worried that I would mess up because I didn’t feel comfortable with this block of time that she chose him to come in. And part of me wanted to like change the lesson and everything but I didn’t the part I remember most was when it was doing the poured work with the kids on the floor, that part. And one of the students was acting up a lot more than usual. And I didn’t know what to do about it. It was like, oh, what does she want me to do about it? Like not like, what would I do about it? But what does she want me to do. And so because it was in this indecision of not knowing what to do, I just did nothing.

Kelsey

So I just kept reminding myself, I don’t want to mess up, I don’t want to mess up. So instead, I did nothing. And in the process of that, I kind of messed up on that observation. And it went, really, it didn’t go well at all. And that is not what I usually would have done, it usually would have, like, you know, done something about how to talk to the child. But someone didn’t want to do anything wrong, it kept remind myself, I don’t want to mess up, I don’t want to like to do this the wrong way. I just did nothing. And then more students started getting up and not listening, because they saw I wasn’t doing anything about the one who does. And I was visibly anxious and panicking. And the worst part of it was the principal just walked right out the room. And she didn’t come back. I actually, I was mortified. And I never actually got any feedback on that observation from what I remember, my friends got feedback on their observations that they had that day, because there were several of us student teaching in that school. But all I knew is I just needed to redo that observation. I didn’t get any feedback on it, which, in hindsight, I wish I would have asked for feedback. And then like, oh, and explain, this is why I didn’t do anything. And what would have you wanted to see in the observation, and I’m going to do a better job next time, please come back. And I did end up redoing it. While I didn’t get feedback from her, I just she came in. And we we did another observation. And actually, I think it was actually the assistant principal who came in that it was probably just whoever was available. So I got another observation. And I ended up passing my student teaching just fine. And other times during a block I felt more comfortable with and it just went really smoothly just like my past ones had, right. Like this was my one my first experience with the bad observation, which most of us all have at some point. And this was definitely my moment where it was like, Oh, crap, like, this is what it’s going to be like, and I learned so much from it for the future. But what I also learned from this experience was the power of my lack of preparation for one like I didn’t have like, Oh, if my kids do this, then I’m going to do that Hello classroom management plan from Episode 64 of the podcast with Linda Cardenas already knowing what I was going to do when those students started acting up. But also my thoughts and my lack of confidence in myself, the fact that I just kept telling myself, I better not myself a better not myself a better not myself, when we’re doing that we’re literally looking for the ways that we might be messing up instead of like, Oh, I’ve got this I you know, and we’re going to talk about that, like how the difference of what we tell ourselves and affirmations can help with that. I really feel like that was a big contributor to my nerves, and why that observation went the way it did. So what I’m going to do now is kind of break down. This is kind of like the segue into this, I’m going to talk about eight tips for acing your teacher observation. And in each one, I’m going to share a little bit of what I have to say. But then I also have so many amazing quotes from those teachers that I mentioned, I’m going to share those. So the first thing we’re going to talk about is how to prepare a head for teaching observation. So like what we do ahead of time, so if it’s a plan, observation picture, you’re teaching something you feel competent in it. So if it’s your math block, make sure it’s content that you feel good about, or you know, just teach the way you would write like, don’t try to stress yourself out about how you’re doing it or whatever, just be in your groove of what you would normally do. And the other thing you can do is kind of prepare your students ahead of time too. So if you know an observation is happening, you can say hey, the principal, whatever their name is, is going to walk in, or assistant principal, whoever it is, is going to come in, and they’re going to watch us and they want to see you on your best behavior. You can even kind of tell your students that like, yeah, they are seeing the students as well, like all of you are technically being observed. So you can let the students in on that and make them feel kind of part of it to what Tara and now I want to share what kind of some other teachers said that they do to prepare for their teacher observation. Tara says teacher children nonverbal behavior cues beforehand. That way, if they’re misbehaving during a lesson, they will know what the hand signals and eye looks mean. So you can quickly and quietly carry on with your actual lesson. And this is such a good thing not even just for an observation, but these things that we can do just in general, like make sure our kids know when we give him like that look, or when we like have a certain hand motion that we do that they know what that means. And that’s really part of that classroom management plan that we talked about in episode 64. Amy says we only get surprised observation. So these ideas are just simple to add into regular lessons that kids enjoy and get good reviews from my principals for language arts, they use post it for various tasks. Today, for example, I passed out three colors mixed around each color was a different part of the story, beginning middle and end. And those students describe the main character and thoughts and feelings at that point. Then they shared for two minutes in groups that had all three colors in them. Then we came back and a few groups shared one of their responses. Similar idea works for various tasks and skills kids love post it notes and they love that because it keeps them engaged and excited about the lesson for math. She said dry erase boards all students solve practice problems and then hold their board For me to check great for progress monitoring, and kids who miss can try again or work with a buddy who solved it correctly to help. While I check other students, they love getting their board out. Tina says make sure you’re planning for the lesson and have a backup just in case something goes wrong. Remind students about expectations and hold them accountable. Like the lesson like you usually what I should have listened to that when I was student teaching, right? Jamie says I let my kids know before the observer comes that I was telling the principal how great they are, and how they really want to see what a fabulous fourth grade looks like. The kids think it is about showing off and they feel proud takes a bit of stress off me. And I love that that’s kind of like a one off of what I was just mentioning of like, you can talk to your students about it ahead of time and be like, Oh, they want to see just how amazing you are. And that makes them feel like oh, yeah, I want to act. I want to live up to that. So I just love this, Jen. And this is a great like funny that she posted. I just wanted to share her she’s a candy bribe. She said Just kidding. But it has crossed my mind before and you know, if so things like that cross your mind is like, yeah, we can use some humor, right? Jill said, stick to your routine, less stress for you. And the kids already know what to do so less chance of behaviors. And the Simon Says I have a rolling laptop stand that I used. I got bonus points during a surprise observation because I was moving around in the Power Zone. During my lesson. The kids were engaged, I differentiated questions during the lesson based on what I knew about my students, and use booklet and jam board as a closure to incorporate technology. So that is really cool. Lisa said, be yourself you want constructive feedback to grow as a teacher. However, as a new teacher, 25 years ago, I taught my class a fun trick. When an admin walks in and asks a question, raise your right hand if you know the answer. Raise your left hand if you don’t know the answer. My whole class was so eager to participate according to my evaluations laugh out loud. And I remember Gaspar Randazzo he was our comedian educating rejuvenate winter 2022. And he mentioned this in his stand up, but I just thought that was so so funny. Can number two brush up on that competence for your teacher observation. And a big part of this I talked about in episode 67 of the podcast, which is called How to be competent as a teacher. So if you’re feeling nervous about observations after this one, I highly recommend hopping over to that episode. And in that episode, I talked about two types of competence, both self confidence and your external competence in your capabilities. And what I really want you to hone in on is your self confidence in yourself your belief in yourself to do the best you can teaching. And also, if you have certain things you’re competent in, in your teaching, like external capabilities, like Oh, I’m really good at teaching this or I’m really good at doing this type of thing with my students, make sure you work that in to your lesson as well. So you can just really feel confident about what you’re doing. A part of self confidence is being true to yourself, not trying to be somebody else, when you’re doing an observation. And another thing you could do to feel more confident was tell yourself things that make you feel confident, right? Because what is it that causes our feelings, our thoughts, right? If you listen to the podcast, you know this, so we can kind of even have some like affirmations for before a observation which an affirmation is a thought, right? So you can tell yourself, I am an amazing teacher, or I’ve got this or I’m going to rock this observation, or I can’t wait to learn how to become even better from this observation. So just kind of try to think of some things that you can kind of repeat to yourself like these affirmations or like a mantra or thoughts that really make you feel confident in your abilities as a teacher. Now I want to share this is kind of what Athena had to say to she said biggest tip is give yourself some motivation and say I will I can teach how you already are every day. And picea says being yourself is always best. Kelly says don’t try and do anything fancy. They want to see you teaching your core well. So don’t change it up too much for an observation. Do your best by following what you know. Julie says Don’t try something new for the lesson be yourself or at least says you are the best teacher but whatever happens don’t try to reinvent the wheel and do your best as a knowledge facilitator and I love that just love how she called it a knowledge facilitator so great. And Shannon said I always like think of the same dance like nobody is watching but change it to teach like nobody is watching. I found over the years that I stressed myself out prior to my observation, I stumble over my words, forget certain things that I wanted to mention and do etc. I just carry on with my normal routine is act as if it is just myself and my students in my room. So much easier said than done, though. But really, I love that you can just like you know, that can even be part of your mantras or your thoughts is teach like nobody is watching. So I love that. Okay, number three now is what to do during your teacher observation. So during your observation, and what we’ve kind of mentioned already, but we’re going to go into a little more explicitly is do what you would normally do during your teacher observation. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel or do what a bunch of people were calling it is the like, horse and pony show. I think it was yeah, like you don’t need to do anything crazy to do your observation. Just be yourself is a big thing. Making sure students are engaged, differentiating and that’s kind of part of the next one but just like you know Being confident being yourself and all these things. So I want to share a few other tips of what to do during your observation. So Roxanne said, include the observer in your lesson, maybe with your challenging kids as part of a team. You’d be surprised what the kids share and how good it makes you look, the kids love to be experts. And I love this idea of kind of bringing them in. Instead of them just being a spy on the ball. You can involve them and then it feels a little bit less awkward, like, Oh, they’re just sitting there watching me. It’s like, oh, they Yeah, they’re watching but they’re also part of this. Karen says active engagement. So all are participating to reduce distractions and any behavior issues, positive praise, along with reminders of how their hard work will help them accomplish their goals. Clarissa said, I also love to talk to my observer beforehand and break the ice. I teach kindergarten. But one time I mixed up my words and I giggled until my observer. See now you were making me nervous. We both chuckled and went on about the observation. It was nice getting my mess up out of the way early. So I love that. And she also said she treats her observer like a student, if they have a partner activity. I like to partner off of my observer with a group so they can see firsthand what they’re doing. So kind of like Roxanne does. Clarissa does this too. And I love that idea. Luann says my tip after many years of being observed is to try it and forget that anyone is there. As hard as that may be is worked for me over the last few years. Once they see them come in that door and I get over the initial shock. I have to turn off all my anxiety and just go with the flow. Don’t even look their way and don’t attempt to explain anything to them. Most importantly, don’t ever put a dog on a dog and pony show. That’s it dog and pony show not horse and pony show. They already know you.

Kelsey

So yeah, you don’t want to put on the whole like, performance. It’s not a performance. It is like you’re not like Elsa getting up and singing Let it go. or anything like that. Right? You just get to be you. So okay, Cindy says do what you would normally do. The kids will ask questions of why you’re not doing Blake if you’re like doing something different. Also have a backup, if you’re going to use technology have printed copies actual book manipulatives excetera power and internet can go down. Jennifer says do something fun and engaging. It makes you less nervous. Especially I agree with this. Like if you’re having fun along with it, then you’re not going to feel as nervous if you’re having fun. And Maggie says I find it’s best to have a plan but be flexible in the execution of that plan by letting the students guide my instruction. Some of the best lessons occurred during those teachable moments, my students helped facilitate the learning by asking a question or respond to another student’s thoughts. And what I love about this too, is it reminds me of what Christina said in our last interview. And it was like be stubborn, but flexible. That was another big thing that stood out to me in my interview with her that we just added on Tuesday. And it’s like we can be stubborn on what we want. What we want can be like, Oh, I really want to do well, on this observation. I really want to teach my students I really want them to understand this concept. Like I’m stubborn about that. But I’m flexible in how we get to that end result like because sometimes things need to change, right. So I just love that. And Carrie really says something along the same lines, be very prepared and be prepared to be flexible. Okay, and Janice said don’t be afraid to stop the lesson if it isn’t working. So this is something to do during your observation. So like if you’re doing something, and it’s not going well, don’t be afraid to stop, pull your kids together to see what the missing link is. Sometimes they need extra guidance that shows admin that you are flexible and can quickly adapt. It shows them that you know when your kids need more. And Rihanna says when I’m getting observed, I like to get the observer involved in my lesson somehow be sure I have the students say hello to them. So she kind of does the same thing as some of the other teachers that we mentioned. Okay, so I have a quick little ad break and then we’re going to talk about what to avoid during a teacher observation. So don’t go anywhere. We will get right back to the show in just a moment. But since you’re listening to this episode, I bet you will also love our summer event, educating rejuvenate happening on June 27 and 28th 2023. With your ticket purchase, you’ll get live keynotes with Joe Dombroski, aka Mr. De and Christina Kuzmich to laugh and feel inspired you would normally pay up to $75 Just to see one of these keynotes. You’ll also get a full speaker lineup with over 70 incredible speakers with a teacher track and apparent track so you can choose your own adventure and the sessions are pre recorded to do on your own time. You’ll have 10 full days to enjoy the pre recorded sessions with a general admission ticket so you don’t need to feel rushed. You’ll also get live live coaching with me and certified coach Christine Nichols. We are both in certified by the Life Coach School so you’ll know you’re in good hands, you’ll also get a step at workout with Brianna Smith, the co founder of step fitness, and a yoga slash meditation with Lizzie Langston, from the postpartum coach to jumpstart each day, you’ll also get a certificate of completion for the credit hours completed. So you might be able to use this as PD credit. All of this is just $19 it is a total steal. So go to educate and rejuvenate.com to grab your ticket today.

Kelsey

Okay, number four, let’s talk about things we want to avoid during a teacher observation. So a lot of what we already talked about is putting on the whole dog and pony show, right? We don’t want to reinvent the wheel. We don’t want to try to stress ourselves out. We don’t want to keep telling ourselves like I better not mess up. I better not mess up right so Oh, here’s what Miranda says. She says my biggest tip for teaching observation is teach authentically how you do each day. But teach a real lesson from start to finish. Don’t try new things to try and show off. Teach your regular math lesson and teach your regular ELA block. They can tell when it’s just for show and it can go way more sideways, the more different it is from your expected routines. Elizabeth said Be Yourself plan for problems arising don’t do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do. It confuses the kids. Christine says just be you and do what you normally do. If you try to be fancy or change it up, you’ll throw off the kids and it’ll be really apparent. Kristen says try not to get so nervous you hyperventilated, right? That’s a good one. Okay, the last one in this category is Brooke says just be you don’t chase your normal routine. And definitely don’t act like you were intimidated. So that was kind of a new thing. She’s like, Don’t act like you’re intimidated. And really, that can show out with like your nerves and everything, right? So a lot of that comes from us worrying about what the principal is thinking about us. Right? So let’s talk a little bit about number five, which is remember what principals are looking for during an observation. And the one thing I want to mention, before we get into what everybody else said, is that principals, they are people just like you, and they aren’t in there to try to pick you apart or they’re not like, Oh, what are all the things she’s doing terrible at, oh, I really want to fire this person. Let’s see how I can do that. Like, most likely, that’s not what they’re thinking, right? Most likely, they’re just they’re, you know, it’s part of their job to watch and just make sure that you have the support you need. So if you can kind of think of it that way be like, Okay, this is a way for me to learn to grow as a teacher, that’s what I want just some important things to remember. And then also know what they’re specifically looking for. Are they looking for differentiation? Are they looking for ways you manage your classroom? Are there things that you talked about in a previous observation that you’re working on, and that you want to show that you’ve improved on, you know, just kind of know exactly what they’re looking for Candy says, Knowing your learning target until the kids act enthusiastic and excited about your lesson and keep kids curious and engaged. But so what can be said is know your learning target, I think that is a big part of what principals want to see. They want to see that your know what you’re teaching, and you’re meeting those objectives. And Gail said, I asked them as in the administrator, if there’s something specific they would like to see, and then ask them to just show up rather than tell me a time, I’m no longer interested in staging a show, I want them to see as we really are doing what we do every day, it really takes the stress off of me. So for her that works, maybe you actually prefer surprise observations. So that’s something you can talk to your admin about. And Kristen says the observer wants to see you, in your element, do all the amazing things you do every single day, no matter who walks into your classroom. So that’s what they want to see. Right? They want to see you in your element. And then Hanley says, admins enjoy seeing teachers aggressive monitoring and small group routines if they happen to show up at those times. So that can be a really good thing to show off in their small groups are monitoring how you can do that. And Walter said, repeat the objective as many times as you can. Today, we are learning x so that your admin knows that you know what you’re doing, you know, what you’re teaching. And Shannon also said, establish a great relationship with your absorber. We do this with students and staff, why not our admin team had a surprise observation immediately after a chorus concert, she said she’s an assistant director, we weren’t going to do anything strenuous. With 30 minutes of class left, I pulled up a quiz and a buzzer to make a game show. She knew I just got back to class, but I still received for so having that great relationship where you kind of know each other and they know how you teach and everything that can really help. Nicole says Remember that your admin wants to help you not hurt you. It can hurt to hear some things, but they’re likely coming from a good place. So that’s exactly like I was saying they’re not there to try to, you know, pick you apart or make you feel terrible. That’s not their intention. Right. Now, Janet said, do what you always do. But be very aware that one student not engaged and engaged them to admin will always look for that one kid. So just be aware because I found this to like, they do look to see like, if there’s like one kid off tasks, they might be like, Oh, well, what about this kid or whatever. So that’s something to keep in mind that admins are going to look for that. And Dori said differentiated instruction walk around during stations to check on students and refer to anchor charts or strategies. If you’re already doing this, then you’re golden. So that is what they’re looking for. And CAMI said, for me, it was my relationship that I had built with my students that stood out the most. And I love that it’s like really they are looking at and seeing that relationship with your students. So show that if you have a good relationship with them, make sure that that shines through during your observation. Okay, number six is calming the nerves during an observation because you know, sometimes we do get nervous when they come in. So two tips I have for you is first if you are feeling the nerves, it’s time to calm your body. So to do that, one way you can do it is to just kind of take seven deep breaths all the way to your diaphragm. And now I’ve been a singer like in high school and college, I did a lot of singing. And I still kind of do now more so I helped my daughter with it and take her to her stuff at this point. But in singing, I really learned that most of us we breathe like into our chest, but when you really breathe all the way down into your diaphragm like stumped, like your stomach should go in and out. When you take these deep breaths all the way in all the way out. Do it slowly and do it seven times. That is really going to calm you down. Another thing that I want to point out about when you’re feeling that nervous energy that you might not have thought before, think about what this sensation like is when you feel nervous, just try to like create that in your body right now. And think of what you feel like when you’re excited and what that feels like in your body. They are a little bit different. But there are similarities to them. They have similar sensations and vibrations in our body. So you can channel that nervousness, notice it, but also remind yourself that this is a feeling of exhilaration that you feel when you’re excited about something, too, and how this observation can be a good thing, but also remind your nerves Hey, I see you. We’re feeling nervous right now. And that’s okay. And we can still do what we’re doing, even when I’m feeling nervous. So that’s what I have to say about that. And Ali agrees with that. She says, use your nervousness as enthusiasm instead of letting it get you down. So like she said, she kind of channels that nervousness into enthusiasm, because you can kind of tell like, if you’re feeling those butterflies, you’re like, Oh, well, what if I’m excited about this, and you kind of like, try to redirect your brain a little bit that way. And Laura said, Just keep swimming. Some days looks like gold, and some look like a dumpster fire, we should just know that anyone who observes knows that as well. And as long as you do it again, the next day, don’t end up on the news and no one is lost, then you’re good. Amber said, be the teacher you know how to be and give yourself grace, things are going to happen and go wrong. It’s only natural. Sometimes the best feedback you receive from others is feedback based on how you handle those unexpected situations. So just know that when you’re feeling nervous, and if something happens, that makes you start feeling nervous about what happened. Just remember that sometimes maybe that’s an opportunity that you can be excited about because you’re like, oh, I can show how well I handled this situation. Cynthia said pretend the observer is not there and just teach your students. If something does not go as plan, drop nine yards and punt. Sherry says just teach how you always do and be yourself. I always struggle when an adult is in the room. Even after 27 years of teaching. It’s normal to be nervous, but just remember, no one is perfect. Okay, number seven is use your classroom observations as a growing experience. And I love what Ben Burns had to say here, he said, Just do what you normally do. One of my biggest annoyances I had during my time working at Walmart was that we would put on a dog and pony show whenever the bigwigs or even supervisors were doing observations, it drove me nuts because if there is something that I need to fix, I want to know about it. I have the same attitude now about observations, I will just teach the way I normally do. And then accept the feedback and improve my craft. If I’m not doing something correctly, or there is a way to improve I want to know about it so I can become a better teacher observations are a great way to build rapport with administration. If you are humble enough to take feedback and incorporate it into your craft. Nicky said in all my years, I’ve tried to use my observations as a reflection for myself, our kids, as well as ourselves are on our best behavior, we follow our best teaching practices and do all the things that to make us look our very best from checking for understanding roaming and monitoring proper terminologies, slower, more precise speech, and use some academic language, etc. This is a great time to self reflect and do these things for our students daily rather, just when someone is watching, when I do this, I always put myself in check. And my own observation of myself makes me a better teacher. And I love what she talked about it being your own observation on yourself. Because this is something I tried to do too. Like, we don’t need to wait until somebody is in observing us to observe our own craft and see how we’re doing and how we can improve. And having someone come in is a good reminder that we can do that. So as we know what’s happening, we can make, okay, let’s kind of observe as that might preparing, and see how this is going. Okay, so let’s go into what Aaron has to say. My philosophy is you’re not going to change your teaching, because somebody is observing you be yourself Bri real, constructive feedback is good, helpful, and only builds you to be a better teacher. And Amy says Be genuine and constructive criticism will support growth and acknowledgement of the strengths and will motivate you in other areas. And Rebecca says The advice I would give is to be in the mindset that admins feedback is to help you be a better teacher. Don’t be offended, but look at the feedback as to help you be even better teacher than you already are. When I realized that I’m in the career of a teacher, and that isn’t just helping students learn. But I am in the career of constantly learning to improve my game, I was truly able to let go the stress of being observed. And I love what she had to say like we are in the career of improving ourselves as well and becoming the best teacher we can be. And observations are a great opportunity for us to do that. Because we can observe ourselves and then their observations come in and help us see our blind spots. And we work together to help us become the best we can be. And Angela said just relax and do what you always do. That will give you genuine feedback and give your admin every list a picture of what you experienced daily good and bad, and what supports you might be needing because sometimes those supports are good thing, not a bad thing. And Diane H says Know what your principal is expecting and do your best to do that. But also just be yourself. Don’t try and put on a show be real and take the constructive criticism. That’s how you grow as a teacher and a person and just be the awesome teacher that you are. No one is perfect. And no matter how much you plan, something will happen that you were thinking why now just roll with it.

Kelsey

It’s what we do all day. Anyways, you’ve got this, okay. And after all this number eight is don’t be afraid to ask for a redo of a classroom observation if it’s needed. So if you had one happen and you’re like, oh my goodness, I just didn’t feel good about this. You can always go and be like, Hey, can I do that? Again? You don’t necessarily have to wait until the next time. observation time rolls around, you can ask for another opportunity. And Lynn had to say, My top tip would be something will go wrong. Don’t freak out. Your admin knows this is a small snapshot of your teaching. When you talk to them. If you think something went really bad, ask them if they can come another time. Because you know, that is not what a normal lesson looks like. And Leslie says, Don’t be afraid to ask for a redo. And it’s possible, especially on those days where everything goes wrong. Okay, so we learned so much, and I love doing these episodes where I get to talk to so many of you from the wife, teacher, mommy community and share your expertise as well. Because even when I was doing one where I said it was interviewing and classroom management expert people were like, well, I’m an expert in this too. And you totally are. So many of you in our community are experts and I love sharing your insight too. Okay, so I want to recap those eight tips. So the things that you want to do for a classroom observation is number one, prepare ahead of time for your teaching observation, you want to make sure that you’re teaching something you feel competent about that you feel prepared, and ready to go. Number two, you want to brush up on that confidence, you can look at your wins, and have some affirmations that make you feel that feeling of confidence. Because remember our thoughts create our feelings. Remind yourself that you can teach like nobody is watching. Like Shannon said, number three what to do during your observation, you can break the ice, you can remember that your observers human involve them, you can be prepared, but also be flexible as needed during it like you know, cuz step three is you might need to adapt a little bit. Make sure to pay attention to management and engagement as well during the observation. Number four, what not to do is put on the whole dog and pony show and do something completely different than what you would do before because that’ll make it harder for you and your students. So just be yourself and don’t ignore classroom management and certainly is going wrong, you can always stop and redirect if needed. Number five is remember what principals are looking for. They’re looking to make sure kids are on tasks. They’re looking at your differentiating scaffolding, they’re looking for your competence. They’re looking for your relationship with your students. And also they’re looking for how they can ultimately support you in becoming the best teacher you can be. Number six is calming your nerves take those deep breaths if you need to. Remember the feeling of nerves can also be channeled into excitement. Those sensations are very similar. Use that to your advantage. And you can give yourself grace and know that if you’re feeling nervous, it’s totally okay. You can do it anyway, even if you’re feeling nervous. Number seven is use your classroom observations as a growing experience. Take the feedback as a good thing to know where you can grow, how you can get support and become the best teacher you can be. And number eight, don’t be afraid to ask for a review if needed. We all have bad observations from time to time and it’s okay. If you want to redo it. Just talk to your admin about that and I’m sure they would be willing to support you in that way. Again, I want to thank everybody who contributed to this episode today. If you would like to be quoted in a future episode, be sure to join the wife teacher mommy is Unite Facebook group and follow the wife teacher mommy Facebook page. I love quoting all of you and I’ve been a little too long since I’ve done one of these episodes. I hope to do another one again soon. But for right now, be sure to if you enjoyed this episode, leave a review on the podcast on Apple podcasts. That’s where you’re able to leave a review. And then before you hit submit, take a screenshot and send it to Hello at wife teacher mommy.com. And when you do that, we will send you something special just for taking the time to do it. So just for like two minutes of your time, we will send you something for that. Okay, thank you so much for listening today. And be sure to stay tuned for next Tuesday when I have an interview with Bonnie Wiscombe. And this will be a special interview for homeschool moms. But we also have tips for teachers too. It’s really about how you can find hobbies and your passions or potentially even start a business and not just be consumed by their role of teacher and mother. So we’re really excited for that episode. We’ll talk then

Kelsey

if you enjoyed this podcast, be sure to hit subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. And if you’re ready to take the next step, come grab your ticket to join me educate and rejuvenate the education event of the year on June 27 and 28th 2023. This year we have two incredible live keynotes. Joe Dombrowski aka Mr. D. and best selling author and video creator Christina Kuzmich, we have over 60 incredible speakers speaking on topics such as math, language arts, reading, social emotional learning, classroom management, homeschooling, and tackling burnout. We start the day with a workout together each morning. We have panels with the presenters and you’ll even get to join live live coaching with me and even raise your hand if you would like to be coached. Plus, we give away tons of prizes throughout the event too. It is the best PD you could ever attend. And all of this is happening from the comfort of your own home. It’s just $19 per ticket and past attendees have said that this is what finally lit a fire under them to enjoy teaching again and that it was well worth every penny go to educate and rejuvenate.com to learn more about the 2023 events. Or if you’re listening to this later, that link will show you what’s up next is we will continue to do events like this. I hope to see you at educate and rejuvenate