By Zachary Robbins
You’re not alone if you feel uneasy when someone walks in with a clipboard. Observations can feel like judgment, but they don’t have to.
Here’s how to shift your thinking and stay in control:
1. Reframe the Purpose: Observations are an opportunity to showcase your students, not just yourself. Focus on what they’re doing, not just what you’re doing.
2. Control What You Can: Have materials ready, objectives posted, and transitions tight. Predictability eases pressure.
3. Let Go of Perfection: Great classrooms aren’t silent. Kids make noise, ask questions, and sometimes fumble. That’s learning.
4. Narrate Your Moves: If something unexpected happens, name it and redirect. Observers respect teachers who think out loud and adjust.
5. Breathe and Recover: Don’t replay every second afterward. Take a breath, jot down a few notes, and keep moving.
Your worth isn’t measured in 45 minutes. Keep showing up. That’s what matters most.
Observations don’t have to feel like judgment when you center your students and stay flexible.Burnout rarely gets better without intentional change. Naming it is the first step. You can’t fix what you’re unwilling to see. But you don’t have to stay stuck here.
Take the Educator Burnout Assessment and get a clear picture of where you stand. You deserve to know the truth about how you’re doing.