This entry is an activity for Teach-Now while working towards a teaching certificate. Specific goals and requirements had to be met by this entry and is by no means designed to be an independent feature.
Please permit a small reflection before I make a basic evaluation of evaluation. I am not a teacher, but I am working to be one. In the study of education strategies, practice and philosophies I had a moment of awakening: my performance will be evaluated. Well, yeah obviously, evaluations are normal. Most jobs, if not all, have a performance evaluation. Yet the idea of being evaluated placed greater concern within me of my career change to become a teacher.
During my teacher training I had an assignment. This assignment was to develop lesson plans with learning expectation considerations for low performing students. I introduced my plan of action with great confidence this definition to describe one of the many teacher responsibilities:
“A teacher’s obligation is to support, provide, and achieve ideal learning experiences accessible by all students in a challenging format for all student to gain newly practice and unforgettable knowledge that which empowers each and every one of them with a sense of self-worth and confidence to succeed in what they challenge themselves to do. How may a teacher achieve this goal when some student s will or cannot perform to match that expectation? Push those that do not want to do it and supportively encourage those that struggle; and will all expose them to the next challenging goal with the optimism that they will succeed.”
Basically I stated that I will successfully spawn growth in achievement for all students. Yes, I said: All. Students—pretty cocky, huh? At that point I had a lot of confidence that I could successfully do it. But then the idea of a performance evaluation for a career that I have not yet even started has caused a sudden great anxiety. Here is why: the New York State Education Department proposed by New York State United Teachers (2015) has a rubric of 39 elements within seven state standards for teaching (NYSED). In previous jobs of my current profession there are usually just five topics of observation, but with teaching in New York I will be evaluated against 39.
Here, Standard 1 — Knowledge of Students and Student Learning — suits my teacher’s-obligation remark:
“It is not enough for teachers to know and understand childhood or adolescent developmental norms. Teachers must also know their students: their strengths and weaknesses, their interests, their readiness levels and skill sets, and the outside influences that affect their learning: family dynamics, cultural customs, and socio-economic status. Furthermore, teachers must demonstrate this knowledge and understanding and also incorporate appropriate 21st Century in the planning and preparation of their lessons (NYSUT, 2014).”
Teachers will be graded by four indicators of ineffective, developing, effective, and highly effective. To teach in highly effective manner, one has to have “…accurate knowledge of the typical developmental characteristics of their students, and exceptions to the general patterns…” and “…demonstrates in planning the extent to which individual students follow the general patterns (NYSUT, 2014).” Now, I have to be 100% highly effective for 100+ ever-developing-changing students; remember them by name (first and last); know their skills; be familiar with their family; remember their goals; and be prepared to improvise any activity to adjust exactly and effectively to match their needs. All of this sounds like a trained personality specialist with a minor in a specific educational content like the millenniums of art development. If I know what the education departments expects of me to be “highly effective,” then I will strive to be that but hope to at least grade “developing.”
Yeah, right. I gots this.
Here is one additional straw of pressure: the state governor this previous year stated that teachers have not been evaluated properly; or if they have, then why were “…96 percent of teachers were rated effective, even though only about a third of students in the state were reading or doing math at grade level …(Taylor).” He originally intended that 50% of the teachers’ evaluation score be based by their students test results—a huge and risky requirement especially when 17% of students in one region were pulled out from testing (Taylor). Because of the latest action of students opting out of state testing, the governor then proposed pulling back to 20%.
So testing in Visual Arts, how do you do that? This would be a concern regarding my evaluation. Students would be assessed by their ability to demonstrate a progressive development of visual critical thinking compared to their original skill set. How can all students achieve equal art ability when this skill is based on dedication and practice? This idea of all students equally developing to better abilities in art is similar to all students becoming professional basketball players after a term of Physical Education—just not likely. An art grade score is based on participation, passion, dedication, and effort all accumulated by a distinct difference of the current practice from the beginning ability demonstration. I hope that whoever evaluates me takes into consideration that, like students, teachers are different and teach differently. I hope that the evaluator has also taught not just for a year or two but for a significant amount of time—time enough that they have experienced and understand with empathy a different number of successful and unsuccessful years. Finally, I hope the evaluator either knows the subject or if they do not at least keeps their mind open with interest and curiosity in the same perspective of a self-motivated student.
Being evaluated is scary, especially as I have not taught yet. I do not know how to teach, not in the sound practiced sense; but I will get there. Teaching alone creates stress and pressure. Add onto this an evaluation makes this career change more intimidating.
References
NYSED. (March 19, 2013). The New York State Teaching Standards, September 12, 2011. New York State Education Department. http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/pdf/teachingstandards9122011.pdf
NYSUT. (2014).New York State United Teachers’s Teacher Practice Rubric 2014 Edition. http://www.nysut.org/~/media/files/nysut/resources/2014/september/nysutteacherpracticerubric2014.pdf?la=en
NYSUT. (Dec. 2015). TED: Teacher Evaluation and Development. New York State United Teachers. http://www.nysut.org/resources/special-resources-sites/ted
Taylor, Kate. (Nov 25, 2015). Cuomo, in Shift, Is Said to Back Reducing Test Scores’ Role in Teacher Reviews. The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/26/nyregion/cuomo-in-shift-is-said-to-back-reducing-test-scores-role-in-teacher-reviews.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=second-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1