I schedule observations & try to match personalities, interests, & put the dick observers with experienced teachers.

And here’s what else I learned () 1. if you are an observer & you don’t want to come in on S or 7:50AM it’s because shitty times are left for adjuncts/ECRs

You have to do it ONE day. Get over it. I once had a full professor say he was being discriminated against for being childless because I asked him to come in on a Saturday LOL. Don’t be this person.

2. Observations go on record. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Adjuncts & ECRs—you likely have the right to add an addendum. If you get an observer that cares more about being tough / their persona than actually mentoring, add your account of the class. Advocate for yourself.

3. At best, observations are an opportunity for adjuncts to feel a part of the department community or meet someone new. Don’t blow them off in any sense of that phrase—mentor them & make them feel welcome. This includes not complaining about having to do observations in hallways

4. Observers, you have something to learn from new teachers. We can’t all keep up with pedagogy journals on top of everything else, so watch for cutting edge teaching. Actually read the syllabus, also. (Do note if the authors are mostly white.)

5. Remember that all student evaluation biases apply to observations. Make sure the language you use records what happened as opposed to your intuitive sense of the instructor. If you find yourself writing that a woman cares deeply for their students, for example, revise.

last word-Observations mean so much to ECRs. We get anxious, we over-prepare, we overthink how to explain to students, we teach as a bundle of nerves, we care what you think, we need encouragement, we need compassionate suggestions, and we need collaboration more than evaluation

last last word, the tenured dude who told me I was discriminating against him for not having children? I taught a once a week Saturday comp class at a community college when my daughter was 4 months old almost killed me. you can do one fucking Saturday