You can!! I did, just last month! My admin observed me for my annual performance reviewed. My lesson idea was dictated by my students, who very much wanted to learn about ocean animals. So I obliged them that week and wrote up a mini-unit. I thought my admin would be tickled pink to see me, in the age of Covid, addressing the SEL needs of students who hadn't been together in a year. Well, you can probably guess what happened next. The lesson "bombed" in the sense that she failed to see all my objectives match my end of lesson assessment. She told me my lesson had students enthused, engaged and happy. She told me it was a "wonderful" lesson. But... who gives a crap about fish? (she didn't say it like that, but that was message.) Kids need skills taught and assessed! Knowledge? They'll forget your facts about fish...we need to teach them skills! My lesson was scored as "developing" and not effective. I just hope I don't get put on some dumb-ass teacher-improvement plan.

But you what? I'm a BAT... bad-ass teacher. And I'd do it all over again, and not just because of tenure, but because it's right!