Here we go. It’s that time of year again.
People from our district are coming out to our school to observe us. And by us, I mean the teachers. They want to make sure we are using best practices while teaching. And by best practices, I mean TAPPPLE. I can’t remember everything TAPPPLE stands for, (and maybe I should, seeing as that’s what they want to see), but I know that they really want to see a lot of checking for understanding (that means pulling sticks randomly to call on students to answer questions, and having the class use white boards to respond to questions) and corrective feedback (helping them get the right answer if they don’t know it, and clarifying answers that are only partly correct).
Blah, blah, blah!
Just a bunch of hoops to jump through. Get your classroom spotless, your boards up to date. God forbid your focus wall isn’t current!
They come in, watch for about5 – 8 minutes, then leave. Ten minutes later they come back and watch again. Then leave for a while, then come back for a while. It’s all over in an hour.
Then there’s nothing to worry about until I’m observed by my principal next year.
