I may be getting observed tomorrow. I know I'm a good teacher, but I still get a bit nervous. Why I don't really know. I guess anything can come up in a lesson. A kid becomes belligerent...fire drill...the observer looking for a teaching technique I don't use.
I'm sure it will be okay...they usually are. I'm going to conduct a Cuban Missile Crisis Simulation. Students will get into groups of 6 and become a member of Ex-Comm (this committee was created for the sole purpose of finding a way out of the Cuban Missile Crisis.) Students will play JFK, RFK, Robert McNamara and other individuals who were pivotal during this world event.
We will go step-by-step through the 13 days and the groups will answer questions such as: What if the ships don't stop? and Should we make a deal by exchanging the Jupiter missiles in Turkey for those in Cuba. I will use some YouTube clips and of course President Kennedy's speech to the Nation.
I will pull out all the bells and whistles and throw in a worthy closure to get a smile out of the observer. It is a great feeling when the lesson is over. Its like being in the Olympics and finishing the race! Its a natural high!
The central question that must be answered is if this observation tells my district that I am a highly qualified teacher. I would say no. I feel that school district should observe you for an entire week to see how you tie everything together. From the Brainstorming of the topic to the final assessment. I know a week-long observation would never happen. Administrators have enough trouble getting in one observation for tenured teachers like myself.
So as I head off to bed, I am feeling the anxiety of tomorrow's lesson. I'm glad I feel this anxiety because it must mean I still care! I love being a teacher!
No comments:
Post a Comment