Mrvaudrey

Tag: teacher report card

  • Teacher Report Card – Ms. Taormina

    The following is a guest post from Brittany Taormina, who gave the Teacher Report Card to her students during 2021 distance learning. She tweeted me about it, and her grand risk deserves some celebration. Check it out below!

    8:10am the morning bell rings, students slowly begin making their way down the 4th grade hallway into our classroom. The routine each and every morning is the same, day after day. Students read the board and follow the instructions to get their morning going.

    Untilb&

    They walked into the room on the day they got to, bgrade the teacher,b the whispers, the murmurs were happening all around the room.
    bWe get to grade the teacher for once! Wait, what?! We get to give the teacher grades?! YES!b They were beyond excited and got right to work.

    I was shocked at how serious these fourth graders took filling out this google form. In all honesty, I wasnbt expecting them to take it very seriously, but they surprised me! The information that I was able to gather was amazing.

    I learned spots in which I need to continue to grow as a teacher, I learned that my kids donbt think I have bad breath (phew!), and I learned spots in which my kids think I am doing very well.

    One huge takeaway I had was from the written responses the students filled out. So many of them wrote about our special little activities we do that have nothing to do with the curriculum but so much to do with our classroom community.

    Which leads me to a whole another tangent.

    Classroom community is one of my biggest focuses, year after year. I want each and every student in my room to feel welcome. I received responses like, bMy teacher makes me feel like I belongb, bMy teacher makes me feel like a million bucks!b, and bMy teacher makes me feel good and ready to learn and excited to go to school and I never experienced that beforeb. These are all statements written by 4th graders; who knew they had such big feelings and such awareness of how an adult can make them feel?

    This was eye opening to me. Needless to say, my kiddos feel loved and that made my heart happy.

    Now for the growthb& we all have to continue to grow. No one is ever the bperfectb teacher. I learned that sometimes my kids feel like I donbt use clear language to explain a lesson (awesome information). I need to work on explaining things in a way that all of my learners can understand.

    Had I not taken this risk and given this teacher report card a shot, I would have never learned this about myself.

    The teacher report card was definitely a scary thing to post in my google classroom for my kids to fill out, it was completely out of my comfort zone and something I wasnbt sure if I was ready to see the results of.

    Why? I’m not sure.

    I know I do my job and I love each and everyone of my kids, but you just never know how honest and harsh a kid’s criticism might be. But I took a risk, I was brave, and the kids continued to talk about that teacher report card all day long because they felt like they had a say and a true voice in our classroom.

    This was a first for me this yearb& but definitely not a last! Thank you Mr. Vaudrey for inspiring me to be brave, take a risk, and continue to grow myself as an educator for the better of my students.

    ~Brittany

    Picture of Brittany, smiling and giving a thumbs-up
    Follow @btaorminad10 on Twitter

    If you’re interested in giving the Teacher Report Card to your class, see the tweet below!

    (Admin and Instructional Coaches, there are links for y’all there, too.)

  • Bulwarks and Blessings

    Yesterday was Pickle’s last day of school as a kindergartener.

    The night before, I was folding laundry after the kids were asleep, and I heard her burst into tears. I found her sitting up in her big-kid bed weeping.

    Me: Pickle, whatbs wrong?
    Pickle: *sniff* I donbt want to leave my class! I love my teacher so much!

    I am nearly finished BrenC) Brownbs book on empathy, shame, leadership, and vulnerability, so I know the best move here is to just give Pickle a hug and sit with her in her sadness. She cried on my shoulder for 15 minutes, then I suggested, bDo you want to write your teacher a letter or draw her a picture?”

    She did, and it was adorable. Rainbows and holding hands and the words, bI love you soooooo much!!!” written in crayon.

    I really hope Pickle loves school this much for the rest of her career. Thatbs what I want for every child, for them to love school and be sad when itbs over.

    To that end, I gave every effort to end the school year sensitive, caring, and warm, since I know those feelings will be carried by my students the entire summer.

    There are two things I do at the end of every school year, both of which are easily replicated by you to finish strong this year.

    1. Teacher report card

    I blog about this quite a bit, so Ibll be brief: this is a great way to get honest feedback from your students about how your class feels to your students. You’ll likely get some feedback to make some tweaks as you dwell and dream during the student-free time.

    At the same time, you will get some warm fuzzies to carry you out the door and affirm that you did something right this year.

    If you’d like your own link, click here for teachers, click here for coaches, and click here for admin.

    2. End-of-the-year blessing

    I support the separation of church and state, and still I recognize the power of ceremony in public school.

    Graduation, promotion, signing day, and a field trip to the local theme park are all rights of passage to signal something important.

    In old-school Christianity, we called this a bulwark or a Ebenezer.

    In Education, we call this a benchmark.

    In either case, itbs important for students to feel a moment.

    To that end, I try and end the year with my own benchmark/Ebenezer, by giving my students a blessing on their way out the door.

    image: On The Line Ministries

    Note: This can be super creepy have done poorly. Proceed at your own risk.

    Herebs how I did it the last time I had a class:

    bIn some cultures, when people are leaving to do new things, they are given a blessing or a commission or some encouragement…

    Some cultures place hands on the shoulders of the person whobs leaving, but there are too many of you, so Ibll just do this…”

    I hold my hands out over them, palms down.

    bMay you be passionate problem-solvers and curious critics. May you be loyal to your friends, obedient to people in charge, friendly to strangers, and kind to those in need. May you be safe, healthy, loved, and happy, and may you become more of those things every day. May you every day become a better version of yourself.”

    Paraphrased from this blog post in 2014

    NOTE: I would definitely tweak the “obedient to people in charge” part, now that I’m more skeptical of the inequitable power systems inherent in the school system. Probably add something like, “May you be brave and confident when faced with powerful foes,” or something.

    I watched Patricia do a blessing with her class of seniors, and almost all of them bowed their head for some reason. Adolescents are often more clever than we give them credit for, and many can sense when something is important.

    Or they grew up in the church and can sense something sacred.

    However you end the year, keep in mind one thing:

    Our students will carry with themball summerbhow they feel about our classes, so make sure you suck it up and end with something positive.

    ~Matt Vaudrey

    P.S. I’ve been sitting-in full-time as the Assistant Principal at one of my middle schools. Ibve been lingering and shadowing and learning and supporting at the site for a while now, and now that Nadia had her baby, I’ll be taking over her desk until she returns.

    More to come.

  • Teacher Report Card – Mr. James’ Class

    It’s June. The end of the school year is a great time to take a risk and try something new.B

    On Twitter, several teachers have committed to letting their students grade them (more on that later), and Jesse agreed to write about his experience and let me share it here.

    (I’ve bugged several more to blog about it, and if they do, I’ll link them at the bottom.)

     

    I knew I liked the idea as soon as I saw Matt Vaudreybs tweet about a Teacher Report Card. Just as the tweet said, I knew Ibd be taking a risk, showing some vulnerability, but also knew that my students would definitely give me the feedback I was asking forbafter all, I do teach middle schoolers.

    Earlier in the school year I had some impromptu feedback sessions (digitally as well as face-to-face) when things didnbt seem to be going so well, both in my classroom and amongst the team of teachers I work with. Both were insightful and gave my students a much-needed voice to air grievances as well as positives about the year.

    When my students saw bTEACHER REPORT CARDb written on the daily agenda in all caps, I heard their whispered questions and confusion. For a couple of days, scheduling and last-minute assemblies (and lessons that went into overtime) delayed my introduction of their chance to bgradeb me. But finally the day came for me to explain to them what the Teacher Report Card was all about.

    I told them, bJust as you receive a report card at the end of the year and just like you have received feedback from me during the year, this time you will be the ones in charge of the grades and feedback.b I witnessed a few devious smiles as my eyes scanned the crowd. They liked the idea of this teacher feedback thing way too much.

    What had I gotten myself into?

    I explained that I wanted them to take their time to think about our year together and take their time in grading my classroom, lessons, and b ultimately b me. While there were a few who rushed through the feedback (there always are, but in that, maybe therebs some feedback, too) most of my students were thoughtful and reflective of their sixth grade year in Mr. Jamesb ELA class.

    Reading through the responses I was floored at what some of them had to say. As much as being vulnerable can sway in a positive or negative direction, being vulnerable ultimately makes me a better teacher. Andb&isnbt that the important thing?

    My students were honest in their responses and b at times b their responses touched my heart in the most positive way possible.

    bI feel like I have improved as a reader throughout the school year, and I have thought more about reading than I ever have. :)b

    bI just want to say thank you for being my teacher because since you are my first teacher of the day you help me get through the rest of the day. I also like the way you teach and I think youbre an amazing teacher. Keep it up!b

    bIf we do something wrong he lets us explain ourselves.b

    bI am really glad I ended up with you to start off my journey through HJM. I donbt know how much worse the transition would have been without you, so thanks for staying sane. Mostly.b

    Most of the feedback was very positive and will help me continue doing the things that I do well.

    But then, there were other responses that were tough to read.

    Tough responses that reminded me that this whole vulnerability thing wasnbt as easy as I thought it might be.
    Tough responses that I knew were about a moment that negatively affected a student in my classroom.
    Tough responses that ultimately will make me a much better teacher, but in the moment I was reading them just made me feel like I could have done better b could have done more b and thatbs the part that hurts.

    “Sometimes I hate it when the teacher asks me questions I don’t even know the answer to and when I don’t say anything he will just ask me until I answer.b

    bSometimes, the teacher doesnbt let us finish our sentences.b

    bDonbt yell at people for no reason.b

    bSometimes, the teacher gets on my nerves because i’ll say something and he’ll just look at me like I’m stupid and then maybe answer my question after he calls on another student.b

    While all these tough responses will make a difference, that last response is the response that will make the biggest difference.
    The response that will have the most profound impact on the rest of my teacher career.
    The response that makes this vulnerability a good thing even when it hurts. Because the insecurity and the guilt and the apologetic thoughts that are running through my head as I read that (and as I write this) are what will make me better.

    I encourage all teachers to be reflective in their practice, but to also allow your students to be reflective about their year with you. Allow their voices to be heard and allow them to give you honest feedback through a teacher report card or some other form of feedback.

    Prepare yourself to feel great after reading those incredibly thoughtful heartwarming comments, but also prepare yourself to rack your brain for the moment in the classroom that you may have made a child feel anything less than great.

    Thanks for reading.

    ~Jesse James

  • Vulnerability – Teacher Report Card 2016

    Dear Claire,

    You and I haven’t ever talked about the use of the Teacher Report Card as a way to get feedback from students, but lemme tell ya; it’s one of my favorite things I do.

    Every students’ face lit up when I mentionedbbefore giving them the test on Wednesdayb”After the test, you’ll be given a link. That link takes you to a Teacher Report Card where you will gradeB me.”

    Whaaaat image: Viewminder
    “Whaaaat? Awesome! That’s weird. You get straight A’s, Mr. Vaudrey! I’ma fail you.”
    image: Viewminder

    “Listen, though. I want to be the best teacher I can be, so I’m asking you howB you think the class is going because you know best. Be honest with me. You will not hurt my feelings, I can take it. Here’s your test.”

    And they were honest, as only teenagersB could be. Here’s what happened:

    snip20161007_3

    Good Stuff First

    Quite proud of my top six.

    Stuff toB Ignore

    In previous years, makes me feel importantB also been my lowest-scoring question. It’s notable that most students in the latter half of myB careerB feel that I respect each student (#2), praise good work (#4), and try to see the students point of view (#5).

    Yet I still don’t make them feel important.

    Let me get developmental for a moment; I thinkB teenagers will always have a need to feel important, one that we should encourage and affirm as long as it doesn’t encroach on the importance of others. This is a life stage where the identity is forming, which is why haircuts, hair dye, piercings, changes in handwriting, changes in clothing, changes in language, love interests, sexuality questions, and asking their teacher if he smokes weed…

    …will always be natural parts of being a teenager. It’s developmental.

    So that question will probably always be my lowest.
    (If you also give the TRCB to your students, affirm or disprove my theory in the comments.)

    Stuff to Improve

    Yes, my lowest is still 85% positive.
    Yes, I still want to be the best I can, so I’m looking at the bottom.

    The questionsB above that I’ve shaded … what color is that? … copper?… The shaded items are my focus for the second half of my long-term sub assignment. Plenty of free-response comments affirmed that my classroom management is frustrating the compliant students, especially when it comes to covering the material.

    trc-collage-2016

    Rick Morris, one of the first to dramatically impact my classroom culture, had a clear and consistent classroom management (which he modeled for us in full day workshop). As we debriefed, he said something that has stuck with me for years.

    Shelter and protect the compliant

    Claire, in 6th period, thereB are two students. One consistently arrives on time, completes all her assignments, and volunteers to answer questions. The other students made nothing but negative or disparaging remarks for the first two weeks of school. (He’s better now.)

    When the compliant student asked to move seats, I did. She deserves to be sheltered and protected more than the knucklehead needs an elbow partner.

    Other Stuff

    On the list of “Ways Teaching is Different in 2016 than 2013” is the obsession withB phones. About 25% of students mentioned “phone” in their response,B and we use them for calculators sometimes and that’s pretty much it.

    Also dabbing is new and kinda fun.

    On Wednesday, students gave me their opinions. On Monday, I was more …B demanding… with the class following instructions quickly. Sixth period (of course) felt my wrath first, but quickly fell in line.

    Nobody likes hearing their teacher use the Grumpy Voice.

    Claire, I’m not saying I’ve solved the issue that students mentioned; I’m saying I’m improving.

    Next up, content. Teaching RSP 8th grade in the hood requires a different skill set (and a differentB pace) than teaching these students.

    ~Matt “Farther Up and Farther In” Vaudrey

    P.S. Notable in the student responses is the preference toward math class feeling like it’s always felt. A few students mentioned a preference for the typical math class; one even sat me down yesterday and asked why we don’t take notes and do practice like math class is supposed to. Change is hard. Math reform can’t be done on an island.

    The yellow paper that students mentioned is a handout we use to tackle Appetizers as bellwork everyday. That one student who complainedB can suck it up; it’sB an important part of building number sense and it’s friggin’ fun.

    If you’re interested in giving the TRC to your students, click here to make a copy of the Google Form.

    Andbin the name of vulnerability and transparencybhere are all the student responses.

     

  • Teacher Report Card Data

    This year (as every year), my students completed a Teacher Report Card and graded me.
    As I promised, here are the data from my students. 70 middle school students gave me honest, anonymous feedback, and here it is.

    Looking at numbers only, here are my four highest:

    Seems to enjoy teachng 4.89
    Tells us our learning goals 4.7
    Tries new teaching methods 4.62
    Grades fairly 4.53

    And my four lowest:

    Makes me feel important 3.55
    Shows interest in students’ lives 3.6
    Gives fair punishments 3.88
    Has a good pace 3.88

    I’m not gonna lie: those bottom four sting quite a bit. My degree isn’t in Math Ed, it’s in Youth Ministry and Adolescent Studies (math came afterward). It smarts that my lowest grades came from “pastoral” student interactions.

    But my high grades are good “teacher” marks, so that’s good, right?

    Hurrah for me.

    Given that I teach adolescents, I have to keep in mind how their heads work (see here and here).

    Every year when I give this survey, I take the “fair punishments” question with a grain of salt. Part of teaching adolescents means that emotional memories will burn into their developing minds (i.e. When Mr. Vaudrey listened to me talk about my parents), while memories without an emotional connection will be forgotten (i.e. Simplifying Rational Expressions).

    I haven’t yet tried attaching the powerful emotion to boring lessons, but I’m not optimistic that it would work.

    "You'll learn about these Rational Expressions when I slap you in the mouth! Huh? Wanna try me?"
    “You’ll learn to add fractions when I slap you in the mouth! Huh? Wanna try me?”

    But back to the survey.

    Every year, one or two students will try and stick it to me for that one time that they got detention for chewing gum in class twice.

    Here are some responses that made me think:

    How can the class be improved?

    If [student name] got kicked out

    By not letting the class run all over him

    Talk to each student to make sure they understand the lesson because sometimes there shy or emberassed

    Get to the stuff you say you will get to

    He sometimes ignores me.(Even if i raise my hand). He always call on the same smart people and i feel as if i’m not needed.

    Oooo, that smarts.

    As you can see, there are pockets of brilliant insight in the survey (which is mostly text-speak).

    Much like Steph Reilly‘s class, the tension between “managing the class” and “interesting lessons” is a valid one. Few students have classes where we can argue about things, and many students are uncomfortable with noisy learning.

    For that matter, so are many teachers.

    In closing, here are some student comments that reflect why I love to teach this age group:

    What do you like best about the class?

    I can talk to girls in class when I’m done with my work

    how everybody treats eachother

    I like that the class is fun. Everyday some how you make it fun! Haha (:

    What I like best is that , the class is a good vibe everyday . It doesn’t feel like I’m in school when I’m in class. But above all , I like the lessons.

    Your young and swagerific

    What I like best about this class is that there’s not alot of pressure to have the correct answer, it’s okay to be wrong once in a while,

    Yes! Huzzah!

    Your friend tells you that they have Mr. Vaudrey next year. What do you tell them?

    That’s bad because your apost to be in high school not 8th grade

    It will be fun just don’t talk bad about lord of the rings because he likes the book.

    You’ll have a lot of fun and he’s a bit of a Wack job

    Anything else you want to tell me?

    BYE HAVE A NICE SUMMER I WON’T REMEMBER ANYTHING ABOUT YOU JKJK HAH HAVE A GREAT SUMMER

    Like I said, a grain of salt.

    Happy summer, everybody.

    ~Matt “totes fun” Vaudrey

    P.S. If you’d like a paper version,B click here.

  • Teacher Report Card – Google Form

    UPDATE 2018 March 7: There are now copy-able Google forms for Teachers, Coaches, and Administrators.

    I went big this year.

    My usual “Teacher Report Card” has been put to Google for quick data analysis.B

    Here’s a copy that you are free to save to your own Google Drive, if you so desire.

    Stay tuned for the data analysis. I’ll be posting the spreadsheet hereB unedited, because too many people are thinking I’ve got my act together, and it’s time to set the record straight. Here’s a paraphrased quote1 from Dave Burgess:

    Looking at my classroom, some think that creativity just comes easy to me. This isn’tB easy for me. There were dozens of times I’ve brought new ideas to the class and they’ve bombed terribly. No, the reason teachers succeed is because they failB so often, and it’s usually messy.

    In truth, good teaching is making lots of grand mistakes2, then fixing them. (Michael is a fine role model in this regard.)

    In teaching, you rarely notice you’ve made a mistake until it’s too late.

    More on mistakes with the follow-up to this post next week.

    ~Mr. V

    Also, here is a hard copy for download, in case a digital survey isn’t plausible in your class:B Teacher Report Card – Hard Copy

    1. English teachers, I know those two terms are contradictory.b)
    2. See Daniel Dennett for more on this.b)

  • Teacher Report Card

    Ever heard of the John Muir Trail? That (and my wife’s mission trip with her youth group) isB where I’ve been for the last month. Some people have complained, and they need to lighten up.

    Mario: “I think [this class] is fair because everyones idea is respected.”
    Deja: “It’s fun and I can’t wait to get to this class.”
    Sara: “Mr. V grades fairly but is too nice with giving good grades, (not that that’s a bad thing).”
    Jose: “I’m fine with my grade because I know I didn’t try my hardest.”

    These are the kind of student responses that help me form my class for the next year. I read each one, every year.

    The prompt goes something like this:

    “Gentlemen and Ladies, you are going to grade me [pause for incredulous exclamations]. I want to know how to be a better teacher, so you’re going to grade me honestly. And don’t spare my feelings. You must fill out the whole thing.
    You don’t need to put your name at the top–it can be anonymous if you want. I will read every one of these. Also, if you give me all As or all Fs, I’ll know that you didn’t care and I’ll burn it…laughing while I do.”

    As with anything I field a few space-head questions (“Do I put my name on it?” “Can I give you all A’s?”) then turn them loose.

    I change up the questions every year, (the 2012 download is at the bottom of this page) and this year, I used a whole back page for short-response questions.

    Itb�s one last chance for me to squeeze some clarity into their year.
    Itbs one last chance for me to squeeze some clarity into their year.

    I get authentic, unfiltered assessment straight from the horseb�s mouth.
    I get authentic, unfiltered assessment straight from the horsebs mouth.

    Sometimes itb�s cute and flatteringb�&
    Sometimes itbs cute and flatteringb&

    ...sometimes it's sarcastic, but well-mannered*...
    …sometimes it’s sarcastic, but well-mannered*…

    b�&sometimes itb�s legitimate great feedback, andb�&
    b&sometimes itbs legitimate great feedback, andb&

    ...occasionally it's cringeworthy--but necessary--feedback.
    …occasionally it’s cringeworthy–but necessary–feedback.

    Also, they're teenagers. The ones that say I'm not fair are often the ones that got in trouble that week.
    Also, they’re teenagers. The ones that say I’m not fair are often the ones that got in trouble that week.

    I figured this question was a good way to get a quick two-sentence summary, and Ib�ve learned a lot about how students view the b�themeb� of my class.
    I figured this question was a good way to get a quick two-sentence summary, and Ibve learned a lot about how students view the bthemeb of my class.

    RC8

    RC9

    This was just fun.
    This was just fun.

    RC11

    Ah, to be a teenage boy.
    Ah, to be a teenage boy.

    Click here to download the Word Document I used.

    *The “test-day shirt” to which Sara refers is this one, shown here on Crazy Hat Spirit Day (with a student drawing of me wearing it). I wear the Test Shirt every test day (including all 5 State-test days) as a way to lighten the mood for students with test anxiety.

    UPDATE 13 July 2012:

    Andy‘s right; I should mention what I learned from this experience.

    In previous years, I’ve noticed startling trends in theB fairness category. I would consistent low marks when it came to “treating all students the same” or “giving consistent expectations”.B Fortunately, I know the students’ penmanships well enough to ask the class as a whole for further feedback. Some of those chats went like this:

    Vaudrey: A lot of people marked me low for fairness. Why do you think that is?

    (This is about June–most of them are checked out. Or they know me well enough to know that tactfully, respectful criticism will be well-received)

    Maria: Well, sometimes you treat certain students with more second chances.
    Jose: Yeah, like when I got detention for talking during the test, but Jamal talks all the time. (Several students nod).
    Vaudrey: You’re right; that doesn’t sound fair. Anything else?

    If I prove that I won’t get butt-hurt by student feedback, then the class gets a little more bold in their assessments.

    Sarah: Sometimes, your morning breath is really bad.
    Drew: Yeah, like dog crap.
    Vaudrey: Whoa! We’re getting a little carried away. Sarah, thanks for your honesty. Drew, keep in mind that we’re focusing on improving my class, okay? Anybody else?

    In full disclosure, here’s what I learned from this year’s reports:

    • Middle school students have much less to bitch about than high school students.
    • About 15-20% of students would like more explanation on tough topics. Nobody said my teaching pace was too slow.
    • Most of the students liked my class. A few studentsB really liked my class. That felt good.
    • I’m doing a better job of treating all students fairly. (That sample conversation was from a few years back.)
    • For next year, I should teach more closely to the standards, so students see common questions beforeB the test.
    • For next year, I should keep the class under tighter control. In recent years, I’ve slacked on classroom management because I taught seniors. Eighth graders need a little heavier hand.