Anita: “Gwen, you taught middle school computer technology, not high school English. Please stop telling me that you know more about how to teach my English classes than I do. You’ve only observed me for a grand total of fifteen minutes this week. Waltzing through five different classes for three minutes each time doesn’t provide you enough information to make you knowledgeable about my teaching.”
Gwen: “I was hired to do instructional leadership at Darrow High School. That means I have to see that student achievement test scores go up,” Gwen asserted. “My job is to make sure that all my teachers are doing their jobs.”
Anita: “There’s a lot more to instructional leadership than just making sure test scores increase and your being visible in classrooms,” Anita responded wearily.
Gwen: “Now it sounds like you’re trying to tell me how to do my job!” Gwen sniped.
Anita: “Gwen, I have been a mentor teacher for the new teachers in the English department, and I’ve supervised several student teachers during my ten years here. Plus, I’ve served on district language arts curriculum committees. So, I think I know what instructional leadership means. I have spent a lot of time with other language arts professionals dialoguing about goals and methods.”
Gwen: “Anita, if you persist in talking to me in this way, I’m going to have to write you up for insubordination!” Gwen huffed.
Anita: Anita looked at Gwen in dismay. “What? How am I being insubordinate? I’m trying to discuss the meaning of instructional leadership with you.”
Gwen: “I didn’t ask you to do that, did I? I told you what I want. I want detailed lesson plans from you for the classes I visited this past week.”
Anita: “I don’t see the point of developing lesson plans for classes that have already been taught.”
Gwen: “So you admit that you didn’t have lesson plans for those classes!”
Anita: Anita was growing more perplexed by Gwen’s lack of listening skills. “I didn’t say that at all. Of course, I had lesson plans, but they weren’t written in the detailed format that you seem to want. Why is it that you want those lesson plans now? What is it that you saw in those three-minute waltz-throughs that caused you to think that there was a problem?”
Gwen: “I told you I have to have them for my records. That is the procedure I’m using. No one else has complained about it!”
Anita: “What records?” Anita’s voice revealed her surprise. “Surely the checklists that you completed during the waltz-throughs were adequate as documentation. Are these records that are going in my personnel file? What are you planning to do with them?”
Gwen: “I don’t care for your tone, Anita. I don’t have to explain myself to you.”
Anita: “What exactly is the purpose of this conference, Gwen? You emailed me that I needed to meet with you today during my planning period. As soon as I walked into your office, you immediately started telling me what you think I need to do differently with my English classes. You never asked why the students are engaged in specific activities.”
Gwen: Gwen paused to shuffle some papers on her desk before she responded. “I know how to raise test scores, and that is what matters. I didn’t see the sort of behaviors that I was looking for when I came into your classes. Each time I came in, your students were in small groups, either writing reactions or reading other students’ reactions to reading assignments. You were sitting at your desk grading essays. I saw virtually the same thing during each visit!”
Anita: “Your five visits occurred in five different classes and lasted three minutes in each class! If you had stayed for an entire class, you would have seen other activities. But what was wrong with the activity that you did see?”
Gwen: “That should be obvious to any veteran teacher,” Gwen snipped.
Anita: “Well, this veteran doesn’t think there is anything wrong with it. All the students were actively engaged in using their language arts skills,” Anita insisted.
Gwen: “How do you know? You were sitting at your desk! You should have been moving around the classroom monitoring the activity. You’re not supposed to be doing grading during class time. You’re supposed to be teaching.”
Anita: Anita shook her head in disbelief. “So reading and reacting to student papers while students are reading and reacting to student papers is inappropriate teacher behavior? How odd! I would’ve called it modeling. What is the point of the three-minute waltz through when you don’t even know what you’re seeing?”
Gwen: “This conference is over, Anita. I want the lesson plans in my mailbox by tomorrow morning.”
Anita: “And what exactly will you do if the lesson plans aren’t there?”
Gwen: “The lesson plans are to be there, Anita. We are done. I have another appointment. Lisa should be waiting out there so send her in on your way out.”
Gwen: Anita rose from her chair and departed without further comment.
