Observation at an Elementary Shool - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

JAlanRuss72 · 05-05-2009, 06:14 PM

This was a paper I had to write for my Education Class- let me know what you think-

I recently had the opportunity to observe the After School Program (ASP) at Villa Rica Elementary School. My observations took place over four days in which I was with 4th grade teacher Mrs. Houser and her ASP students. The children ranged in age from 3rd to 5th grades and were students whose parents worked too late to be able to pick them up from school at 2:30. ASP is an affordable option for these parents who have the added advantage of teachers on hand to help the children with homework, provide learning activities for them, and who cultivate a very positive influence through tutoring programs as well. My first day at Villa Rica Elementary was a rewarding one, and I noted right at once that this was an older school with a history about it. The halls smelled like old books, which was an added benefit. It reminded me of my elementary school and brought back a flood of memories. To check in at the office, I had to sign in at a computer which took my picture and then printed off a Visitor name tag. The office staff was very helpful and friendly, introducing themselves and guiding me to Mr. Kevin Miller’s classroom. Mr. Miller is a 3rd grade teacher and the head of the ASP program. I found his class very busy with younger children ranging in age from kindergarten to 2nd grade, all of whom were in groups working on different things. Some of the kids had their homework out, others were on the computers doing math games, a few were in the corner using the wood blocks to build things, and still others were watching an educational program on the classroom monitor. The desks in his class were arranged in a large semi circle, about twenty in all. I noticed he had a reading area in the far back corner with a small lamp and space posters covering that side of the wall. The area also had a large rocking chair with pillows for classroom reading time. This seemed like a very nicely arranged corner that I would someday enjoy having in my own classroom. The computers lined the immediate wall on the left as I walked in, and I witnessed several parents sign their children out using a unique number typed into the main computer.
I arrived just as they were getting an afternoon snack, consisting of cereal, milk and juice. Mr. Miller explained to me that today had been a crazy day and he had many more ASP students than usual. Introducing me to one of the school’s Para-pro staff, he asked this young woman to take me to Mrs. Houser’s room to observe and help out. She guided me down a hall and out across an open air walkway to another building. Along the way I noted many drawings of past presidents, including a very large pencil drawing of President Obama. The drawings were all very well done and there were short reports taped to walls outside of many of the empty classrooms that had been graded. We reached Mrs. Houser’s 4th grade classroom where a number of teachers were gathered around talking. Moving inside her class, I noticed that it was lit completely different than Mr. Miller’s. The overhead lights were all on and there were no lamps. This made it much easier to see and the room wasn’t nearly as dark. Posters lined her walls, consisting of such things as “Famous Authors: Past and Present”, “Math Can Be Fun” the standard ABC’s running along the top half of the wall, Book Report Schedules, Rules for the Road, and other classroom topics. The rows of desks were primarily two desks each facing each other throughout the room, separated by a single row, and a single desk off close to the teacher’s that was a “Time Out” station. The opposite wall had 3 computers that the students would periodically go to for math problems and math games. In the corner was a large TV that displayed school announcements and winners of certain contests for that particular week. After introducing myself to Mrs. Houser and the other teachers, I set my notebook down and walked slowly around the classroom. The students each had different homework assignments they were working on, as in Mr. Miller’s room, and many were sitting quietly reading books. There was a great deal of diversity in the classroom, many students were African American, Mexican, Indian, and white. Over the rest of the day, I noted how well they all got along. They interacted with each other very freely and there was little note of race taken at all among the children. So many adults could take a lesson from what I observed in that classroom!
After the other teachers left, Mrs. Houser came over and went over much of the classroom routine for ASP with me. She explained that on certain days, the students would go to the Computer Lab down the hall at 4:00 and work on various games, mainly involving math. Other days, depending on the weather, they could go outside to the playground for an hour or so. She showed me how she records grades on the computer in excel and how they are submitted. During this time, the Teacher’s aide made sure to keep the kids on task with their homework and answered any questions they might have had. Periodically, Mr. Miller would call on the school walkee-radio, requesting which student needed to come to the front to be checked out.
The Para-pro left at 4:00 and from then on I proceeded to help the students, slowly getting to know their names. They were all very anxious to show me what they were working on and what books they were reading, asking if I had ever read any of them. One young boy named Thomas, who was sitting in the Time Out chair, lifted his book up in the air to show it to me. It was called “Trials of a Nerdy Kid” and he proceeded to show me all of the pictures in it that made him laugh. He asked me the meaning of several words in the book, one of which was describing a cat’s “papillae” on its’ tongue. I explained that those were the things on a cat’s tongue that allow it to lick up milk or water when thirsty. Mrs. Houser had to continually remind the students that there needed to be less talking and more studying and homework being done. She asked one young girl if she needed to call her mother, to which the girl immediately turned around and resumed her studies. Mrs. Houser informed me, “that is the advantage of being at a smaller school, you have a much closer relationship with the parents and more parental involvement. The kids know you’re not afraid to call mom or dad at any moment.” I immediately though what a different world classrooms would be if more parents were involved and communicated with teachers in this way. It would be amazing the learning and openness that could take place.
At around 4:15 the class lined up and went over to the Computer Lab. Mrs. Houser divided up the girls on one side and the boys on the other. The majority of the students went to a website called CoolMath4Kids.com, which I noted had a variety of mathematics games and activities for students in early and upper elementary grades. The computers were all along the wall throughout the room and there were a set of unused computers and desks in the center of the room. Mrs. Houser got on one of the terminals and began going through some graded activities. I walked around to the different students’ computers and observed how adept and fast they all were. It’s amazing how second nature things like the internet are when it has been around since the day you were born. It came to me how different my school days were in the late 70s and 80s when computers were almost unheard of in a classroom. There was very little talking in the lab as the majority of the students were very involved in their games. It was a rarity that a question was asked, although Mrs. Houser did have to scold Thomas for going to an unapproved game site that had no educational value. He went back to another game on CoolMath4Kids before being called soon after for check out.
On my second day of observation, I came back to Mrs. Houser’s room. It was a very hot day and all of the students wanted to go outside and play. She informed them that they needed to get more of the homework completed before 4:00 and then they could go to the playground. I noticed one very tall boy with glasses whom I hadn’t seen the day before. Mrs. Houser explained to me that this was Christopher who was mildly autistic. As part of inclusion, he was in her ASP a few times a week. Christopher was a very well behaved 5th grade boy, but at times he was quiet and isolated. While doing his homework, I noticed he was singing a song from one of the “Madagascar” cartoon movies under his breath. He showed me how far he had gotten in his latest novel that he was reading. For the most part, the students seemed very comfortable around Christopher, although one girl kept complaining to Mrs. Houser that he was “staring at her” too much. Mrs. Houser told her not to worry about it and to focus on her own work. I found him to be a delightful boy who added much to the class routine. What a dull world it would be if rainbows were all one color, I thought silently to myself.
Since the teacher’s aide wasn’t there that day, I got to do a little more with the kids, which I really enjoyed. Four of them were in the corner playing a classroom card game with oversized cards called “Slap Seven”, which I had never heard of before. A young Spanish boy named Emanuel asked me to sit down and told me he would teach me how to play if I was interested. Mrs. Houser smiled over at me and shrugged, “he’s never offered to teach me how to play, you should feel honored.” I sat down on the carpet and he went over all of the rules as the other kids listened and some giggled. It was fun using the oversize cards and he informed me that I was “a fast learner”. We probably played for about fifteen minutes and then Mrs. Houser announced they would be able to go out on the playground for a while. Needless to say, Slap Seven quickly became a distant memory for these students as they lined up for the triumphal trek outdoors. Emanuel told me I could be his partner in kickball if I wanted. I believe that I had made a friend that day. Later I found out that he had no father at home, and a mother who worked 2 or 3 jobs and was rarely with him. What a responsibility and a life changing opportunity teaching can be! I thought to myself that a teacher might be this child’s last hope on earth before the negative influences come in middle and high school and change him forever. For now, at least, he had a chance to learn and grow and see that there were people who cared about him. One story among hundreds teachers will encounter, I have no doubt.
I observed on the playground that most of the students played with one another with no rhyme or reason, although girls tended to stick together more. The great unifier, the swing set, always contained a diverse number of students swinging as if they could touch the sky if only they went high enough. Young Christopher walked along the outskirts of the playground with his jump rope, swinging it around like a bull whip and occasionally speaking to the others. He passed me and asked if I had seen the new Indiana Jones movie. He explained that he is now Indiana Jones and the rope was his whip. Funny, I remember thinking the same thing around 4th grade after seeing Raiders of The Lost Ark so long ago. Sitting with Mrs. Houser, she said that they have to watch Christopher because he has wandered off a few times from the playground. She always keeps a watchful eye on him. I joined some of the kids for kickball and explained how much I use to love the game when I was their age. One girl said, “was that a hundred years ago?” I smiled, “pretty much”.

Chocoholic · 05-05-2009, 06:21 PM

I think you did a nice job. Are you studying to be a teacher?

JAlanRuss72 · 05-05-2009, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chocoholic

I think you did a nice job. Are you studying to be a teacher?

Yeah- I just went back to school after being out for many years. I like the 3rd to 4th grade age the best.

Chocoholic · 05-05-2009, 06:28 PM

That is a great age to work with. I'm a teacher's aide and I work with 4th and 5th graders who have a variety of learning and behavioral problems. Good Luck!

JAlanRuss72 · 05-05-2009, 06:44 PM

Thanks! I appreciate you reading & your input!

05-05-2009, 06:14 PM	#1
JAlanRuss72 Eternal Member Eternal Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 22, 2006 Location: Cookeville, TN Posts: 488	Observation at an Elementary Shool This was a paper I had to write for my Education Class- let me know what you think- I recently had the opportunity to observe the After School Program (ASP) at Villa Rica Elementary School. My observations took place over four days in which I was with 4th grade teacher Mrs. Houser and her ASP students. The children ranged in age from 3rd to 5th grades and were students whose parents worked too late to be able to pick them up from school at 2:30. ASP is an affordable option for these parents who have the added advantage of teachers on hand to help the children with homework, provide learning activities for them, and who cultivate a very positive influence through tutoring programs as well. My first day at Villa Rica Elementary was a rewarding one, and I noted right at once that this was an older school with a history about it. The halls smelled like old books, which was an added benefit. It reminded me of my elementary school and brought back a flood of memories. To check in at the office, I had to sign in at a computer which took my picture and then printed off a Visitor name tag. The office staff was very helpful and friendly, introducing themselves and guiding me to Mr. Kevin Miller’s classroom. Mr. Miller is a 3rd grade teacher and the head of the ASP program. I found his class very busy with younger children ranging in age from kindergarten to 2nd grade, all of whom were in groups working on different things. Some of the kids had their homework out, others were on the computers doing math games, a few were in the corner using the wood blocks to build things, and still others were watching an educational program on the classroom monitor. The desks in his class were arranged in a large semi circle, about twenty in all. I noticed he had a reading area in the far back corner with a small lamp and space posters covering that side of the wall. The area also had a large rocking chair with pillows for classroom reading time. This seemed like a very nicely arranged corner that I would someday enjoy having in my own classroom. The computers lined the immediate wall on the left as I walked in, and I witnessed several parents sign their children out using a unique number typed into the main computer. I arrived just as they were getting an afternoon snack, consisting of cereal, milk and juice. Mr. Miller explained to me that today had been a crazy day and he had many more ASP students than usual. Introducing me to one of the school’s Para-pro staff, he asked this young woman to take me to Mrs. Houser’s room to observe and help out. She guided me down a hall and out across an open air walkway to another building. Along the way I noted many drawings of past presidents, including a very large pencil drawing of President Obama. The drawings were all very well done and there were short reports taped to walls outside of many of the empty classrooms that had been graded. We reached Mrs. Houser’s 4th grade classroom where a number of teachers were gathered around talking. Moving inside her class, I noticed that it was lit completely different than Mr. Miller’s. The overhead lights were all on and there were no lamps. This made it much easier to see and the room wasn’t nearly as dark. Posters lined her walls, consisting of such things as “Famous Authors: Past and Present”, “Math Can Be Fun” the standard ABC’s running along the top half of the wall, Book Report Schedules, Rules for the Road, and other classroom topics. The rows of desks were primarily two desks each facing each other throughout the room, separated by a single row, and a single desk off close to the teacher’s that was a “Time Out” station. The opposite wall had 3 computers that the students would periodically go to for math problems and math games. In the corner was a large TV that displayed school announcements and winners of certain contests for that particular week. After introducing myself to Mrs. Houser and the other teachers, I set my notebook down and walked slowly around the classroom. The students each had different homework assignments they were working on, as in Mr. Miller’s room, and many were sitting quietly reading books. There was a great deal of diversity in the classroom, many students were African American, Mexican, Indian, and white. Over the rest of the day, I noted how well they all got along. They interacted with each other very freely and there was little note of race taken at all among the children. So many adults could take a lesson from what I observed in that classroom! After the other teachers left, Mrs. Houser came over and went over much of the classroom routine for ASP with me. She explained that on certain days, the students would go to the Computer Lab down the hall at 4:00 and work on various games, mainly involving math. Other days, depending on the weather, they could go outside to the playground for an hour or so. She showed me how she records grades on the computer in excel and how they are submitted. During this time, the Teacher’s aide made sure to keep the kids on task with their homework and answered any questions they might have had. Periodically, Mr. Miller would call on the school walkee-radio, requesting which student needed to come to the front to be checked out. The Para-pro left at 4:00 and from then on I proceeded to help the students, slowly getting to know their names. They were all very anxious to show me what they were working on and what books they were reading, asking if I had ever read any of them. One young boy named Thomas, who was sitting in the Time Out chair, lifted his book up in the air to show it to me. It was called “Trials of a Nerdy Kid” and he proceeded to show me all of the pictures in it that made him laugh. He asked me the meaning of several words in the book, one of which was describing a cat’s “papillae” on its’ tongue. I explained that those were the things on a cat’s tongue that allow it to lick up milk or water when thirsty. Mrs. Houser had to continually remind the students that there needed to be less talking and more studying and homework being done. She asked one young girl if she needed to call her mother, to which the girl immediately turned around and resumed her studies. Mrs. Houser informed me, “that is the advantage of being at a smaller school, you have a much closer relationship with the parents and more parental involvement. The kids know you’re not afraid to call mom or dad at any moment.” I immediately though what a different world classrooms would be if more parents were involved and communicated with teachers in this way. It would be amazing the learning and openness that could take place. At around 4:15 the class lined up and went over to the Computer Lab. Mrs. Houser divided up the girls on one side and the boys on the other. The majority of the students went to a website called CoolMath4Kids.com, which I noted had a variety of mathematics games and activities for students in early and upper elementary grades. The computers were all along the wall throughout the room and there were a set of unused computers and desks in the center of the room. Mrs. Houser got on one of the terminals and began going through some graded activities. I walked around to the different students’ computers and observed how adept and fast they all were. It’s amazing how second nature things like the internet are when it has been around since the day you were born. It came to me how different my school days were in the late 70s and 80s when computers were almost unheard of in a classroom. There was very little talking in the lab as the majority of the students were very involved in their games. It was a rarity that a question was asked, although Mrs. Houser did have to scold Thomas for going to an unapproved game site that had no educational value. He went back to another game on CoolMath4Kids before being called soon after for check out. On my second day of observation, I came back to Mrs. Houser’s room. It was a very hot day and all of the students wanted to go outside and play. She informed them that they needed to get more of the homework completed before 4:00 and then they could go to the playground. I noticed one very tall boy with glasses whom I hadn’t seen the day before. Mrs. Houser explained to me that this was Christopher who was mildly autistic. As part of inclusion, he was in her ASP a few times a week. Christopher was a very well behaved 5th grade boy, but at times he was quiet and isolated. While doing his homework, I noticed he was singing a song from one of the “Madagascar” cartoon movies under his breath. He showed me how far he had gotten in his latest novel that he was reading. For the most part, the students seemed very comfortable around Christopher, although one girl kept complaining to Mrs. Houser that he was “staring at her” too much. Mrs. Houser told her not to worry about it and to focus on her own work. I found him to be a delightful boy who added much to the class routine. What a dull world it would be if rainbows were all one color, I thought silently to myself. Since the teacher’s aide wasn’t there that day, I got to do a little more with the kids, which I really enjoyed. Four of them were in the corner playing a classroom card game with oversized cards called “Slap Seven”, which I had never heard of before. A young Spanish boy named Emanuel asked me to sit down and told me he would teach me how to play if I was interested. Mrs. Houser smiled over at me and shrugged, “he’s never offered to teach me how to play, you should feel honored.” I sat down on the carpet and he went over all of the rules as the other kids listened and some giggled. It was fun using the oversize cards and he informed me that I was “a fast learner”. We probably played for about fifteen minutes and then Mrs. Houser announced they would be able to go out on the playground for a while. Needless to say, Slap Seven quickly became a distant memory for these students as they lined up for the triumphal trek outdoors. Emanuel told me I could be his partner in kickball if I wanted. I believe that I had made a friend that day. Later I found out that he had no father at home, and a mother who worked 2 or 3 jobs and was rarely with him. What a responsibility and a life changing opportunity teaching can be! I thought to myself that a teacher might be this child’s last hope on earth before the negative influences come in middle and high school and change him forever. For now, at least, he had a chance to learn and grow and see that there were people who cared about him. One story among hundreds teachers will encounter, I have no doubt. I observed on the playground that most of the students played with one another with no rhyme or reason, although girls tended to stick together more. The great unifier, the swing set, always contained a diverse number of students swinging as if they could touch the sky if only they went high enough. Young Christopher walked along the outskirts of the playground with his jump rope, swinging it around like a bull whip and occasionally speaking to the others. He passed me and asked if I had seen the new Indiana Jones movie. He explained that he is now Indiana Jones and the rope was his whip. Funny, I remember thinking the same thing around 4th grade after seeing Raiders of The Lost Ark so long ago. Sitting with Mrs. Houser, she said that they have to watch Christopher because he has wandered off a few times from the playground. She always keeps a watchful eye on him. I joined some of the kids for kickball and explained how much I use to love the game when I was their age. One girl said, “was that a hundred years ago?” I smiled, “pretty much”.
	__________________ Jeff Russell Facebook Page: http://facebook.com/Jrussell1972

05-05-2009, 06:21 PM	#2
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	I think you did a nice job. Are you studying to be a teacher?

05-05-2009, 06:28 PM	#4
Chocoholic Member Forum Star Join Date: Dec 01, 2000 Location: Between a rock and a hard place. Posts: 11,235	That is a great age to work with. I'm a teacher's aide and I work with 4th and 5th graders who have a variety of learning and behavioral problems. Good Luck!

05-05-2009, 06:44 PM	#5
JAlanRuss72 Eternal Member Eternal Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Nov 22, 2006 Location: Cookeville, TN Posts: 488	Thanks! I appreciate you reading & your input!