Pub. 5 2015-2016 Issue 1

17 Time Management: When I first heard about the 12-minute observation, my first reaction was “this will be an amazing assessment tool.” My second reaction was, “how on earth will I ever have time to observe my teachers every week and meet with them too? There is no way!” But it works and it works well. It is a way to truly personalize professional development and see results in students’ achievement. Teachers feel empowered when they can see that what I am suggesting really works; this builds trust and competence. Time for the 12-minute observations: I can observe four teachers in about 50 minutes. I observe in the mornings from 8:15-10:00. Usually, I am observing literacy and/or math classes. If there is an afternoon free, I observe homeroom classes. Fridays are open days for me so I try and observe 2-3 homeroom classes on Fridays. If I have a parent meeting or a conflict on one day, I just spend more time on another day doing observations. Time for the 30-minute debriefing sessions: Each grade level team has 1.5 hours of common planning time per week. I meet for 30 minutes with each teacher during this planning time weekly. The last week of the month is our goal-setting session. I also meet with the entire team for 30 minutes one time per month and we discuss anything that they need to do as a team, any needs they have, supplies or books they need, questions they have, etc. Making time for the debrief sessions does take 30 minutes away from the teacher’s weekly planning time and puts them with me—but we are planning— together. Instructional Leadership: The time I spend with my teachers is productive, useful, and valuable. If I have a conflict, many come in after school to get time with me. I am truly becoming the instructional leader and the teachers see the value of this role. Teachers are free to ask me questions, pick my brain for ideas, get suggestions and lesson helps. I taught teachers for 20 years—I have unlimited ideas on how to have more effective small group instruction, differentiation, scaffolded instruction, content integration, engaging activities, deeper learning, and ways to make the content more relevant and meaningful for the students. My expertise is instruction; that is why I was hired as a director. Meeting with teachers on a regular basis is the most important thing I am doing with my time and the impact it is having is noticeable. I will teach a teacher’s class for 30 minutes so she can observe a colleague. Some teachers have asked me to come into their classroom and teach so they can observe me teaching their students. I am happy to do whatever the teachers need so they feel secure in their teaching and meeting the expectations of what I want their instruction to look like for the academic success of the students we serve at Wasatch Peak.