How Much Are YOU Worth?

All jobs have some sort of evaluation system.  There's nothing wrong with assessing employee performance, including strengths and weaknesses.  It's what keeps us accountable, encourages us to do our best at all times, and provides feedback to improve performance.

The State of Virginia started working on implementing a new evaluation system for teachers in 2010.  This was my first year getting the "full experience" of it, and I have to say...it's a pretty disparaging process.

On Friday afternoon - after a long night of working on Stepping Stone Academy handbooks and a long day of taking my students on a particularly stressful field trip - an aide came to my room and said, "It's your turn." 

My stomach went into my throat, and I marched to the office holding my precious "Doc Log" in front of me like a shield of protection.

The culmination of your school year - which you have spent packing your Documentation Log full of "evidence" that you DO your job, attending countless meetings and suffering multiple observations, filling out charts and spreadsheets, giving tests, recording data and crunching numbers - is one final Summative Performance Report.  Your whole year is boiled down to ONE evaluation, ONE numerical "score"...and you are at the mercy of the ONE person filling it out.

What is your "score" based on?  For us, there's a total of 40 points and it breaks down as follows:

1. Professional Knowledge (4 points)
2. Instructional Planning (4 points)
3. Instructional Delivery (4 points)
4. Assessment & Student Learning (4 points)
5. Learning Environment (4 points)
6. Professionalism (4 points)
7. Student Academic Progress (16 points)

What does all that mean?  Here's the layman's version:

1. Professional Knowledge: Yes, you are smart.  Yes, you understand the curriculum, you know the subjects you are teaching inside and out, and you teach them all well.  That's great, BUT - are you spending your personal time and money on continuing education?  Are you going to extra workshops on the weekends and in the summer (NOT the ones you're required to attend)?  No?  Then you, my teacher friend, are merely "proficient" at your job, and not much more.

2. Instructional Planning:  You use the Standards of Learning to construct lesson plans, you seek out resources to plan awesome activities, you use data (and data, and data, and DATA!) to plan for each student and their developmental level.  You have detailed emergency plans, sub plans, and plans for making more plans after your current plans are implemented.  You reteach as needed,  you collaborate with colleagues, you're always prepared, you adjust and are flexible when it's necessary...  Great.  This makes you a capable person.  Were you expecting a pat on the back?

3. Instructional Delivery:  You are engaging in the classroom.  You use a variety of techniques to help the kids "get it"...you stand on your head and juggle at the same time, if that's what it takes!  You enhance your lessons for the struggling students, the average students, AND the gifted students.  You keep things fresh and no one gets bored.  You are as magical as a unicorn on a rainbow.  So...what?  You're supposed to be.  Get over yourself already.

4.  Assessment & Student Learning:  You live and breathe DATA.  You "measure student progress" (i.e. gives a bunch of different kinds of TESTS) and use the results to create magical spells of remediation and conjure up cases of "Give-a-Damn-itis" for your students and their parents.  You give constant feedback and encouragement on assignments.  Bravo - you're a teacher.  Moving on...

5. Learning Environment:  You are loving, nurturing, respectful, positive, and maintain a safe atmosphere of learning at all times.  You meet every kid's individual needs while maintaining a fair environment that leaves everyone feeling valued.  You handle disruptions and discipline like a pro.  That's because you are - because you're supposed to be.  You are not special.  You are not unique.  You are simply capable at your job.

6. Professionalism:  Again, are you spending your personal time and money on fine-tuning your teaching skills?  You better be.  Do you have a good rapport with your students and their parents?  You should.  Do you get along with and collaborate with your colleagues regularly?  That's expected.  You are also ethical, communicate well, handle additional responsibilities with finesse, and attend all faculty meetings and staff development programs.  Imagine that...you behave professionally at your professional job.  I should hope so.

7. Student Academic Progress:  This is the BIG ONE.  This is 16/40 of your points.  It's black and white - did your kids pass their End of the Year test with the goals that you set for them.  Notice I didn't just say "pass."  No, no - they don't just have to pass.  YOU set a goal score that you think they can achieve - not a passing score, a rigorous one - and they have to meet that goal.  Did they make a 100/A+ on the last 10 tests they took, but had a bad morning and only got a 84/C on this one?  Sucks for you...and for your evaluation.  Don't worry though, only 80% of them have to meet their goals.  That's doable! Well...depending on the number of students in your class.  If you're a Special Education teacher with 4 students taking the test...they better all meet their goals, because if one doesn't - that leaves you at 75%.  Keep in mind this is all based on one test - nothing else.

My work of art that is my Documentation Log contained all the necessary "evidence" and more.  Not because I'm awesome, but because I knew it better...or else. 

More than 2 hours after entering the office, I walked out.  My eyes were red and puffy, my spirits were battered, but I held in my hands my final evaluation of my teaching career....with a final score of "Exemplary." 

I should feel good about myself.  Or proud, maybe.

I don't.

I feel disgusted that we have reduced the teaching profession to placing a numerical value on such a subjective career.

I feel angry that I had to fight to prove that I do my job well, even with a binder full of evidence in my hands.

I feel relieved that I won't have to go through it again.

I feel remorse for my teacher friends that have to go through the whole thing all over again next year.

So, yes, it is June.  Summer break is fast approaching.  Which means that you will be tempted to start making comments about your teacher friends and "all of that time off." 

Don't do it.

Just don't.

Summer is not a break - it's a recovery period.  We cannot physically, mentally, or emotionally reproduce all that we do (and handle all that we endure) in a single school year (with a whole new set of kids each time) without having some time to recover from what we've been through.

So if you know a teacher, and you see them this month, the following greetings are an acceptable replacement for "You must be enjoying all of this time off!"

1. Just give them a hug and keep your mouth shut.
2. "Here...I bought you a bottle of wine."
3. Discreetly drop a business card into their bag for a really good shrink.
4. Offer them your beach house.
5. Congratulate them on not needing rehab.

Happy June!

♥M