In a neatly pressed light blue dress shirt, olive tie and matching slacks, Robert Hinton is polished and prepared for class.
As two stragglers knock at the door after the bell, his assistant principal also is waiting outside the classroom. In a blue-and-white polo-style shirt and khaki pants, Sammy Sullivan looks more relaxed. But with a clipboard and stopwatch in hand, he also is prepared.
For the next 30 minutes, in 30-second intervals, Sullivan will evaluate Hinton”s teaching in 38 categories, from moving around the room to monitor behavior to engaging students and using content to promote instruction.
Classroom observation is the second phase of the evaluation. Sullivan already has graded Hinton on the 22 categories listed under professional conduct and lesson plans.
As Hinton goes over a grammar question on the board, his platinum locks reveal his veteran status. Hinton has been teaching for 29 years.
New Hope High School principal Matt Smith also enters the room, with his own evaluation form.
Within the first 5 minutes, the students have moved on to a pop quiz on the short story, “The Astronomer”s Wife.”
Sullivan watches the stopwatch, makes checks for every category completed within its 30-second designated time: Students are actively engaged, check; students answer questions correctly, check, students ask questions, check; teacher questions students to think critically, check.
Lowndes County schools are testing one of three teacher evaluation instruments for the state Department of Education. When one is selected, it will be used as a pilot in select areas of the state to gauge teacher effectiveness. There is talk of moving to an incentives-based pay scale for teachers, in which case, evaluations could impact their pay and, more pressing, their job security.
After class, Hinton is called in for a review of Smith and Sullivan”s observations.
“I enjoyed it. I learned a few things myself,” Smith says before handing Hinton a copy of his evaluation forms.
“If you had to teach this lesson again, what would you do differently?” Sullivan asks.
The topic, Hinton said, seemed to be hard to grasp. Asked to write five sentences either about how people express their feelings about other people through language or illustrating positive expressions of feelings (compliments), students seemed to have trouble grasping the concept.
“It went along with the story we read yesterday is why I did it, but I might change that,” Hinton offers.
They move on.
“Your lesson plans,” Smith begins. “They”re asking us to give more details.”
“They weren”t very detailed,” Hinton admits.
“The only other thing I would have done differently is that when you were giving them the task about writing five simple sentences, you didn”t give a specific time frame,” Smith says.
“That”d probably help, to say, ”You”ve got five minutes,” Hinton agrees.
“There were lots of outside conversations,” Sullivan adds, noting a time limit might cut down on that.
“I could have told them to hush more. Some people have different styles,” Hinton responds, noting some teachers do not allow their students to talk at all during class. “Who wants to sit like that all day? You”ve got to strike a balance.”
Hinton takes a final look at his evaluations before signing them both. In the margins, Smith has made notes on the traditional district evaluation form: Hinton “compliments students;” “students were engaged, challenged to think and put thoughts on paper;” students were attentive and asking questions.”
Earlier in the year, Sullivan made observations on things not measured in the test rubric: “awesome job involving the students;” “becomes part of the classroom by sitting n the desk with students; “wonderful job prompting students to come up with the correct answers.”
Still, Hinton shares, after the administrators have left the room, “It”s almost impossible to do everything in one class period that you”re evaluated on. It would take a number of class periods.”
Hinton plans to retire next year, and he knows the things he considers effective teaching will not be measured by any rubric, however thorough.
“All the ways you counsel kids and help kids and show them you love them … only the parents and the kids know,” he says. “And really that”s why you do this job.”
The stack of letters of recommendation on his desk — he wrote 10 for students last week — won”t earn him points on his evaluation. Neither will complimenting and encouraging students or listening to their personal problems.
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