But first I want to say that I know this survey is not the end-all be-all. I like assigning numbers to things and comparing them and so I've spent a bit of time analyzing my students' responses. But I know that some students gave me high ratings just because they like me, the same as how some students may have given me low ratings just because they always get in trouble in my class and they don't like me. Only about half of all my students chose to participate in this survey, so we could also be talking about participation bias here. I am attempting to quantify things that are, to some extent, subjective. How do my students perceive me?
AREAS OF STRENGTH:
I dress professionally.
I'm not sure what happens at the end of the day here! I kind of wonder if it's just student opinion or if maybe by the end of the day my hair is sloppier and my clothes appear wrinkled and more worn. I'm not really concerned, just amused!
I respect each student.
I needed this confirmation from students. I do feel as though I respect each student. I try to model this respect for others so that my students will also treat each other with respect. My toughest class gave me the lowest rating. I need to stop thinking of them and referring to them as my "toughest class." Whether or not I am actually treating them differently than other classes, they perceive it that way.
AREAS OF WEAKNESS:
I need to keep the class under control without being too tough.
The fact that this is an area in need of improvement is no shock to me. What does surprise me is that the class that feels most out of control to me gave me the highest rating. As I try to make sense of this, I am realizing that behaviors in that class are usually so extreme that I need to send students to the office. In other classes, I tend to tolerate minor behaviors for too long. Disruptive behaviors are disruptive no matter how minor or major they are. I need to stop tolerating behaviors that impede learning.
THINGS THAT IMPROVE AS THE DAY GOES ON:
I encourage more questions.
This makes sense to me because I have heard the questions and comments made by students in earlier classes and I take more time to encourage discussion.
I think at the start of the day I am more focused on pushing through the lesson, and as the day goes on I lay off that a little and I do take more time to listen to my students. I rarely have a class not get through a lesson and fall behind, and when it happens I have never attributed that to "wasting time entertaining students' ideas." It is important to me that students feel as though I really listen to them.
This makes sense to me. After presenting the same information three times, I should hope that I've figured out a better way to say it! Also, that seems to be a pretty significant difference between my first class of the day and my last. I know what I'm talking about, but I should really start practicing how I'm going to say it to better communicate with my first class.
This is an area I need to work on across the board. I tend to have more behavior issues in my last class and so, more consequences, and I wonder if my students interpreted this question as rating the fairness of my punishments or the giving of punishments at all.
THINGS THAT DECLINE AS THE DAY GOES ON:
I listen to students' ideas more often.
I think at the start of the day I am more focused on pushing through the lesson, and as the day goes on I lay off that a little and I do take more time to listen to my students. I rarely have a class not get through a lesson and fall behind, and when it happens I have never attributed that to "wasting time entertaining students' ideas." It is important to me that students feel as though I really listen to them.
I use language students can understand and I say my words more clearly.
This makes sense to me. After presenting the same information three times, I should hope that I've figured out a better way to say it! Also, that seems to be a pretty significant difference between my first class of the day and my last. I know what I'm talking about, but I should really start practicing how I'm going to say it to better communicate with my first class.
I praise good behavior more often.
The last class of the day is my toughest behavior-wise, and I do make a conscious effort to tell students in that class when I'm proud of how they're acting. I should really make that a conscious effort in every class.
I give fair punishments.
This is an area I need to work on across the board. I tend to have more behavior issues in my last class and so, more consequences, and I wonder if my students interpreted this question as rating the fairness of my punishments or the giving of punishments at all.
THINGS THAT DECLINE AS THE DAY GOES ON:
I seem to enjoy teaching less.
I get tired as the day goes on, just like my students. I need to do a better job of not carrying over the frustrations from previous classes into the next ones. I need to find a way to still feel fresh at the start of each class.
I answer questions less completely.
I do feel like I struggle with this. Sometimes I forget that a question sounds familiar because I answered it in the last class. The students in my current class still need a complete explanation.
I tell students their learning goals less often.
Overall this is another area in which I could definitely grow. In fact, I was surprised that my students didn't all give me 1s and 2s here. I guess they really do read the agenda on the board, even when I don't talk about it!
THE MOST CONSISTENT THINGS AMONG ALL CLASSES:
I give quizzes/tests that reflect the material in the unit.
I would expect to see consistency here as all classes take the same quizzes/tests. We no longer have common assessments among all the middle schools in the district which means I write my own quizzes and tests.
I treat students as individuals.
This is another one where I would hope to see consistency among all classes. It is so important to find the balance between treating students the same while also recognizing their individuality.
My students also answered some open response questions. Full responses can be viewed here, but common themes included:
- needing to be more strict/being too nice - one student even referred to her class as "a zoo"
- students recognizing my stress - when I freak out, stutter, or "have moments"
- seating - wanting to choose their own seats and rearrange the room
- gratitude - for listening to them and being involved in their lives
One of my biggest takeaways from all this is that when I make a conscious effort to do something, I'm usually pretty successful. When I really focused on praising good behavior in one class, my students recognized that. When I model good behavior and respect for everyone, my students feel respected. When I work hard to write fair assessments, my students find them to be reflective of the unit. I need to make a conscious, full-hearted effort to be more consistent with behavioral expectations in my classroom. But that is a post for another day!
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