Observing and trust in a high school classroom

Antero Garcia, an English teacher at Manual Arts High, writes:

At one point last week, my classroom of 22 students played host to nine adults observing the class. The period before, the number was only six adults as well as a brief observation from our principal. A class later the same day also had six adults.

During the first two weeks of school, a classroom visitor was met with apprehension and curiosity from my students: Why are there adults in the back of the room? What could these adults possibly be writing in notebooks? However, these students have come to expect these outside visitors as they’ve become a daily part of the classroom. After all, on any given day, my classroom will be hosting future classroom teachers from USC, members of LAUSD’s District Intern Program, Williams Compliance officers, members of our school’s iDesign Network Partners, school administrators, and even community representatives investigating the Black Cloud.

(At left, posters put up by a student for the Black Cloud project)

For the most part, these visitors are interested in observing instruction and interaction in the classroom. The observers (though this may sound a bit rude) are pretty much ignored by both the students and me while we’re focused on our lesson. Occasionally, I’ll pull adults from the back of the class into the mix: They may be spontaneously interviewed by the class, asked to participate in a debate or discussion, or even read a paragraph or two from the class’ novel. If a change of pace will help keep students engaged, I’ll gladly use the human assets in the room.

Part of being a teacher is being able to have your practice scrutinized, discussed and examined on any given day. Obviously, if I’m not able to explain how my planned curriculum is effective or what the goals of a given activity are, I’m probably not measuring up.

Further, I remember fondly the days I spent observing teachers and taking nefarious notes in my own notebook. Though I saw some of the best teachers in action, I was always quick with the tip of my pen to capture any missteps, mistakes or errors I felt a teacher was making. It’s so easy to find fault with a teacher’s performance once you’re waylaid to the back of the class as a silent witness.

An inner-city school such as Manual Arts gets a lot of scrutiny. We are under state mandates, are currently an iDesign school, are preparing for visitations to renew our accreditation this year, and are host to a bevy of observers and potential student teachers looking to get some classroom experience. As the teacher in the room, I have no problem with the frequent guests that fill seats or cram behind my desk. I do wonder, however, how these outside guests affect the sense of community and trust cultivated by my students.

Photo credit: Antero Garcia

Comments

[Anon2]

Do you notice any improvement in student behavior, performance, focus etc? On the one hand, students may feel less free to confide or to express themselves. On the other hand, especially to the extent that they think you are being evaluated and they like you, they may be even more focused and prepared.