In order for us to improve in our jobs, we need to seek
feedback and learn from it. This is
easier said than done. It is very
difficult not to take constructive feedback personally. If you are anything like me, you want to do
the best job that you can in the position that you hold. It is scary to open yourself up to others and
allow them to review the job that you do.
Without taking this risk, we would not be able to grow as learners in
education.
It was not that long ago that I sat in your position as a
kindergarten teacher. I can still
remember my very first observation in my first year of teaching. I woke up with a fever and felt awful. Knowing that I worked in a large school,
rescheduling was not even an option.
Somehow, I managed to get through the lesson. I can’t even tell you how the lesson went
because it took all that I had just to get through the activity. I did a lot of reflection and was my worst
critic. I felt that I could have done so
much better. My students understood the
learning goal but I was already thinking about the changes I could make to
deliver the lesson in a better way.
The time came to meet with my administrator. I felt so nervous and sick to my
stomach. I knew I had a lot of room for
improvement but it still did not make the experience any easier for me. My assistant principal began by asking me how
I felt the lesson went. I told her that
I could not remember too much from the lesson since I was not feeling well but
I thought the students were able to understand the content since they did well
on their assessments. I began to tell
her all of the things that I knew I could do better. She told me that she could not tell that I
felt sick and thought I delivered the material successfully. I also believe that she was happy I was able
to provide her with my own personal feedback after reflecting on the job I did. She agreed with the areas that I felt I
could improve.
Learning through reflection and feedback from others is the
only way I feel I can grow as a leader.
After the first survey I did with all of you, I was very scared and felt
vulnerable putting myself out there again.
No matter how many times I tell myself that I need to look at this as a
learning opportunity, I still take everything to heart. This, I know, is one of my many
weaknesses. I know that I need to work
on having a thick skin. I need to
continue to build my confidence in the position that I am in. I need to prove that I am capable of doing
this job to those people who told me that I could never make it as a leader in
education. I need to prove that even
though I wear my heart on my sleeve, I can take and learn from the hard truths
that are spoken through my survey.
I can only hope that when I was able to provide you feedback
from the visits I made to your classroom during walk-throughs and observations
that you were able to reflect on them as well.
In the field of education, we are always learning. We are always looking for ways to
improve. I know that this is what I do
in my position. This is the only way I
can get better.
I will be sharing my survey with all of you later on
today. I appreciate everyone’s honesty
and willingness to share your thoughts with me.
I can only hope that from that feedback, I will be able to create goals
for the upcoming year and work on my areas of opportunity. Thank you for your help. Although for every negative comment there was
a positive comment to follow, it is very difficult not to take to heart the
negative feedback one receives. I
appreciate you allowing me to grow as your leader. Thank you for your patience and understanding
during my first year as your principal.
Before tomorrow’s staff meeting, I would like you to think
about and reflect on all of the activities that we have had during the
year. Some of the comments suggest that
there were several extra things thrown on your plates. Please think about these items to help us
plan for the upcoming school year. We
can look at trying to cut back on the things that are not district
mandated.
No comments:
Post a Comment