The teacher and I reviewed the highlights of the lesson, and I pointed out effective strategies and why they worked. When the conference ended, we would both smile. I often wondered if this was an expression of relief or the mutual acknowledgment that we had just completed a process with little meaning to either of us. As principal, it was critical that I motivate my teachers to try innovative teaching strategies. The power to change teacher behavior is inherent in my role as principal.
Clinical supervision is the model for our evaluation system.
The ranking of teachers as Excellent, Satisfactory , and Unsatisfactory in some way relates to improved instruction. Personally, I subscribed to none of these beliefs. Our challenge was to bend, without breaking, the existing teacher evaluation system. I decided to ask them. Early in the school year, I met with teachers who were to be evaluated that year.