Realizing that there was no written lesson plan, I asked him what the agenda for his class for the day. He replied that his goal was to teach the students about the Cold War using different learning modalities and that today was group projects. He told me that quite frequently, he would lecture about the subject matter encouraging the students to take notes, have them answer questions in the textbook, see a video, and work in group projects to facilitate a deeper understanding. Based on his philosophy about teaching using different learning styles, I gathered that his lesson plans would warrant an entire week as evident with the issue on the cold war which indeed has lasted about a week. I went further and asked him what his policy was if the students did poorly on the test. He replied that he would throw the test out because he concluded that there was something wrong with the test and he would find additional means of measuring their comprehension of the subject matter.
Overall, I believe Mr. Watterson is a competent teacher who knows the art of teaching and classroom management. My basic reaction to Mr. Watterson is one of respect similar to the reaction of his students. I observed no idle time wasted. He went from one session to the other with ease and command. I hazard to say that his world history class in one of the more interesting ones I have seen. As the saying goes, it is not really the topic that is boring but the way it is taught. The students that I conversed with did reveal that Mr. Watterson makes the topic come alive with his enthusiasm and passion for teaching.