Observation Experience

During the fall, I had the opportunity to observe a couple of different ways throughout the school year. While this assignment was supposed to help me with my teaching, it actually had a negative effect--that miraculously became probably the best thing I have ever observed. My other experience was at a publishing company.

I chose a teacher who "seemed" to be the bomb at our school. He/she attended all the seminars, that teach us how to teach, etc. My eyes were opened. I would assume that for my benefit, they began a "lesson." It was obvious from the get-go that these students were not used to any kind of lesson. Notebooks, pens the book? "Why do we need these things," one student asked. It seemed very deliberate and was at times painful to watch. As kids will do they tried to "play the game" and help this teacher out. It was not what I expected, but it did help me in MANY ways. I realized that things are not always as they seem. I also realized that kids will try to help you out even if they don't really want to. This teacher and I never discussed the observation afterwards and to this day we are perfectly friendly and at ease. It just made me feel better about the gripes and complaints I get everyday about having to work so hard and expecting so much. My kids produce things. They don't watch movies everyday and they are expected to perform. They may gripe, but we get along and they aren't thrown off guard if someone comes in to observer me. From this "observation" I learned that you should come to school to do one thing: teach. It may not always be the book or the lesson. It may be that you just listen to what they have to say. You shouldn't be the business and get paid if you're just babysitting them.

While it wasn't a classroom observation, in the Spring I took my students on their annual tour of Taylor Publishing Company in Dallas, Texas. It was not only an excellent opportunity to who my kids where all their hard work on the yearbook culminates, but it was a great experience for my learning about he new $1 million color presses that the company just acquired. For my particular area, color has always been a very expensive and tedious process. With the new one-layer presses, all that has changed. I learned about how to cut costs and how an all-color book is just around the corner. We also are doing a pilot book with TPC where we send and receive all pages online. This is always a great time for my students because they get to see the magnitude of the company and how important their contributions are.