my opinion

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my opinion
By jl, fourth grade

Hi Lisa,

It is good to vent! Here's some food for thought. Don't let this bother you. It might be a good idea to take a copy of your evaluation to your principal, along with documentation of the conversation you had with
the fellow teacher and discuss with her how you know your class has some difficult behaviors but that you have made tremendous strides in changing those behaviors to more positive attributes. Stress how you are working with a colleague and have been implementing her advice and then document what you have changed since your evaluation and meeting. Also let her know that you realize management

is sometimes a challenge for beginning teachers as well as experienced teacher and that your class has a reputation for being "rough." Acknowledge that management is your professional development goal for this year and reiterate that you are taking steps to make changes. Let her know that you continue to meet with this fellow teacher and you are implementing her advice. Then end the conversation with a "naturally you are always welcome in my classroom..." and please feel free to stop by to see what great improvements we are making. THEN let your class know that the principal is looking for one of the best behaved classes in the school and encourage them to prove they are it. Remind them that best behavior is always expected no matter who is in the room. This way you create a partnership between you and your class and you and your principal. There is nothing wrong with identifying areas where your class needs to improve--if we all had perfect classes we wouldn't need this vent board, right? Good luck and keep on plodding along. By December you will be amazed at who this children are and how far they have come!