Driving to the school my first day, I noticed that there were cars parked all over the street and kids seemed to be jumping out and running to the small fenced in area to see their friends. The neighborhood seemed to be happy and full of life before the bell rang, but as I sat in my car and the kids entered the building, the street became quiet and just like every other street surrounding it. The parking area was very small and spaces were marked off for each teacher so that everyone fit in it properly, those who left first for the afternoon, closest to the exit. As I walked to the side entrance, I noticed how the brick school building was not wide, but extremely tall, and after I was buzzed in, I noticed that the many narrow steps only led up to a second floor, not a third or fourth like I had expected.
Upon entering my first classroom for the day I was greeted by all the teachers on the first floor and I took a seat in the back corner of the room. The room was packed with books, toys, charts, tables and so much more! The alphabet streaming across the room at the top of the wall and the kindergarteners works stapled just about everywhere made the room bright and fun. Then the kids began piling in! After they entered through a separate door from the class, dropped off their coats and bags, they ran in to grab their journals and sit at their tables. They were loud and the first few came up to me to let me know that they had entered the room first or second or third. I smiled helped them get settled with the work they knew they had to do. They kids were very distracted by my presence and kept walking over to me to ask random questions or tell me thing about themselves. My favorite part of the morning was the Rise and Shine song that they played to sing and wake up to.
Then at 10:30 I went upstairs to the first grade class and met a whole new set of kids. They were wild. There was screaming and it was disorganized, but I could see that the teacher was trying her best to keep them on top of their work. Luckily I was able to just grab my students and take them from the classroom to play games and read. I was given a group of boys who let me know right away that I needed to learn the rules and that I should give them fun games all the time. One student became a problem and I knew I would have issues with him for the rest of the tutoring experience. He told me that he hated his teacher and didn’t care what I had to say. Woah this should be fun!
Hi Allison,
ReplyDeleteYour students sound as if they had a lot to teach you! From your descriptions, could you theorize about what is valued in this space?
Keep me posted,
Dr. August
Hi Allison,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your reading your post. It really made me laugh. I feel like the Kindergarten class is going to be a lot of fun. You seem from the way you described it, there is a lot of upbeat attitude in the classroom. I believe that is a huge part of being a successful teacher. Your second grade classroom on the other hand seems like a handful. I would love to hear what you said to the boys after they told you that you needed to learn the rules. How did you set the guidelines? I like how you got to work with a single group of students. I just get tossed around the classroom. So it is a little bit difficult to see the progress of the students. Have you seen any big changes in your group with any children? I wonder if it is easier to see their growth. I am looking forward to reading your other posts.
Haley
Hey Allison!
ReplyDeleteYour first experience at your school seems a little more challenging than mine was, since you had to actually be involved with more than one class/group of students. I really liked that you included how the children acted when they saw you, because one of my favorite things about tutoring my class was sitting and listening to the most random things that the kids wanted to tell me! It’s really nice that your teachers were welcoming and supportive during your first visit, and that your first classroom was so bright and interactive.
As far as the second class goes, it sounds a lot more like mine. It’s really unfortunate that you had such a bad experience with that one boy on your first visit, but you kind of have to just keep on mind the student’s background and life. Your experience makes me think of Lyn Brown’s article that we read in class. She mentions how young girls from the lower, working class had a really bad attitude towards school and specifically their teachers because of the way they had been raised. It’s hard as a teacher to not get frustrated when students act out like the one you talked about, but it’s so crucial to be patient and try to see from their perspective. Hopefully working with this boy and having an open mind with him can open him up to reasons why he is so bitter. Good Luck!
--Bethany
Hey Allison!
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your post, I realized that I had forgotten to say some of the things that happened on my first day! First off, it seems just by reading this blog that the children absolutely love having you in their class! I also wanted to relate to something you said. On my first day, the kids were also preoccupied with my presence in their classroom. They had so many questions and concerns about why I was there, how old I was, and most of all why I was soooo tall!! It seems to me that kids around this age love the attention of an older person. Not only do they love attention, but they are all so curious about the world around them! Kids this age are incredible and they do not even realize it! I hope you enjoyed the experience of feeling what it would be like to be a teacher!!