Volunteer/Observation Part 2

My final observation was as eventful as my first; in the few hours I was in the classroom I was already getting attached to the students. They were as curious about me as I was about them and seem so eager to learn. I took my place at the back of the classroom, trying not to interrupt their routine too much. I noticed two students identified with ASD (autism spectrum disorders), having what the teacher described later as having an off day. As the teacher tried to keep these students calm, while maintaining order and routine for the other students, I saw one of the students went over to the computer, as he sat down, he pressed his face very close to the monitor. The teacher informed me later, that even though he wears glasses, he still has to press his face close to the screen. She is waiting for a larger monitor; wish would help accommodate his needs. She gave another student a drinking straw to chew on and this seems to calm her down. As I reflect on this classroom, with all its students with varying needs, I came to the realization that in all my discussions about our urban communities and students, I never really consider those students in the urban communities who have special needs. I am glad I had the opportunity to meet these students and their teacher; I believe she meets most of the criteria of a star teacher. She has a passion for her students, she cared about each of them and she was ready and willing to share all that she knows with me. Only our time together was not long enough, but I believe we have will continue collaborating via email or phone. If most of the teachers are like this teacher, then I can see why this school continues to be successful. Resources she shared with me: www.fcrr.org a free online reading readiness resource Book: The Well Managed Classroom 2nd Edition Authors: Michel Henley, M.S. Walker Powell, Susanne Lake, Scott Hartman, M.S http://www.kaganonline.com/index.php

Volunteer/Observation 1

In preparation for my volunteer hours, I decided to visit a school in my neighborhood, that may not fit the criteria of an Urban school, however, it is a Title 1 school with about a 52% poverty rate. It is not the type of school that would be expected to be an A school, but this is a 5 Star rating school, and has consistently made “A” based on the FCAT results. I was curious to see, what the teachers are doing that could probably be duplicated in another school. The teacher I was assigned to is a Board Certified Teacher, who has been teaching for over 35 years, this is her 9th year at the school, they have had one principal for 8 years, however for the 2013-2014 school year the Principal retired, a new Principal was hired, she decided not to stay at the school, so they had to find a replacement quickly. It seems as if everything worked out. Prior to my visit to the classroom, the teacher and I had a phone orientation, at which time she told me about her students, this is a 3rd grade class of 18 students, it is a inclusion classroom, so she has 3 students varying levels of ASD, and 2 ESE students. When I arrived in the classroom, the students were engaged, participating in activities on a Mimio Board. One of the 3rd Grade teachers wrote a grant for Mimio Boards, all 3rd -4th grade classes received a mimio board. This activity lasted about 10 minutes, then the lights came on and the students were given instruction for another activity, students were told that this activity was only going to be 5 minutes, I worked with a small group of students, but then the 5 minutes were up, and the teacher was again telling the students about their next activity, she started singing the students responded in song, and moved to their location, some on computers, some were working in pairs, and she called a group of 4 to her bean shaped table. The students were always moving, talking listening, some had a few reminders, but I believe that is normal, she had her class, in control. She was in charge of her Class. I am looking forward to visiting again.

Urban Teacher Use of Culturally Responsive Classroom Management Strategies

This article addresses classroom management in the Urban Classroom, it list strategies the teacher could use to make connection with her/his students. Strategies like; caring for her students, effective communication, and acting with authority. Even though, these strategies were focused on what the urban teacher should know, I believe that all classroom management plans should incorporate these strategies. Our Classroom population is changing and even if we are not in an urban school, our classroom will have a diverse student population. This week was especially challenging for me, my team leader suggested that we adjust our classroom management in favor of a group of students, I disagreed with her recommendation and named many reasons, it was not best practice. I believe effective classroom management is essential to the teaching and learning process in any classroom, but it must be consistent and the teacher must act with authority. Bibliography Brown, D. F. (2010). Urban Teachers' Use of Culturally Responsive Management Stragegies. Theory Into Practice , 44 (2), 277-282.

Conclusions and Recommendations for Practice

As we come to the end of our chapter studies “Start were you are, But Don’t Stay There” I reflect on the fact that we have come so far, but yet we still have a long way to go. Our children are at Stake, our Future, and their Future. As educators, we make decisions everyday based on what is best for our students, yet as we know, those good intentions can have negative repercussions. This week I saw a colleague reprimanded for making a decision which she thought was best for the student, but administration saw the action as crossing the line. On another hand, as a parent my daughter, came home and told me that her teacher gets upset and when she is upset she belittles the class through name calling, e.g. “You are all acting like a bunch of animals”, “punks”, and “idiots”. Now I ask my self, is she doing what is best for her students, is she trying to deter them from a negative action by calling them names? Now as a Parent, I want to call the school and speak to the administrator about my concerns but as a fellow educator, I hesitate to do this and instead wonder what would make a teacher act this way towards her students. In my opinion, I am sure this teacher knows best practices and know about building positive relationships, but because of the frustration maybe with FCAT, maybe she feels overwhelmed. Unfortunately, this is what some of our students face in urban school settings, teachers that feel overwhelmed and frustrated. It is imperative that administrators are aware of these issues and provide strong support for their teachers.

Bittersweet Challenges and Possibilities in Teacher Preparation

This week I didn’t have a first hand experience, however, as a parent and an educator my perspective helps me better evaluate the experiences my children are faced with in their individual schools. This Month schools are recognizing Black History, the contributions of African Americans past and present. My son (Edwin) who is a senior in High School is partly in charge of organizing the “The Black History Show” at his school. According to Edwin, during one of their class discussions, he asked his teacher, why is there a month set aside to recognize the contributions, of African Americans, when the history of African Americans is woven in the foundation of American History, why isn’t it just American History? Edwin went on to say that his teacher responded by saying “ son you make a good point” but she did not elaborate or extend the discussion. Based on our reading this week, I believe the teacher missed an opportunity to extend her students’ learning, but it could be that she was not comfortable or prepared to respond skillfully. In today’s school atmosphere it is imperative that administrators provide PLCs for their teachers, to empower them or give them the tools needed to handle diversity in their classrooms.

Recognizing Assets in unexpected People and Places

This week I am focusing on the positive in our schools, and so I will focus on the Talent Show held at our High School on Friday, February 8th. As I sat and waited for the MC to announce, the first performance, I was excited, because I expected some of the performances to be ok-I was in no way prepared for the talent that was on display. Performance after performance the students gave their all, they were very proud and I felt just as proud, as if each one of those students were my very own child. The Talent Show, showcased the minority population, and I could tell by the reaction from the student audience members that they didn't know their fellow students possessed such talents. As teachers, it imperative that we are aware of our student's interest, and we are connected to them in other ways than academics. Students, can be a great resource during the teaching and learning process, they can add creativity to the lesson and help connect classroom discussions to real life experiences.

The Integrity of our Schools and What is at Stake

As I sit and reflect on the past week, I started thinking about our schools and the issue facing our community. Our schools are in rezoning discussions, and I recall at one of the meetings, one concerned citizen got up and was very upset-she in no way minced words when she stated she didn't want certain students at her school or in her community because they were changing the face of her community. I was very offended by her remarks-but this week my Son who is currently a Senior in high school, stated that this week alone there were 13 Fights at his school and they all involved African Americans. So now I ask myself, does this parent have a legitimate concern?