For+Beginning+Teachers-Working+Out+the+Kinks

Carl,

Wow! That is a LOT of observation in the first few weeks. Your evaluation of your situation is insightful--TL use is new to the kids and you are still working out the kinks. That, alone, should tell you what you need most is time. So, instead of worrying about what they are thinking of you, try to apply what you learned from our Classroom Management lessons--all "misbehavior" is a response to an unmet need. . . an attempt to get that need met.

So, carefully consider under what circumstances frequent observations could make sense: maybe they are required to do a certain number and are trying to get them out of the way early; maybe there are lots of DIFFERENT people who are supposed to be observing you, so even though they each only come once or twice, it feels constant to you; perhaps they've had problems in the past with new teachers, and are trying to save themselves a lot of grief in the future by positioning themselves to intervene early should you have difficulty; maybe kids are complaining and so they are intervening; maybe your approach is unfamiliar to them, and thus creates anxiety, etc., etc., etc.

Based on the information you have, you'll be able to narrow the reasons down to the most likely ones. Once you've determined them, you can think strategically about what needs are behind each of those reasons and how you can meet those needs without sacrificing your overall goals. This may mean that you just need to set up deliberate opportunities for them to see what they need to see--an effective teacher whose students are learning. It may mean that you need to buy yourself time until you can work out the kinks (as we both know you are an excellent teacher and that this is really very much about time and training the students). Only you can determine which approach or combination of approaches is likely to be most effective.

That said, Brittany's suggestions are right on target! Stick to your guns. . . if you give in now, you're going to have a much harder fight on your hands in convincing students to try TL use later. Meanwhile, don't be afraid to set the kids up for major success on the days you will be observed (if you know in advance when those will be).

1) FOCUS ON THE FAMILIAR - Give students activities they already understand how to do (so if they know paired dot-to-dots or hear-says or paired dialogues or whatever, use THOSE activities).

2) REASSURE WITH REVIEW - It isn't a bad thing to give students several review activities on those days either to reassure your observers that the kids really are learning. If all the observers see is that the kids are struggling with understanding what to do and how to do it, they are going to assume your methods are unsound, that you are wasting a lot of class time, etc. What they don't understand is that the investments you are making now will pay GIGANTIC dividends in the future.

3) STOCK SUCCESSFUL ACTIVITIES - Prepare several familiar, review-based activities that students can do successfully, have them all photocopied and ready to go, and set them aside. If someone comes in to observe unexpectedly, pull those out. The point is not to "fool" the observer, but rather, to create a situation in which that person can get an accurate picture of what the kids CAN do as a result of spending time with you as their teacher.

4) COMPROMISE, BUT DON'T CAPITULATE - If they continue to insist on English, don't feel guilty about compromising. Use enough English when they are observing to reassure them, but then go back to your normal approach on the other days. As you well know, it is a hard habit to break, so the more fully you can avoid it, the better off everyone will be.

5) CANDID CONVERSATIONS CAN HELP - It may mean that you have a diplomatic conversation with someone in which you ask about how many visits are normal, whether they have concerns, and express yours. Perhaps you just need to have a frank conversation in English with the st