What is the most important thing you have learned during fieldwork observation? Why?

During my fieldwork, I have experienced a lot of different aspects of a teacher's job; lesson plans, recess duty, prep work, facilitating group work, etc.  The most important thing that I have learned, is to relate to your students.  I have seen teachers be genuinely excited for their students, they know their interests and dislikes, and they form bonds with each other.  Each student is different, and it's not as easy as saying "you like to play football, so therefore all of you like it, and I don't need to know anything else about any other students."  It's important to connect with your students, and for your students to connect with you.  When you find that you have similarities with another person, you usually form a relationship instantly.  When students feel like they know you and you know them, they will be excited to come to school and learn.

Keeping that relationship positive also helps your students succeed.  When they know that you care for them, and are trying to help them, they will want to do better.  Most students aim to please, and they want to hear that they have done well.  For some students, the teacher is like a parent; a teacher is with the students for 6 hours a day, and some parents are only with their children for a couple hours a day.  As a teacher, you are a role model for your students.  Keeping your lessons fun and your relationships positive will engage your students, and they will strive for success.

I have loved being in the classroom, learning from the teachers, and interacting with the students.  I have been able to get to know them, and we have been able to form a bond.  I genuinely want them to succeed, and I truly hope they do their very best.  I'm a little sad to be leaving them, but their teachers are absolutely excellent and I know that they truly care for each one of their students.  I have learned so much from them, and I know the things that I have learned will only help me be a better teacher.

How are materials organized within the classroom?

In my observations, the way a classroom is set up is just as important as the lessons themselves.  When a classroom is set up properly, the students are less stressed about what they need to do, and where they need to go.  Most classrooms I have visited, have some distinct similarities.

Each classroom has a reading corner.  This holds their classroom library books, and a comfortable place to sit and read during centers, or when they've finished their work.  There are plenty of books for everyone, and range in many different topics, to engage any student.  Every classroom has student cubbies, or desk cubbies, where all of their books, pencils, classwork, etc. belongs.  This helps the students know where to go to find something, and where it needs to go when they are finished working on it.  There is also a lunch count for the day, and each student knows that as soon as they enter the classroom, they select their lunch option for the day.  The students place their option in a box, so that the teacher can count it out and report it for the secretarial staff.  Each classroom also has a designated spot for homework.  The students know that when they come into class, they turn in their homework folders in the correct spot.  The teacher's materials are put in cabinets, so that they are easily accessible, but not distracting for the students.

Every teacher has a "theme" to their classroom.  Some classrooms are patriotic, some are under the sea, some are camp grounds, and some look like they are straight out of a Harry Potter book.  Even though these aren't organized materials, it's a great way to motivate students, and share in their interests.  It creates a fun environment and encourages creativity.  It also helps to establish groups of students into desk clumps, so each group can be called on and quietly accomplish a task 5-6 students at a time, instead of 25+ students all at once.

What strategies does the teacher use to actively engage the students? How effective are these?

In my observations, the teachers have actively engaged the students in many ways.  I have had the opportunity to sit in math lessons, and the students are able to use base 10 blocks, they are able to come up to the board and show their work in class so that the other students can learn from each other, powerpoint presentations to break down word problems to help the students solve the equations, they are able to use white boards and markers, discuss different ways of modeling a math problem, as well as work together in groups.

Each one of these strategies has been extremely effective in the classroom.  It allows the students to be engaged, use their hands, sight, and sounds to solve the problem.  They learn from each other, and they are encouraged to share their thought process with the class.  They are rewarded for their efforts by tokens that can be spent on their class "store" (prizes to choose from).  Students are intently listening, and focused on what is going on.

What do you think is the most challenging role a teacher plays? Why?

Teachers have many challenging roles to play in the classroom; it's hard to pick just one.  The one that comes to mind first, is the Teacher/Parent Communicator.  It can be difficult to work with some parents throughout the year.  Making sure they understand the structure, rules and standards of your classroom could bring road blocks for parents throughout the year.  My mother-in-law was a teacher for 35 years, and when you ask her the hardest part about her job, she'll tell you that it's communicating with the parent and child, making sure everyone is on the same page.  Many parents don't want to hear that their child is struggling in class, or that they have missed multiple homework assignments.  Many parents expect teachers to bend over backwards for their child, which is impossible to do.  From a teachers point of view, each student is treated equally, and that standard must be maintained for a successful learning environment.

Another difficult role to play, is the disciplinarian.  It's a fine line, walking between "educator" and "parent" every day.  At some point, every teacher has to put their foot down, and hand out the discipline, otherwise classrooms would be chaotic.  At the same time, it's difficult to discipline someone else's child.  In my fieldwork, I have noticed that each teacher has a "Think Time" corner in their classroom.  If a child gets 3 strikes in a day, they automatically visit the Think Time desk, and a note gets recorded for the teacher, the principal, and the parent.  Not all discipline works for every student, but it's essential that in the classroom, each student receives the same reward/punishment consequence.

What Clerical and Preparation Responsibilities Have You Participated In?

I have been able to print copies for the students and teachers, file students papers into their folders, put together booklet activities for the kindergarten classes, prepare the students for a retake test, and last year as a volunteer in my daughter's classroom, every Friday I would prepare the student's homework folders for the week and record their previous homework.  I have been able to see some of the things that teachers do outside of the classroom to help prepare the students for class each day.

In this module, I have learned so much about NCLB.  I've noticed this many times in the classroom, where many students are excelling in math, for example, but 5-6 students are really struggling.  This is difficult for the teacher, because she then has to explain things over again, and review the information multiple times.  Some of the students who completely understand the information begin to get chatty with their neighbor, which creates distractions for the students who are already having a hard time understanding the material.

While some people assume that a teacher's job is from 8:30-3:30, there is much, much more that needs to be done outside of the classroom.  It's helpful to have a parent helper in the classroom to do some of the miscellaneous work that needs to be done.  Hours of the teachers free time is spent on preparing for classroom time.

What Modifications For Learners Who Are Exceptional Do You See?

Aevri, one of the little girls in Mrs. L's class, is one of these exceptional students.  She has ADHD, and is on medication to regulate her brain, but she is a very busy girl.  She informed me of it a couple days after I started working with her class, and I've noticed many of the signs that I learned in Module 3.  She tends to fidget and wiggle her legs constantly.  Some of her classmates get frustrated with her sometimes, because she can't control her wiggly-ness, and she doesn't think about things before she says them.  Sometimes it's taken as her being unkind, but I truly believe that she doesn't mean things the way that they come out.  She really is a very sweet girl, and is very good at complimenting others; but when she is in a classroom setting with her peers, she has a hard time connecting with them or the material.

Another student, Kelton, seems to naturally be doing well in each subject.  He doesn't need extra time on assignments, he usually finishes early; nor does he have any problem focusing on the task at hand.  He helps other students in his group to come to the right answer, and I'm sure this is extremely helpful for the teachers!  I think some students will excel in school, simply because they are naturally good at it.  Other students need the extra time and encouragement to complete simple tasks.  The students in these 2 classes are always given praise for their work, in the form of treats, money to spend at the class store, as well as verbally.  They learn from each other, and constantly encourage each other.  This relationship between peers is so important for the development of students; it helps them feel confident in school, which will automatically make them try harder, and try to do their very best.

ADHD seems to be a lot more common in elementary schools now than it was when I was in school.  Many students struggle to keep their focus on a certain task, and it's not because the teacher isn't fun, or the parents aren't involved in their learning, its simply because some children are just different.  They need that extra time to complete assignments, because it's harder for them to focus.  I'm sure it's a challenge to keep the other students on task while some children are being distracted or disruptive, but I believe the teachers in the public schools have been given tools to help them prepare these students for life.

Tell About an Opportunity You Had to Work With a Small Group

I have continued with the 5th grade classes, and have been able to work with 2 groups of students.  In the past couple weeks, I was able to work with them in math, with order of operations (PEMDAS), as well as rounding numbers.  In these groups, there has been the obvious students who remember the things that are taught, and naturally do well.  Then, there are others who struggle, even to pay attention, to learn the concept.

While helping the children in these groups, Mrs. S would give the students a math problem, and they would need to come up with the correct answer.  There were a couple times where I could tell that she was frustrated, because multiple students would be chatting with a neighbor, or they simply were staring out into space, clearly not focusing on the problem.  The children have recess before math, so I'm not sure if it was the timing, or if they are just unwilling to learn at the moment.  I would help a few of the children that were obviously struggling, and try to make them understand the concept of rounding numbers up or down, as well as what order they were supposed to complete a math problem like 2*3+7(4-1)+2=?  The teachers had put together a fun little video and song to help the kids remember PEMDAS, and for some, it stuck in their brain, but for others, they still need it written out with the definitions of what each letter means in the acronym.

I was a bit surprised that they were already learning the order of operations in 5th grade.  I don't think I learned it until 6th grade, but these kids are already tackling this concept.  It's so rewarding for the kids who are doing well in the math section, and it's a lot of fun to watch them become so excited about what they have learned.  Mrs. S lets the kids come up to the board and show their work on how they solved the problem.  She'll ask the students what their answers were, and let them come up to the board and show her what they did.  I think this method is extremely helpful for the students and the teacher.  The students learn from one another, and the teacher also learns which students are struggling and where, and which ones almost have the concept but are unsure about a single part.

Schools are so different today than they were in the 60's.  Now, we have many children of different race in the classroom, and they come from all different kinds of backgrounds.  I've been given the chance to work with whites, Hispanic, black, Asian, etc.  I think these kids have a great understanding of where they come from, who they are, and what they want to be.  I see them play with other children on the playground at recess, and the slightest thought of something like that happening in 1960 was inconceivable.  I'm so thankful for the changes that we have made as a society within the span of 50 years.  It's incredible to see the leaps and bounds we have made for children in public schools.