holy mother of…

Sooo, I think my principal observed me today but I’m not sure. As you may recall, I am a push-in teacher, and the classroom teacher is also new, so the principal may have been there just for her. Odds are she was there to observe both of us. And what a mess she saw.

First of all, the class was still taking their math test from the previous period, so we started late. I was waiting in the hallway as I watched the principal make her way down the hallway. Oh. no. please walk past me. No such luck. We both entered the class a little late. I walked over to the classroom teacher (C.T. from here forward) and said, “So, we’re doing guided reading, right?”

C.T.: Oh no, we can’t do guided reading. Book clubs.

(Note to readers: this means that, as usual, C.T. is unprepared for her lesson and wants to do book clubs because all she has to do is facilitate while the kids lead their own discussions, etc)

So, she places a “teaching point” aka T.P. (the theme for the minilesson that she’ll be giving) on the blackboard — nowhere near where the kids can see it, since they are sitting with their backs to the board. Then she cheerfully informs the class, the principal (and me) that she is going to do a read aloud about the topic (Social Issues). Essentially, she just told us all that she is going to read a book to us — while I sit there twiddling my thumbs. Not what she’s supposed to do. Great.  So she starts reading this book and then gets a phone call (thank god), so I continue reading the book and then decide to stop to get the kids discussing the T.P. she had placed on the board.  Ok, this wasn’t toooo bad, even if it was tricky for the kids. I was about to send them back to their desks when…..

C.T.: I want them to do one more thing before they go back to their desks.

Me: (silently gasping/dying/freaking out) Oh! ok….

Then she points to this chart she had put up behind me about a WHOLE OTHER teaching point (basically introducing a totally different lesson). So, now, aside from discussing the social issue in the book she wants them to identify the way the character is feeling. Ok. Fine. But it gets worse.

Student: I think Stevie wants Robert to treat him nicely.

C.T. then writes “nicely” down as a feeling. For those of you who are unfamiliar with parts of speech, NICELY is neither a feeling nor in anyway describing a feeling. It’s an adverb describing how the character wants to be treated! AGH!! Need I say the C.T. always does this and always mispells simple words? So, I said to the child, “And how do you think he was feeling???” And she calls on another kid who says, “I think Robert felt annoyed.” Ok – he gave a feeling but was discussing a different character. Fine. Now this minilesson is turning into a 15-minute jog down a winding, never-ending road. Luckily it finally ended.

Then I’m supposed to work with a small group of my kids – about 7 of them. She, however, decides to send all 14 of my kids to the back of the room.

Crazy.

Totally crazy.

I was able to adjust and did what I think was a pretty good guided reading lesson, but it was still insanity in that room.