I enjoy visits classrooms especially being in a new school as I’m getting to know the students and teachers and their teaching styles. I enjoy watching students being engaged with the teachers and with each other. I enjoy asking them about their work and to show me what their doing. I enjoy when the teachers take a moment to ask students to show me what they are learning. I believe teachers like that I am in classrooms to first hand what they do and getting to know their classrooms. The part of walk-through that I do not enjoy is getting the teacher to come to my office for feedback of a concerning nature- making time and having the hard conversations. 

Walkthroughs are rewarding in that they keep me connected to the students and to the teachers. It’s exciting when you walk into a classroom and discover an engaging lesson that has been well received by students. Conversely, walkthroughs are unpleasant when I encounter behavioral concerns that go unaddressed and oftentimes undermine the lesson and learning. 

The one main thing that I find rewarding about classroom walk throughs is the collaboration between myself and the teacher. Whenever I meet with a teacher prior to a formal observation I always make it a point to stress that I look at the process as a collaboration and that I am not there to catch them doing something wrong. The daily walk through and the informal conversation that happens afterwards reiterates that collaboration idea. The unpleasant or unrewarding thing about the process is when I can not simply enjoy the classroom or the lesson. I want to simply be a fly on the wall but when I get dragged into a situation in the classroom or some classroom behavior happens that I can not simply ignore it ruins the reason of the visit. 

What I find rewarding about classroom walkthroughs is seeing students in their element, seeing the different lessons that teachers have prepared and the engagement level of students.

What teachers find rewarding is just you know, being recognized for what they're doing, being seen for what they're passionate about it, just getting kudos.

And then also challenges can be, you might step in an awkward time, right? There might be a teacher who's in the middle of disciplining a student and you don't know what the infraction was, right? A challenge can also be the teachers having a bad day, just doesn't want you there, teachers in a bad mood and multiple things like that. But usually I think there's positives that come out of it.

I love to see good activity taking place during a walkthrough. I think my counselors/nurses enjoy the conversations that happen informally after the walkthrough. I really don't find anything to be unrewarding because there is opportunity for learning in every situation. 

I love being able to have a window into what is being taught in the classroom. You get to see different teaching styles and help teacher improve. I don't like when they are turned into evaluations. 

The most rewarding thing for me is seeing the students - love them! Every single one of them knows me and because I do go in the classrooms they will ask me to look at their work and love to tell me how they are doing. I also enjoy seeing the innovative ways my teachers are cultivating our little learners.The teachers have told me they love when I come for a visit in their classrooms. My first year teachers are always nervous my first week of visits then they realize that I am there to encourage and build their capacity. The difficult part for me is having the meaningful chats afterwards. I do not have a system so it is very hit and miss. I also think the teachers would like time to chat with me so they feel they have a voice in our school. 

I love being in classrooms and seeing what is being taught. I love being around the kiddos and watching them learn through the conversations they have. I haven't had a teacher say not to come into their class. I am grateful for the open feeling we have at our school.

As shared before, I fear not having the answer for everything or not having anything to share from the observation. I know I have a couple of teachers who still get really nervous when I walk in the class.

I hope by being in the class more often, I can help relieve those worries of the teachers. I look forward to having conversations about whys behind what is happening in the class. I am hoping to uncover more of the iceberg. 

One of the things I find rewarding about classroom walkthroughs as an instructional coach is that I actually get to go to where the work is being done and that is in the actual classrooms. Most teachers feel valued and seen that I take the time to do this because this isn't something that our administration does. As a result, many feel like they are ignored by administration because, for many, it has been years since an administrator has entered their classroom. As a coach, I am NOT an administrator, but they often remark that it is nice that someone visited them. There are some classroom teachers who do not want anyone in their classrooms. I have to tread carefully because technically, I am not their boss so if I get "uninvited" (which hasn't happened yet) that could be a problem to get access. I think some of those teacher worry about my judging them, and that is something that is unpleasant for both sides in classroom walkthroughs (even though that is not my intent). 

I mean, I love seeing the students. I love seeing staff teachers working together. I love just hearing the ideas and all the lessons that are being taught. I feel that it's just rewarding to really see the growth from one week to another. I've never had a teacher that's ever felt uncomfortable with me. I think it's just really about building those relationships and making sure that you're being seen and that you have a presence. And for me, it's been easy to do that. I just overall feel the difficulties that I'm facing, really, with the form, and hopefully having a notecards will ease that.

Seeing the students, and classroom environment with teacher.They know I am not there to catch them off guard. Could get annoying always in the rooms. 

My teachers value sharing something innovative and impactful that they are doing in their classrooms. They get very excited about sharing how what they are doing is helping students and moving the school's vision forward. I enjoying seeing evidence that our students are learning at high levels and moving closer to achieving our vision. I detest defending a rating and laboring over the write-ups and related paperwork. The teachers don't like being misunderstood. 

I love getting into classrooms because I love to see students working on projects, working together and communicating. I love to hear their ideas about different subjects. About half my teachers feel that my walkthroughs are rewarding. They enjoy getting feedback and ideas for upping their game. They like that I notice things that they don't. Teachers that are sitting at their desk or not interacting with students find walkthroughs unpleasant. It's also unpleasant for me too. Some teachers just want me to leave them alone. 

I enjoy going into math rooms and seeing the lessons and activities the kids are doing. Sometimes when I'm in there the teacher will ask me for input on a topic or ask me to help out in the lesson which is always fun for me. The unpleasant part is having to address an issue that comes up in class that is negative. 

I find the learning process amazing when I do classroom walkthroughs. It is just rewarding to see the “light bulb” turned on when a child learns something new.

What I find unrewarding when I do a classroom walkthrough, is when a teacher feels that I am in there to judge his or her teaching. 

One rewarding aspect of classroom walkthroughs is learning student names. You hear their teachers call them when they answer questions. Students love when you call them by their names in the hallway. Another rewarding aspect is the students see you in a non-disciplinary manner. You get to be involved in what the students are doing day to day. The teachers want to show the good that they are doing. Most teachers want to improve their craft and appreciate the feedback. 

My favorite part of walkthroughs is seeing the students and knowing who they are. I think that plays a big impact on them and their progress. Most teachers have been positive with my visits and like to know I'm in the building to have access to my ear. Some classrooms are not the most enjoyable to walk through but I'm hoping the implenting of walkthroughs will change that for the better. 

I love visiting classrooms to see the kids being engaged, learning, and having fun. I also love to see the joy that teaching brings to my teachers, especially when they are teaching a subject they are passionate about. My teachers like when I visit and leave positive notes that validate their success in the classroom or the accomplishments of kids. I am excited to figure out the logistics of having follow-up conversations that will illuminate what thinking goes into their instruction, not just planning. I don't like using a form that is tedious, clunky, and has not meaning other than to collect data. Teacher don't like me visiting during transition times.