Me as an observer

Until I began this course I never realized the power of observation. I did not realize that when I observe something there is always an agenda in my mind. And in most cases that agenda clouds my mind from seeing the absolute truth of the situation.

During the initial days as an observer in my classroom, I had formed assumptions about certain kids who were more vocal than the others. It was the second time I went to the break out room where S was a part of. Some discussion about a text led to an argument, and S ended up calling V with unkind names. I first felt a sudden sense of insult to myself followed by anger towards S. Then I collected my thoughts and said "Let's not call names. We could start by reading out from the 4th page". They continued to read taking turns, and then another argument led to name calling again. I again felt disrespected but did not want to show it, so I instead nudged them to finish the task before the breakout room closed.

This incident bothered me for a few days, and I didn't understand why. I skipped writing that part in my anecdotal record. I wasn't bothered because S was name-calling, but because she also didn't respect my place as a teacher in the room. I as a teacher did not know how to respond to such comments. As an observer, I am bringing with me into that room my position as a person with authority, my expectations for student behavior and my expectations from myself to be an ideal teacher. In hindsight, I understand that if I removed those expectations and just observed the happenings in the room objectively, I would have been well equipped to handle the situation. I may have politely pointed out that such language is hurtful and that her friends may not appreciate the way she conveys her thoughts.

While I understand that there is a consistent need to be objective and unbiased in our observation, I also want to admit that my observation could never be 100% objective. It may not be 100% without bias. It is because of the simple fact that I am human! And it is human to bring our perspectives to an observation no matter how hard we try to be completely objective.

However, one thing that could bring me close to observing a situation as objectively as possible, is by being cognizant of my biases, by being cognizant of my perspectives and by being aware of the colored lens that I am wearing. This has helped me remove my ego observe and analyze a situation in all its truth and reality.

Sample Observation Records