Gold Coins for Walkthroughs? No. Just No.
In this video, Dr. Justin Baeder criticizes the practice of giving teachers token rewards like gold coins during walkthroughs, arguing it infantilizes professionals.
Key Takeaways
- Token rewards insult professionals - Handing out gold coins or stickers during walkthroughs treats teachers like children
- Walkthroughs should be about learning - The purpose is instructional improvement, not a rewards program
- Treat teachers as the professionals they are - Respectful, substantive feedback is more valuable than any trinket
Transcript
Gold coins for walkthrough points.
I wish I was making this up, but I saw this just now.
An administrator had made St.
Patrick's Day-themed gold coin buckets for teachers.
The administrator goes into the classroom, does a walkthrough, looks for certain things that are on the checklist, puts gold coins in them.
Can we please stop doing stuff like this?
Teachers are adults, and when we forget that and try to make fun ways for them to participate in what are probably dystopian instructional leadership activities, it just goes badly.
So, like, I'm all for making things fun, but the infantilizing, like, make it cute even though it's a bad idea stuff, we've just got to stop that.
Please.
Teachers are adults.
Teachers are professionals.