NYC Educator: If Your Supervisor Isn't Crazy

NYC Educator: If Your Supervisor Isn't Crazy:

If Your Supervisor Isn't Crazy

If that's the case, you have options. While Reformy John King, in his infinite wisdom, saw fit to impose more observations than either the UFT or DOE wanted, and while some of them must be unannounced, there's nothing to stop you from saying, "Hey, I'm doing this great thing today, and why don't you come and see it?"

Now I can't speak for all supervisors, especially the crazy ones. But if I were a supervisor and had 200 more observations to get out of the way, I'd be relieved if someone invited me in to see something worthwhile. Hopefully, everything is. But there is that eye or checklist of the beholder thing with which we all have to deal, so why not let your supervisor see whatever it is you do best?

There are also possibilities if you have negative writeups. I'd advise you, if your supervisor criticized, say, your questioning technique, to go in there and demand suggestions of how to do it better. Then, I'd invite the supervisor in and use precisely those ace questions that were suggested. If further criticism ensued, I'd ask the supervisor why such awful questions were ever suggested in the first place.

Of course none of these things will work if your supervisor is crazy, or if said supervisor hates you and everything you stand for. But don't take it out on the supervisor. It may not be his or her fault. It's entirely possible the principal hates