Evaluations

Throughout my 10 week tenure at Generic Middle School, it is my lot to reside under a collective microscope of scrutiny and evaluation, a state of affairs that is not as unpleasant as it may seem. I actually find it refreshing to have an ongoing log of what all the Key Players are thinking about me. It’s nice to know where you stand. Besides, the feedback has been helpful, and overwhelmingly favorable to boot.

As much as I like the continuous stream of documentation about my progress,
my favorite evaluations have been neither written nor formal. I love hearing what the kids think about me.

It turns out I’m pretty “cool,” a rumor that began circulating shortly after a perpetual gum-chewer discovered that a Bubblicious crack-down wasn’t high on my list of priorities. It seems that overlooking a little wad of chew here and there buys you a whole lot of hallway cred—-which comes in handy when you need cooperation during an Actual Incident. In the choose-your-battles department, this one’s a no-brainer.

Although coolness is certainly a coveted attribute, I was even more elated to learn of my tactical prowess. Waking up utterly mute one morning, I scrambled to devise a voiceless teaching method that would allow some crucial instruction to continue unimpeded. Communicating with my students via large screen Smart Board and some color coded paper squares, I managed an entire grammar lesson.

“How did she loose her voice?” one student asked another.

“I don’t know. She doesn’t even yell.”

“Yell?” chimed in Bubble Boy, “Mrs. Davis doesn’t need to yell. She’s got strategy.”

And just in case my status as a cool strategist isn’t enough for the resume, I just got another bit of good news. Readers, forget that milestone birthday I told you about. I’ve received word that I’m young. Very, very young. Too young to be married; way too green for children.

Conservative estimates place me somewhere around 22. If only I could get official documentation on that!