Student Feedback—Point V.

V. Visit the classroom more often
The group of students recommended that administrators visit the classrooms more often--say once every other month. I realize that their jobs require a lot from them, but something like this is too important to shrug off. They also suggested that these visits should be unannounced and should last throughout the entire class period.
I absolutely agree with this suggestion.
Reason one: I was told by school administrators that the best thing to do before a visit from an evaluator/observer is to prep the class. I was given tips on how to bribe my students to behave well in front of guests. I was also told that even those who evaluate/observe you are aware that this is just a dog and pony show. How sad I was to know these things!
Reason two: The teacher will not prepare a fantastic lesson plan specifically for this day—all their lessons should be great!
Reason three: the students will become used to the visitors and will be able to see how concerned the administrators are that the teachers are doing their jobs well. As it is now, students have this idea that their administrators don’t care and would never take their suggestions seriously. It is unfortunate that some students think of their principal as one who stays in their office and never interacts with faculty and students.
Besides visitng more often, the students also thought that it would be best if administrators from other campuses came to evaluate teachers in order to stay clear of any bias. The administrators could rotate campuses each year in order to see new teachers and be more aware of all the schools in their district and surrounding areas.