Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/managing-teacher-performance-while-walking-around/5007821/
Every director knows that much of her time is spent on the move - checking on the timbre and staffing of classrooms, responding to crying or especially noisy episodes, giving messages to teachers, checking the status of supplies, and attending to numerous other details. It often feels like nothing has been accomplished because there have been so many interruptions and distractions!On the other hand, directors who spend time in and around their centers, who are visible, who are seen as empathetic to teachers' needs and the demands of the classroom, who help out on occasion when times get tough, and who provide technical assistance in problem solving, are viewed by teachers as both supportive to the teaching role and successful in the director role. Figuring out how to manage performance while walking around is a good strategy for insuring that the day will not pass by without accomplishing something. Capturing the time spent on the move, making it count, can have positive consequences for program quality and teacher satisfaction.
Develop a note taking system. Gathering and retaining information is the first step in managing it. As directors move around their centers, comments are made by teachers, problems ...