Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/involving-parents-and-teachers-in-the-evaluation-process/5012392/
It hurts! Giving teachers and parents the opportunity to evaluate the director and the early childhood program opens up the avenue for criticism. It's like an inoculation; it stings at first, the area hurts for a few days, but it strengthens the immune system and protects against illness. The truth about you as an administrator and the school's curriculum and facility can bite. This is especially true with a director who has put in years to create an early childhood program. The critique bruises, but hopefully it will lead to positive change. The process empowers teachers and parents and helps them buy into the task of improving the atmosphere and providing quality education.In the beginning, I relied on questionnaires from both teachers and parents that assessed the curriculum, facility, and me. After the first year, I asked parents to give recommendations and incorporated many of their ideas. This was easy. Asking the staff was more difficult.
I remember the first time I asked my teachers to evaluate me with specific questions about my abilities and techniques. I was afraid to read them, and when I finally did, I put the papers aside for two months. I recognized the truth, but I ...