An Overview of my Observations at Brookside Elementary School

Through my observations and class sessions this past semester I have come to a realization of many things in the classroom. There are many helpful hints through the notes. Many ideas I want to carry on through the observations. As well as eye openers through a look at SARC and the readings. Also because I live around here and want to stay local I have found the district I would like to work for.
Over the past four years I have observed in San Bernardino, Redlands, and Beaumont Unified School Districts and they all run very differently. San Bernardino, because it is more of a low-income class of students, is more about getting through to the children in general. It’s obvious that lots of the time the kids are in a daze from the sleep they didn’t get the night before. It’s hard but also comforting to know how big of a role you play in their lives. You also have to know with their situations that you have to leave it at school. It would be too hard to take each of their stories and worries home with you. It does not mean you shouldn’t care, it just means to do as much as you can but no one is perfect.
Redlands is where I grew up and went through there school district so I have a lot of connections. Lots of family and good friends already work in the district so it has come easy for me to drop in and observe. It has opened my eyes to the "teach by the book" rules. They are very strict with what they have to do in the classrooms and as an up and coming teacher it does not get me excited. It is also very obvious because they are all older schools that are older all around. There are only a few younger teachers in the district and you really have to show yourself to the. In the younger teacher classes the students seemed more excited to learn. Fresh and new is exciting for everyone and it gets you to become creative.
Beaumont is where I have done all my observation hours this past semester and this is a place I love. It is young and fresh and the teaching is phenomenal. The classrooms are full of learning and creativity and that’s what you hope for as a teacher. Brookside Elementary has had a huge impact on me and I hope to work there some day. It is a blend of 46% Caucasian, 36% Hispanic & only 4% African American. In the classroom it shows to be pretty equal learning among all ethnicities. A few struggle in each ethnic group. It was a surprise to me how many English Learners there were in the classrooms. There was about 5 or 6 in each class and I don’t know if it’s because I have never asked but I never realized before. They have a couple of hours of EL classes on the side so not as much is done in the classroom, but it is obvious that the teacher notices and tries to be as flexible as possible with them when possible. With that said classroom sizes in the upper grades get up to 38 students in the beginning of the year and at that point it is not possible to give them side attention.
Some things I have noticed and want to take into my classroom have come from my observations. One big thing I noticed in the classrooms at Brookside Elementary School was that under each item in the class there is a paper that has that item in Spanish. This goes back to the linguistics in the classroom. I thought it was awesome because students could look at it how they preferred. There was also the take home letters in both English and Spanish. It is good to take the time to reach out to all students and something as easy as that goes a long way.
I also spent sometime with some of the teachers and asked them question about how much money the school gave them and how much was out of their pocket. They said about $200 is given to them and the first year they spent about $1500 their first year. From there you start to save and reuse so now they spend more around $400 of their own. Although it is a struggle at first it is your choice, it is your choice to have the best learning supplies possible for your students. One item that I definitely want to look into purchasing was these “My Dictionaries”. I had never seen them before this second grade class I observed and they were awesome. They are dictionaries that have each letter alphabetically and on the first page of each letter are about 100 words that start with it. Following that are 3 pages of columns where you add your own words. The class I was in the teaching was doing a writing exercise and whenever a student did not know how to spell a word they came and asked us and brought their dictionary so we could add it. I was very impressed by this and can’t wait to bring it into my classroom. These are the things that you have to make the choice as a teacher if they are worth you using the money out of your own pocket on.
Many other charts, rugs, transitioning techniques, etc. were picked up and I am very excited to take them along with me. Things like this rug that was colored in columns and squares. This rug helped the teacher transition and group up her kids in so many ways. As well as giving points out for good rows and taking points away for bad rows. Displaying all the kids work was also a big thing in many of the classrooms. In one class in particular it had a wall with a row of the kids names and all the work they had done under their name. It was exciting for them to see all the jobs well done they did, and also for parents to come see their individual kids work. Last thing I would like to point out was how one of the teachers transitioned. This was a kindergarten & first grade combo and the teacher had these made up words. She would give the directions of what they were going to do next, and then have them repeat them to show they were listening. Then at the go of her wacky word they would get up and transition. They were all made up words and always different, it kept the kids curious.
Going through the School Accountability Report Card was very interesting. I had never looked at these before, didn’t even know I could. For the most part Brookside Elementary School and Beaumont School District as a whole were on the upper hand. When it came to teachers pay it was above California’s average. As well as all 29 teachers at Brookside were fully credentialed, and only 2 in the district as a whole were not. Class sizes for the most part were average or below. The California Standard Test was not as high as many but they are also a new and growing district.
Overall this school, and district has impressed me so much. It has made me more excited than I have ever been about teaching. It has filled my head with hundreds of ideas and makes me want to just jump into it all. I have already started talking to some of them about doing my student teaching there a year from now and have received positive feedback. This school amazes me more and more every time I have observed. Its set up is also very close together and connected. They have one of the most convenient and nice libraries and auditoriums and it is all connected. This school as a whole has made me realize once again why I would like nothing more than to teach. I have observed grades K-12 and have found my niche in the primary grades. They are excited to learn and it is all new to them. It’s an age of creativity and you never have to be worried about making a fool out of yourself because they love it.

Being a teacher is not only me teaching a student but also letting a student teach me. I have to be a part of my student’s life and learn from them. I need the heart and passion to communicate with my students so that we can grow together. It is about having the patience to work with every one of my students and not being afraid of being humiliated. Because I’m a part of these students’ lives now, I have to plant seeds in their heads that make them persevere and become something. I have to spark curiosity in my students so that they want to learn, it can’t just be repetitive notes. Being a teacher is so much more than sitting in a classroom and having student’s copy down notes, it is about the love that I have for every single one of those students and the feeling of wanting to be there when I walk into my classroom. Loving and appreciating what I will do for a living is what makes a great teacher.

One thing I have taken from our readings this past semester is that “your classroom needs to keep to the “Six ‘authentic’ instructional principles: (1) teachers and students are confident that everyone learns well; (2) lessons are active, multidimensional, and social; (3) new learning builds on students’ existing cultural knowledge; (4) assessment enhances learning; (5) relationships are caring and interdependent; and (6) talk and action are socially just” (Oakes & Lipton, 168). As a teacher I need to be confident that I am getting all the information through to my entire class. Every classroom will be filled with all different learners and it is my job to figure out what works best for each of them and adapt as best as able. The second one kind of goes along with that because the information needs to be taught in many ways so that each of my students can learn the best way possible for them. My classroom will stay open minded and we will build off my students knowledge. It is important that I keep them growing in the right direction. I also think it is important that we have a wide variety of cultural learning. Your culture should be promoted and you should be proud of it, so I will incorporate activities to make this possible. It is also important that as a teacher that I take part in what I preach. Without that my student’s cannot gain respect & trust for me.

Currently, I work at Micah House, which is a non-profit after school program for underprivileged children. Working there has also given me much knowledge that I will bring into my classroom. I now understand that not all of my students have homes that they can go home to and do their homework, when they don’t finish at Micah House, they just don’t finish. This has made me think about how I will deal with homework, and we have also discussed this in class. I don’t plan on giving my students homework every night, just so they are at home doing busy work. There will be homework when it is relevant to what they are learning, as well as when they need the practice. As we talked about, children these days are involved in extra curricular activities and sometimes don’t get home and start their homework until 8 at night, along with the fact that parents may not be around to help them until late in the night. This was also something that went along with something we discussed in class, on getting to know your students. It’s important that I am clued in, at least somewhat, on what their home lives are like. I’m not going to punish a student for a lifestyle that they had no choice in.

I hope to get to know each of my students as individuals and make a point to learn about their life in and out of school. I want to know if they do worry about not getting their homework done because once they leave school they have more important responsibilities they need to take care of. I have seen this first hand because at Micah House we have probably the bottom two students of each class and half of their parents don’t even speak English, along with many other problems at home. You can tell that their teachers do not want to hear about it because the rest of their students have no problem getting their homework done. Those who take the time to understand their students as individuals and really know what their lifestyles are out of school are the teachers that succeed in my eyes. You have to make it your life, and not be afraid to take your job home with you and work past hours. A teacher is an influence on so many young peoples lives and if you aren’t ready to put all your work into it then teaching is not the job for you.

Something I was told by a teacher I was observing was to reassure my students that they are doing a good job by interacting with their home life. A short little phone call out of my time can make all the difference for a student. Just calling home and telling their parents that they had a great day in your class, or sending home a note along the same line. This encourages students to work hard and for those parents it shows them that I am are making an effort to reach out to them. She told me, “even if you are not good at speaking Spanish, showing a little effort as simple as ‘hola, como estas?’ makes their parents all that more comfortable. A little bit of effort on your side really will go along way.”

I have also noticed through observations that the class set up is the first thing you can do right or wrong. It is the base of my teaching and if it is not a comfortable atmosphere for my students then I will be unsuccessful. A warm classroom can make a student feel at home and help them to work diligently in the class. One of the classrooms I observed had a rug that had rows of colors and numbers. This little rug had so many ways of organizing her students and it was something I wanted to bring into my classroom. Having the rules posted in the room has also been very successful in many of the classes I visited. By doing this you are setting standards for yours students and they know from day one right from wrong. Having different areas was also a big hit. It gave the students choices of where they were comfortable when learning. It kept the excitement in the classroom as well.

Another thing that really stuck out to me in the classroom this past semester was the “Mrs. Cunningham’s Classroom Rules” video. It shows how rules can be used positively. When you use them in this way, kids are more willing to follow them. This video was also so creative in how it showed the way all teachers should view and teach their classrooms. My classroom will be accepting to all. My student’s will also learn that understanding. Colors are colors and they do not mean anything and they should all use their imaginations when using them.

I have learned a lot through this class from, observations, readings, videos, and notes that I would like to bring into my own classroom one day. This class has brought a lot of knowledge to me and has excited me for my career to come. The classroom is a place where everyone sits equally. It is open to suggestions and learning from one another everyday. It is fun, and a place where no one should ever be embarrassed. It is bright and full of excited young learners. The classroom is the safe place and I hope to make mine one in the near future.

Interviewing a Student-Group B

I have been observing in the primary grades of Brookside Elementary School in the Beaumont School District. My interview was done with a first grade girl who has been in Mrs. Calderwoods kindergarten/first grade class this past year. Mrs. Calderwood is a teacher I look up to a lot and have spent lots of time observing. She is not afraid to look silly and that is the personality you need when you’re in a class full of young children with huge imaginations.

At this age children don’t really notice genders and don’t see the differences between the two of them. They are still all best friends and nobody has “Cooties”. Mrs. Calderwood is still able to place them in desks “Boy, girl, boy, girl”, and they enjoy each other and don’t think any different of one another. So when I asked this young girl if the teacher treats boys and girls differently, or if they noticed anything different between boys and girls she could not think of anything. They still have innocence at this age where they accept all for who they are.

My next question was asking her what made her teacher a good teacher. She couldn’t stop giving reasons. “She helps us with every question we have, she has magic words, she dresses up, she makes up songs, etc.” At this age, as a teacher you are a major part of your students life, and you can do no wrong. Even the days that you become strict with the, it does not even last 24hours. The next day they are right back at that classroom door excited to learn. The truth behind that was shown in Mrs. Calderwoods class. The kids looked up to her so much and loved every minute in her class. They knew when it was time to have fun, and when it was time to be serious. One of my favorite things, which were also the kids, was her magic words. When they were moving from one activity to the next, Mrs. Calderwood first explained what they were going to do, and then they repeated it to show they were paying attention, then on the magic word they got up and did it. Now they magic words, were just made up every time and the kids loved it. I heard all sorts of words including, “Wiggidy Wiggidy, Wowza Mowza, Blabiddy Blu, etc.”. This kept them excited about each activity they were about to do.

Then I asked this little girl what her favorite thing about school was and this was one of my favorite answers. She said counting numbers in Mrs. Calderwoods class. This makes me excited about teaching and this certain age in particular. This is the age when they still love school and just want to be there every second of every day. She did not say PE, recess, or lunch like the older kids would have. The best part of the day of a kid this age is when they get to go to school and that is so exciting for a teacher.

I ended our interview by asking what she wanted to be when she grew up and her answer was “Mrs. Calderwood”. This showed how much she looked up to her teacher because she wanted to be just like her one day. To have that kind of affect on your students, to the point they want to be just like you, has to be one of the greatest feelings. Throughout this interview, this little girl just assured me even more on every reason why I want to be a teacher for primary grades in particular. The excitement and imagination in such an age group is what I absolutely love.

Interviewing a Teacher-Group A

When first entering the classroom, walls were covered head to toe with the students’ work, and literature. Then I started to observe and she was an amazing teacher, the way she carried herself with confidence showed the interest her students had in her. She is in her 40’s, tall, very down to earth, and has been teaching for over 20 years. Her high school students look up to her and learned so much from her. She teaches 3 sections of 11^th grade AP Language & Composition, 1 section of 12^th grade AP Literature & Composition, and 1 section of 11^th grade CA Exit Exam.

I started my interview with simple questions including, “What made you go into teaching? And why she taught that certain subject?”. For her it was a 9^th grade teacher she absolutely loved. His name was Mr. McMiginnis and taught AP English. The way he carried himself and taught made her appreciate teaching enough to pursue it herself. She even took on the same subject as him. She chose this subject as well as her classes because she loves working with both high students and low students.

Positive experiences were in the thousands for her. She said she always had more positive than negative experiences throughout her teaching career. Some of the most important for her was not the students present in her class, but those who have graduated. They come back and call her to thank her for getting them to college and being so successful there because of her class and teaching.

She only had a couple of negative experiences and neither was in her class. The first was outside of her class one year. She was called vicious names from a group of 9^th grade girls and she could not do anything but wait for security to come. The second was while breaking up a fight, she herself was Mace by security.

When it comes to special learners, she taught ESL for six years before she moved over to the high school. She has a language specialist degree and has worked with both Special Ed and ESL students. She uses a variety of audio and visual strategies to help ensure that they get as much as they can out of her teaching.

Last I asked her if race, ethnicity, and gender were ever a problem in her classroom. It was actually opposite; the only time they came up was when diversity was celebrated. She has her students from other countries share their stories and they sing, and read poems. Whenever there is a Birthday in the classroom they sing Happy Birthday in every language known in the room. This is a positive effect on her students’. They absolutely love to share their backgrounds and learn more about their cultures. It leads to greater tolerance and acceptance.

Overall this teacher is amazing for the world of education. She makes everyone of her students want to try harder to succeed. She has the patience, and love to work with students of all types. This is the second time I went to observe her class and it was only better. Usually as teachers move on in their career although they learn more, they also lose the color in teaching and she has definitely not.