Math Dept. Meeting at Arts HS and Advisory Meeting at Shabazz HS

I attended a Math Department meeting at Newark Arts HS, and I also attended an advisory meeting at Malcolm X Shabazz HS. Both meetings made me realize that there is more thought and planning in school districts than I originally assumed. Both meetings were also quite different from each other especially since both meetings were on two completely different levels in the school system.

The Math Dept. meeting was very interesting. There was a very long discussion on teacher-administrator relationships which seemed to never end. Many of the teachers felt that their evaluations were very unfair since many of them were being evaluated by administrators who had absolutely no experience in teaching. Comments on evaluations were many times directed toward how colorful the room was and if all the students took off their headgear instead of the actual teaching and learning that was taking place. I clearly understand exactly where the teachers are coming from, and I do believe in many cases that administrators need to be teachers before they can evaluate teachers.

I have also attached the evaluation for that was handed out at the meeting. The evaluation form includes many categories that pertain to the actual teaching that takes place, but the teachers during the Math Dept. meeting felt that comments needed to be made on the categories not just ranking on where they stand. It would be quite hard for them to improve on something in particular if it is not suggested how or what to change. Mr. DiAntonio who is the Math Dept. administrator was conducting the meeting and sympathized with his fellow teachers since he knows where they are coming from and was not allowed to evaluate them himself.

The advisory board meeting started off very late, but I was surprised how it began with student performances. One of the students said a poem and another sung a piece. Both performances took up about twenty-five minutes altogether. I actually found the auditorium and most of the facilities at Shabazz to be well taken care of and in good shape compared to what I originally thought I was going to see. The advisory board meeting hand out is about half an inch thick and full of information that I do not completely understand yet. I liked how they had a student representative reporting on what they thought needed to happen in the schools. I was very impressed by the organization, professionalism, and concern of the advisory board.