Finals

My seventh hour students are working on their final exam for my class. I asked them to write a reflection about their experience in my class this year--what did you learn? What was fun? What really sucked? What skills have you developed (yes, I've seen Napolean Dynamite; yes, the knuchuck skills could apply here)?

Watching them sort through what they've learned is fun, but I'm always surprised when I read final reflections. The student who I thought learned a lot says he learned nothing new. The student who resisted everything we did in class feels like an authentic learner. I can't count on a single sure thing when I comb over these to adapt my lessons and activities for next year.

Little do they know that I had my own final yesterday--my summative evaluation. I almost quit my job over it. Walking out into the bright sunlight after being under flourescents all day would have been marvelous. But, instead I hunted down the princi-PAL and started the review process. He says: Let's start with any questions you have.
Me: Well, I would like for you to explain to me why I earned progressing on these first four items. I would like to start there.
Him: What? (Takes paper and looks at it; shakes his head.) Oh, no. Oh, Leslie, no you didn't earn progressing on those. You didn't get any progressings.
Me: Oh, okay. Okay, good.
Him: Oh, I'm so sorry. I bet that's a relief. No, you've done a great job this year. I'll go over your strengths with you--and you probably have a lot more, this is just what I've seen. (Lapses into some strengths I have: my sense of humor, my willingness to develop professionally, my ability to work with students until they understand everything.)

The walk between picking up the evaluation and straightening out the evaluation seemed quite long. It's good to be praised sometimes at the end of the year when you think you're drowning. I hope my students feel as though they've been praised a bit this week when they're finishing their freshman year.