School Context Assignment

May 22, 2008, as I approach Emma G. Whiteknact Elementary School, many different thoughts go through my mind. I stare at the surrounding area and notice the appearance of the building. It looks very welcoming set away from the busy streets. The landscaping is simple but very pleasing to the eye; an assortment of flowers arranged in rows with great colors. I watch some children playing outside in the courtyard before the last bell rings and the memories just flutter through my mind. I had a strong feeling to go play in the courtyard with them. The boys were yelling and running around, while the girls were playing jump rope.
Once I entered the building I noticed that the walls were decorated with art work done by the students and by the office door was the word PRIDE in enormous letters. Each letter represents a different word, P stands for perseverance, R stands for respect, I for integrity, D is for discipline, and E stands for excellence. I walked into the office and got my instructions from the secretary. She was very nice and helpful. I found my way to the room, sweating bullets; I felt nervous but excited as I entered the room. I introduced myself to the teacher and she in turn introduced me to her class as Mrs. Dyl. The children gave me quick glances, as if to ask “What is she doing here?” The classroom is very lively and I noticed how every inch of the walls were covered in some type of pictures, artwork, posters and quotes. There are plants in the windowsills. The room has a very homey atmosphere to it. The floor was covered with an area rug that had a rocking chair on it; it reminded me of my grandmother’s reading room. It is a fairly small classroom and everything is scrunched together. The desks are put together in rows across the room with the teacher’s desk towards the middle-front, so she can see everyone. I noticed the teacher had an assortment of paper butterflies hanging from the ceiling; it looks like they were made by the students.
The teacher is creating a comfortable and child friendly atmosphere for the students. The students feel secure in this environment. On one of the walls the teacher has decorated it with the PRIDE logo; this is the Whiteknact’s mission, to instill PRIDE among the students. Another reason why I believe this to be a comfortable and secure environment is the way the teacher delivers her teaching across to the students. She has a calm easy to listen to voice, no yelling or screaming, calm and relaxed.
The curriculum is very much on the go, always switching onto a new subject. I notice that the students begin their day with chapter books. They break into groups, usually 4 or 5 students, and each student is assigned a page to read out loud. If a student cannot sound out a word then one of his/her classmates can help. After the story is over, the teacher passes out a handout. The handout is done in class and must be done alone, group work is not allowed. The student must summarize the book from the beginning to the end, list the characters and finally draw a picture. I enjoy this part of the day; just being able to see how they interpret the story is a riot. Imagine 20 students with at least 6 different versions of the same story. Amazing how a child’s mind works. I like the idea of the group interaction and that everyone has a chance to read a page from the book. What I don’t like is the fact that they are not allowed to work with their group to complete the handout. I think the handout can sometimes be used by the teacher as “busy work”, as pointed out in one of our lectures.
The pedagogy that the teacher follows is very structured. The teacher has a schedule set for each day, for example, Monday is Physical Education, Tuesday is Physical Education, Wednesday is Art, Thursday is Music, and Friday is Library. The teacher goes further and breaks it down by time. There is free time that the teacher uses to teach them sign language. The students gather on the rug and the teacher begins to sing while signing. I was totally impressed that these second graders knew how to sign. I was told the reason for the sign is to first, help out one of the students who is hearing impaired and second, to learn a new language. Wow, what a great idea. Not only is she celebrating this new language, she is not isolating the student that is hearing impaired. The community of students has come together to their PRIDE.
I have several informal interactions in the classroom. My first day I was ready to leave and 3 girls came up to me and gave me a hug. To me that was okay, I don’t mind a hug. Another time was in recess when a group of boys were picking on another student and I intervened; that student hugged me and thanked me. To me there is nothing better in this world than seeing a smile on a child’s face. I’m not sure if I should have intervened but I felt like their actions were uncalled for. I’m still learning myself so I hope that this will be a lesson learned for everyone.
The demographics according to the SALT Survey are as follows: more than 57% of the students receive free lunch, 50% of the students have an ethnic background, 16% of the students require ESL and 15% are in IEP Programs. This is definitely in accordance with the neighborhood, for example, I have been in the same house for 22 years and 80% of my neighbors do not speak English, it is either Portuguese or Cape Verdean. I also noticed that half of the students in my class eat their breakfast at school. I wonder why? Do the parents have to work early or is it an issue of not being able to provide them with breakfast? I’m sure this is an issue with all the schools in Rhode Island. A question for my peers, are you finding this to be the case at your schools? I would love to know what others think about this. The SALT Survey is sent home every year but I really do not think the information is accurate. How many parents actually fill the form out and how many understand the questions being asked?
Lisa Delpit would probably agree with the pedagogy of this classroom. The teachers and the textbooks are there to help educate the children and to ensure that every student gets a proper education. “My charge here is not to determine the best instructional methodology; I believe that the actual practice of good teachers of all colors typically incorporates a range of pedagogical orientation.” The approach Delpit talks about is the difference between “skill” and “process”. I believe that we must empower students; we need to encourage them to show them that they matter as individuals, no matter what culture or color they are. But in the same breath, we don’t want them to feel they must lose their culture to be successful. We don’t want to turn students away from school, which can happen if they think they don’t have power.