In my posts, I will only use pseudo names to protect people's privacy. Marylhurst's MAT program believe in placing teaching candidates in real classrooms right away. This term we are placed in a classroom during our field experience. We get to observe how the teachers work and later on do a couple activities with the students. The teacher of the classroom is our cooperating teacher. They cooperate with the university to help prepare us for our own teaching profession. We learn from our cooperating teachers from their good example of being good teachers as they are recognized by other people.
I am placed in a first grade classroom at an elementary school in Oregon City. My cooperating teacher is Betty Rainer and she's on her fifteenth teaching year there. This year is her ninth year teaching first grade after a seven year break when she taught a year of third grade and six years of fourth grade.
Last Friday, I showed up to the elementary school as my first day there. I met with the principal, Mr. Laker who seemed to be everywhere in the school. The school secretary had to call him in for my meeting with me. I was surprised how young he is, I think he's in his 30s. The elementary principals I know of tend to be older women and sometimes older men in their middle ages. Mr. Laker gave me a quick introduction to the school. At this school, the teachers teaches each student with his or her own individual learning plan as best as they can.
After our meeting, we sneaked a peak in my cooperating teacher's classroom. The class was quietly reading to themselves while I saw a group working with the Instructional Assistant (IA for short) named Wendy.
Mr. Laker took me to a room where a cooperating teacher meeting was being held in which it was led by the Academic Intervention Specialist, Hannah. I was able to set in for half an hour listening to the three third grade teachers planning their own adult learning goals for the classroom with Hannah. The teachers reviewed their last year's goals and reflect on any success that happened end of last year. Last year, their main focus was the math curriculum and creating it that all students can learn what they need to learn for third grade. Next, they decided what they need to work on for this school year. This year, the third grade teachers agreed to work on reading strategies. Hannah is there for the teachers so they have a support person to help for curriculum building. I learned that Hannah meet with a team of teachers from each grade level twice a year. If a teacher needs extra support, she is willing to set an appointment with that teacher and work with him or her. While the teachers are at this meeting during school hours, there are substitute teachers in charge of the teachers' classroom.
The last two hours, I spent observing my classroom placement. I was so excited to sit and watch. The moment I entered the classroom I felt safe, calm and ready to learn. I soon realized that Betty created a calm and safe classroom because of her calm and caring attitude. Her classroom is organized and neat. Everything has their place and students have their own place for their backpacks and jackets as well as their own seats for school work. I think she is passionate in creating a warm, calm and safe classroom so her students can learn in an open-way without a heavy load of stress.
During the class morning recess break, the kids went outside to play where IAs monitor the morning break time. One child came back with her breakfast and hanged out in the classroom. Betty do let kids chose to hang out in the classroom during their morning break if they behave themselves. I was able to do an impromptu-to interview with the dark-haired girl. She told me that she like Mrs. Rainer a lot because she is nice, thoughtful and kind. The girl enjoys learning from her teacher because Mrs. Rainer explain things clearly, uses pictures and movement to illustrate a point. The girl's favorite part of the day is recess. She loves to read a lot and she said that she learns from books. Though, she believe that thinking is a hard thing to do. She insisted that she can really learn a lot from reading books.
Even though, I was observing during my first time there but I ended up interacting with some first graders a few times. I can't help to sit back and not do something. It was during math time when I was walking around the room checking out what the kids are doing as I wrote notes down in my notebook. Betty and Wendy was checking on students individually. I noticed a few kids off-task because they were done with the first worksheet. I asked what they are suppose to do next. One boy said,"I'm waiting for the teacher to check my work. I can't go on to the next page."
I suggested that they could work on the next page since their teacher was occupied with a student and Wendy was with another student. A couple kids took my suggestion and continue to work on their math packets. At one point, I saw this little girl on the floor laying down and doing nothing. She had started the worksheet. I redirected her back to work and she did work for a few minutes until she got bored again. Later I found out that she may have a severe case of AHAD in which is in the progress. Betty hopes to get some support so she can better teach the girl. She had mostly able to keep the girl's safe but she worries if the girl is learning at all. She has worked with the girl one-on-one before. But Betty can't do that all the time since she has other students' to assess and keep track of their learning.
When the kids went off to their lunch recess, I got to talk with Betty. She thanked me for helping monitoring the students during math time. I said that I didn't even plan it. I did admit to her that it's hard not to interact with the kids when I am suppose to just observe. Betty still appreciated the little help I can give her.
When we were finishing our talk, she mentioned that she was going off to lunch with her students in the cafeteria. There is only one lunch monitor in the cafeteria. She said that she tries to eat lunch with her students as much as she can (if she wasn't busy with administration work) to stay connected with them but she also help manage the cafeteria. I suggested that maybe the school can start a lunch volunteer monitors through the parent volunteer program. Betty said that is a good suggestion and she will bring it up in the next staff meeting.
Today I also had about 3 1/2 hours in my field classroom. That is a bit more than expected. My field experience is 3 hours one morning per week. After observing, I had to catch up with Betty to ask my questions that I want answers to. Today's big excitement was getting new math white boards. I will share my reflection about this experience another day. I have so much homework. This Thursday, I have my first group project presentation for my child and adolescent development and learning theories class.
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