When I'm not teaching, you can find me at a theater. Sometimes you can even find me teaching at a theater. So when I heard that a performing arts magnet school in my district had a vacancy, I jumped at the chance. I would do anything to be at that school. I'd even mop the floors. It turned out that the vacancy was for teaching Exceptional Student Education (ESE). My mom was a special educator for the deaf and hard of hearing for many years and I got fired up after brainstorming with her. This position was primarily for students with learning disabilities and it sounded like a great opportunity to grow. But truth be told, sometimes wish I were mopping the floors.
Now ESE teacher is not a very sought-after position around the country. The government knows this. They offer loan forgiveness up to $17,500 for teachers who teach ESE for 5 years. A mere Title-1 teacher receives only $5,000 of loan forgiveness after 5 years. So what do you have to do to get that dough? At my school, we deliver ESE services in a co-teach model. This means I am always in the classroom of a regular ed teacher. It's like you're living in someone else's house. You want to cook something in the kitchen, but your food isn't in the refrigerator and the stove is being used. Your roommate might be nice, but really, you guys can't agree on where the couch should go. Then every once in a while, you get a teacher- ahem- roommate that loves musicals and pepperoni pizza like you do, and you know you'll get along just fine.
I teach with 4 different teachers and have 4 different preps. Look, it's difficult enough to have 4 different preps, but now you want me to do it with another person? When do we plan? A recent study from the article "Professional Learning in the Learning Profession" by Linda Darling Hammond et al tells us how most European and Asian countries spend 15 to 20 hours outside the classroom (meeting with parents, planning with other teachers, preparing lessons, meeting with students). Conversely, American teachers are typically given a whopping 3-5 hours a week to plan. Come on people, responding to emails alone may take 3 hours a week. I know I admitted to being a drama queen earlier, but really.
Besides co-teaching, I have a caseload of 25 students. As a case manager, we keep an eye on how students are doing in other classes, collaborate with those teachers, keep in close contact with the families, and administration. We monitor students' individual goals and ensure accommodations are being met in the classroom and on district and state exams. We have Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings and complete enough paperwork to drive this hippie insane. Each IEP takes me 2-5 hours to write. In my district, ESE teachers used to have 2 planning periods- one for paperwork and one for planning. Then our superintendent took one of those planning periods away, promising IEP assistants to help with all that paperwork. Later, she took the IEP assistants away and now we just have one planning period. Fun fact: in order to "reduce" our amount of paperwork, the district made the font smaller! No exaggeration, my school psychologist served on the committee that made that decision.
I teach with 4 different teachers and have 4 different preps. Look, it's difficult enough to have 4 different preps, but now you want me to do it with another person? When do we plan? A recent study from the article "Professional Learning in the Learning Profession" by Linda Darling Hammond et al tells us how most European and Asian countries spend 15 to 20 hours outside the classroom (meeting with parents, planning with other teachers, preparing lessons, meeting with students). Conversely, American teachers are typically given a whopping 3-5 hours a week to plan. Come on people, responding to emails alone may take 3 hours a week. I know I admitted to being a drama queen earlier, but really.
Besides co-teaching, I have a caseload of 25 students. As a case manager, we keep an eye on how students are doing in other classes, collaborate with those teachers, keep in close contact with the families, and administration. We monitor students' individual goals and ensure accommodations are being met in the classroom and on district and state exams. We have Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings and complete enough paperwork to drive this hippie insane. Each IEP takes me 2-5 hours to write. In my district, ESE teachers used to have 2 planning periods- one for paperwork and one for planning. Then our superintendent took one of those planning periods away, promising IEP assistants to help with all that paperwork. Later, she took the IEP assistants away and now we just have one planning period. Fun fact: in order to "reduce" our amount of paperwork, the district made the font smaller! No exaggeration, my school psychologist served on the committee that made that decision.
If I had my magic wand, I would give all teachers 10 more hours of outside planning a week. Special ed teachers would have a smaller case load, or less preps. What a titillating fantasy. I can feel my brain fill with happy endorphins as I imagine what could be if we actually had the time to design instruction that met all of my students' needs. 'Cause really, I didn't become a teacher to sit in meetings.
Unfortunately, there's a new barrier to recruiting and retaining ESE teachers. My district, like so many others around the nation, began using a new evaluation system for observing teachers in the name of accountability and teacher effectiveness. As a regular ed teacher, I have always done very well on my evaluations, thanks to my incredible mentor teacher. She is one of the few of the thousands in the county that gets perfect scores every time. I used to watch her on my planning periods and she would share all of her tricks with me. Never, have I ever, received the scarring "requires action" rating. Until now.
I do not think that the same rubric should be used to evaluate special educators who are also case managers and co-teachers if we are not given additional time to manage both responsibilities. I also believe that evaluators of special educators should have experience in special education to really understand what's going on in the class. It would be unreasonable to have a kindergarten teacher evaluate what happens in a high school math class, or vise versa. It is unfair that special educators are expected to teach in the same manner as the regular ed teacher while managing a caseload of 25 and everything that entails. Here is an excerpt from the email I sent to my evaluator after my evaluation:
Dear Ms. __________,
It was a pleasure meeting you earlier in the year and I enjoyed your feedback from my formal observation. I know you observe a lot of teachers and may have difficulty remembering the circumstances of my informal observation, but I was absolutely surprised by the results.
I would like to take the time to clear up any confusion or misunderstandings that may have occurred during my informal observation.
You observed me at _____ on __________ during my 8th grade language arts class that I co-teach with a teacher named ______. Before you entered the room I warned you that I would not be leading in that particular class and encouraged you to attend one of my other classes that I would be leading that day. You assured me that you understood each day in a co-taught ESE classroom was different, but from the results of my observation I do not see that understanding. I feel as though you were evaluating my co-teacher and not me.
I have broken down my biggest concerns by each objective. Hopefully I can provide enough evidence to have this evaluation reconsidered:
3A Communicating with students (requires action)
Peer stated, “The teacher does not demonstrate an understanding of the content and purpose of the lesson. Therefore, there is no communication of the lesson’s purpose or direction to students. The teacher does not give directions or clarify any student confusion. No time is allotted to discuss what they are expected to learn or work on.” To begin with, this lesson was a continuation of the prior day’s work. Extensive directions were not needed as they had already received the directions the day before. Students were working on identifying the different types of ad techniques by reading an article, paraphrasing the information into a graphic organizer, and providing examples. I believe time is more precious than gold in the classroom, and from what I and Mr. _______ observed from their previous work, there was no need for extra directions or clarifications to the class. It was time for them to demonstrate their learning. I did, of course, float around the class providing support and clarification to students who needed it. I was able to reiterate examples for students who needed it, though few did. The class average was a 90% for students on this assignment. The directions and discussion had taken place before, the students understood what they needed demonstrate, and they did it very well.
3B Using questioning and discussion techniques (requires action)
Peer states, “The teacher does not ask any questions to promote thinking and the students have little opportunity to discuss content or questions. The teacher does not pose any questions to students. There are several missed opportunities to probe students for discussion. Students are given no time to talk about their thoughts.”
To begin with, my evaluator was in one far corner of the room and could not have heard questions I asked students, questions about vocabulary, comprehension, and time management. As I explained to her, I would not be leading that period. The assignment students were working on was the building block to many larger, quality discussions that took place. This assignment was used assist students with a gallery walk in which students looked at ads that they had brought in and discussed the different techniques with their peers. It was a highly engaging activity that could not have been as successful as it was without the foundation of that day’s activities.
3D Using Assessment in instruction (progressing)
Peer states, “It is unclear how student learning is being monitored. While the teacher circulates and monitors progress, students are unable to self-assess based on vague criteria provided by the teacher. The teacher does not clearly communicate assessment criteria to students. There is limited feedback offered to students as they work.”
Students know they can always talk quietly with a student at their table if they would like to assess before the teacher does. Perhaps they were nervous having a stranger sit at their table and did not want to talk. The criteria was established in the previous class. There was ample modeling and discussion. Students were to identify all 11 ad techniques in their own words. They had to read the explanations and then paraphrase. They did not have to use complete sentences, this was for their notes. Students also had to locate textual evidence to support their paraphrasing which they did with ease. Finally, students had to provide examples of the different ad techniques in their own lives. The previous week, students had carefully tracked their media and advertising consumption. They provided examples easily. That being said, there are 7 students who are ESE in that classroom. 5 of the 7 students completed the assignment with the same proficiency as their peers (minus conventions such as grammar and spelling), 2 students required more prompting and cueing for staying focused or needing clarification or encouragement. These 2 students were given extra time for the assignment but still did not complete it or turn it in. This is a separate independent function issue that is being addressed through extensive communication with their parents.
I do hope you do not take any of this to come from a place of malice or disrespect. I know how much peers care about education, especially our teachers and students. I am sure you understand how important these observations are to all teachers. I am concerned that the observation system is not equipped to accurately evaluate ESE fuse teachers and their unique responsibilities. I do not believe that this observation was representative of my teaching. I do not feel like my evaluator fully understood what was going on in the class and how that lesson fits into other lessons. I do not feel that I was being evaluated, but instead that my co-teacher was being evaluated.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully and warmly,
_______________
Dear Ms. __________,
It was a pleasure meeting you earlier in the year and I enjoyed your feedback from my formal observation. I know you observe a lot of teachers and may have difficulty remembering the circumstances of my informal observation, but I was absolutely surprised by the results.
I would like to take the time to clear up any confusion or misunderstandings that may have occurred during my informal observation.
You observed me at _____ on __________ during my 8th grade language arts class that I co-teach with a teacher named ______. Before you entered the room I warned you that I would not be leading in that particular class and encouraged you to attend one of my other classes that I would be leading that day. You assured me that you understood each day in a co-taught ESE classroom was different, but from the results of my observation I do not see that understanding. I feel as though you were evaluating my co-teacher and not me.
I have broken down my biggest concerns by each objective. Hopefully I can provide enough evidence to have this evaluation reconsidered:
3A Communicating with students (requires action)
Peer stated, “The teacher does not demonstrate an understanding of the content and purpose of the lesson. Therefore, there is no communication of the lesson’s purpose or direction to students. The teacher does not give directions or clarify any student confusion. No time is allotted to discuss what they are expected to learn or work on.” To begin with, this lesson was a continuation of the prior day’s work. Extensive directions were not needed as they had already received the directions the day before. Students were working on identifying the different types of ad techniques by reading an article, paraphrasing the information into a graphic organizer, and providing examples. I believe time is more precious than gold in the classroom, and from what I and Mr. _______ observed from their previous work, there was no need for extra directions or clarifications to the class. It was time for them to demonstrate their learning. I did, of course, float around the class providing support and clarification to students who needed it. I was able to reiterate examples for students who needed it, though few did. The class average was a 90% for students on this assignment. The directions and discussion had taken place before, the students understood what they needed demonstrate, and they did it very well.
3B Using questioning and discussion techniques (requires action)
Peer states, “The teacher does not ask any questions to promote thinking and the students have little opportunity to discuss content or questions. The teacher does not pose any questions to students. There are several missed opportunities to probe students for discussion. Students are given no time to talk about their thoughts.”
To begin with, my evaluator was in one far corner of the room and could not have heard questions I asked students, questions about vocabulary, comprehension, and time management. As I explained to her, I would not be leading that period. The assignment students were working on was the building block to many larger, quality discussions that took place. This assignment was used assist students with a gallery walk in which students looked at ads that they had brought in and discussed the different techniques with their peers. It was a highly engaging activity that could not have been as successful as it was without the foundation of that day’s activities.
3D Using Assessment in instruction (progressing)
Peer states, “It is unclear how student learning is being monitored. While the teacher circulates and monitors progress, students are unable to self-assess based on vague criteria provided by the teacher. The teacher does not clearly communicate assessment criteria to students. There is limited feedback offered to students as they work.”
Students know they can always talk quietly with a student at their table if they would like to assess before the teacher does. Perhaps they were nervous having a stranger sit at their table and did not want to talk. The criteria was established in the previous class. There was ample modeling and discussion. Students were to identify all 11 ad techniques in their own words. They had to read the explanations and then paraphrase. They did not have to use complete sentences, this was for their notes. Students also had to locate textual evidence to support their paraphrasing which they did with ease. Finally, students had to provide examples of the different ad techniques in their own lives. The previous week, students had carefully tracked their media and advertising consumption. They provided examples easily. That being said, there are 7 students who are ESE in that classroom. 5 of the 7 students completed the assignment with the same proficiency as their peers (minus conventions such as grammar and spelling), 2 students required more prompting and cueing for staying focused or needing clarification or encouragement. These 2 students were given extra time for the assignment but still did not complete it or turn it in. This is a separate independent function issue that is being addressed through extensive communication with their parents.
I do hope you do not take any of this to come from a place of malice or disrespect. I know how much peers care about education, especially our teachers and students. I am sure you understand how important these observations are to all teachers. I am concerned that the observation system is not equipped to accurately evaluate ESE fuse teachers and their unique responsibilities. I do not believe that this observation was representative of my teaching. I do not feel like my evaluator fully understood what was going on in the class and how that lesson fits into other lessons. I do not feel that I was being evaluated, but instead that my co-teacher was being evaluated.
Thank you for your consideration.
Respectfully and warmly,
_______________
Do we really want to tie money to these evaluations? Who is going to want to teach our most vulnerable students if it means a cut in our pay? It's no wonder that 40% of the vacancies listed on our district website are ESE positions. Someday, I hope to be a part of changing ESE. They need more resources, teachers need more time to effectively collaborate. Differentiated instruction requires a great deal of planning. Make time to plan or plan to fail. Teachers have told me that they have removed ESE from their certification to ensure they do not have to teach it. I signed an agreement to earn my certification this year, but after my experiences, I do not plan on earning it. What does that mean for me? I don't know, but I'm willing to deal with the consequences.
The system requires action.
The system requires action.
This is why I shudder when young people tell me they want to teach. They have no idea what they are getting themselves into. The system does need to change-- to encourage, not discourage, teachers from entering the profession and dealing with our most challenging students.
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