No surprises for your principal
If you think a parent might call, get there first. And invite them in before the formal observation.
With Tammy Striler · 1:48 · Filmed fall 2020
What to take away
- It's okay to fear your principal a little bit. Not a lot — just enough to keep you on your toes.
- No surprises: if you think a parent is unhappy and might call, give your principal the heads up.
- Then when the call comes they can say they've already talked to you.
- Invite them into your room when you're excited about a lesson — don't wait for the formal observation.
Why it works
Tammy learned the no-surprises rule from her own current principal, and it's the cheapest goodwill in the building. The invitation is the other half: an administrator who has seen your room on a good ordinary day reads the formal observation completely differently.
Tammy Striler
Founder · classroom teacher
Thirty years in the classroom, most of them with the door open and a student teacher in the back. Tammy started these tips because the best things she learned came from other teachers over lunch, and nobody was writing them down.
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