Day 3

Day 3: Video tapped formal observation in my classroom.

As most of you know, I work at a charter school in northeast Denver. I won't go into the grimy details of my everyday life. But needless to say, they have high expectations and a workload that has me working from 6:30 a.m to 7:30 p.m.... every night.

Today, was my first formal observation as a teacher. 4 years into teaching and I have never had a principal videotape me.

 

I have had my mother videotape me in Honduras. I have had countless people walk in and out of my room (I swear my classroom is the 7-11 of the school), I taught in a classroom with a half-built wall where everyone heard me teach. But never actually had a formal observation, complete with video.

 

Luckily, all of my other exposures of people in and out of my classroom made me much more comfortable with a video camera pointed at me.

 

But all went well...or so I feel. I still have post-conference with my principal to breakdown the video. I guess that's when the real nerves will kick in. Until then, the magic continues inside the classroom, helping my students day in and day out. 





But each day I grow more and more attached to my class. They are a handful and I am forced to dig deep at times to remember why I am teaching them. But I heard the best thing I could have ever heard today. The special education teacher (we call her an interventionist, but for my non-education people that might confuse you), said to me, "Wow, Kate, you have the most challenging class, but of all the teachers at this school, I think you handle them the best."

Hands down best compliment. I have a tough bunch and her words kept me afloat today.

Glad to have her at my school. :)

It is my hope that I can upload my teaching video for all you folks who have 50 minutes to kill to watch me in action teaching.

Check back in a day or two when I have access to that video. Otherwise stay tuned for day 4.