How can I work with administrators who lack expertise in my field but evaluate my work? [closed]
I'm dealing with a frustrating situation. Despite being highly qualified and feeling confident in my work, my supervisors seem to think otherwise. To give some context: I'm nearing 20 years of teaching experience, have a BA in my subject area, and a master's in pedagogy. I’ve published in my field, taught in a teacher-education program at a college level, and have reached the top of my pay scale—earning more than the administrators in my building. In terms of credentials and professional standing, there's little more I could do that would have any effect. I constantly read, and try to better my craft. Due to regional teacher shortages, alternative certification programs have become common. These programs allow people to switch careers and enter teaching after passing a few tests and taking community college courses (and sometimes just through tests). As it happens, both my current principal and vice principal came through these programs—and unfortunately, they don't seem to recognize the limitations of their own training. Since the new administration arrived, I’ve gone from mentoring new teachers to being treated like a novice. They equate direct instruction with learning and dismiss any approach that deviates from that model, even when it’s research-based and widely accepted. For example, I recently gave students a list of words, asked them to infer their meanings, then explain their reasoning to the class—a simple but effective way to build both language and critical thinking skills. Admin assumed I had made a mistake by not first displaying all the words and explaining their definitions. That one moment captures the pattern across every evaluation I’ve received—I use a lot of different strategies to teach, but no matter the approach, they don’t understand what I’m doing, and they assume I’m the one who doesn’t understand. I feel like every attempt to communicate with them hits a dead end. Despite multiple efforts to explain my approach or strategies, nothing seems to shift their perception. I’m not alone in this—there are a few other smart, capable teachers who feel similarly misunderstood, and they’re facing the same problem: horrible evaluations. They all are choosing to leave. How can I help administrators recognize I know what I'm doing—so I can continue doing my job properly?
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I'm dealing with a frustrating situation. Despite being highly qualified and feeling confident in my work, my supervisors seem to think otherwise.
To give some context: I'm nearing 20 years of teaching experience, have a BA in my subject area, and a master's in pedagogy. I’ve published in my field, taught in a teacher-education program at a college level, and have reached the top of my pay scale—earning more than the administrators in my building. In terms of credentials and professional standing, there's little more I could do that would have any effect. I constantly read, and try to better my craft.
Due to regional teacher shortages, alternative certification programs have become common. These programs allow people to switch careers and enter teaching after passing a few tests and taking community college courses (and sometimes just through tests). As it happens, both my current principal and vice principal came through these programs—and unfortunately, they don't seem to recognize the limitations of their own training.
Since the new administration arrived, I’ve gone from mentoring new teachers to being treated like a novice. They equate direct instruction with learning and dismiss any approach that deviates from that model, even when it’s research-based and widely accepted. For example, I recently gave students a list of words, asked them to infer their meanings, then explain their reasoning to the class—a simple but effective way to build both language and critical thinking skills. Admin assumed I had made a mistake by not first displaying all the words and explaining their definitions. That one moment captures the pattern across every evaluation I’ve received—I use a lot of different strategies to teach, but no matter the approach, they don’t understand what I’m doing, and they assume I’m the one who doesn’t understand.
I feel like every attempt to communicate with them hits a dead end. Despite multiple efforts to explain my approach or strategies, nothing seems to shift their perception. I’m not alone in this—there are a few other smart, capable teachers who feel similarly misunderstood, and they’re facing the same problem: horrible evaluations. They all are choosing to leave.
How can I help administrators recognize I know what I'm doing—so I can continue doing my job properly?
