Sarah Gilpatrick
SED 406
Dr. Kraus
9/20/13
A Job Well Done
As an
educator, teachers are required to meet specific national and state standards
when instructing students. It is the responsibility of the teacher to make sure
that every student is learning the proper material and reaching their
potential.
In public
school systems, most of the schools’ funding comes from the taxpaying public,
so how can the tax payers make sure that their money is providing an adequate
education for their children? Students are assessed in school based on their
academic performance, but that is not necessarily an indicator for how well the
teacher is instructing the students. We need to find a way to show the
taxpaying public that teachers are doing their job well.
The most generic
way to see if a teacher is doing their job well is by assessment. There are
many ways to assess teachers, providing information about instructional methods
and implementation in the classroom. However, using only one type of assessment
may not provide accurate information about teacher performance. I order to
better define an educator’s performance, there needs to be an abundant source
of information.
Teachers
can be evaluated by many people, including students, peers, and administrators.
The students know first-hand how well a teacher is doing in a classroom. The
first step to telling how well a teacher is performing their job is by asking
the students about classroom techniques and instruction. Students may not
provide the most accurate assessment, but they can relate more to the classroom
and teacher instruction. Questions would be in regards to teaching techniques
and effectiveness. Some teachers may be strict, but students learn a lot, while
other teachers may be “easy”, but students won’t learn much. Students may be
biased in their evaluations, but they are the primary “consumers” of education.
Faculty can also provide
self-assessments in order to judge their own personal achievement. If teachers
know what they are being judged by, they can reflect more on their own teaching
styles and re-evaluate their techniques to better suit the classroom. It also
would help instructors make sure that they are covering every standard required
for instruction and are providing a great quality education for their students.
Evaluations
can also be performed by other faculty members and administrators by
observation. By observing a classroom, administrators can evaluate the entire
classroom setting from an outside view, as opposed to being part of the
classroom. Observations can allow other people to view teacher strategies and
implementation as well as the positive and negative aspects of the classroom
and instruction.
By using
multiple sources of assessment and evaluation, the public can get a
well-rounded opinion of the effectiveness of teachers in the classroom. Being
an educator is a tough and demanding profession, but they are all dedicated to
their work and their students. Teachers try to provide the best education they
can for their students, doing their job the best they can. Being evaluated may
not show true potential and effectiveness, but it is a way to share with the
public the great job that our teachers are doing.
