The First Look

"Good morning boys and girls. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance...'I pledge allegiance to the flag...' Please be seated. Remember boys and girls, be respectful, be responsible, be safe. Have a great day."
This is what I heard after standing in the doors of the main office for a few minutes. A lady speaking in a monotone voice, over an intercom, with mannerisms of a robot, was the person to greet the students each morning. From that point on I knew school for these children was not specifically about having fun; rather, this school valued structure. It was about a daily routine that could not be interrupted.
Having the school be in a more urban neighbor was a little intimidating to me. At first, I questioned my safety. From the outside, it reminded me of my elementary school, but when I stepped foot in the door it seemed to be colorless. There was not a single poster that caught my eye. Even the structure and geometric patterns of the walls were plain and a bit cold. When I entered the classroom, the value of structure was reiterated by both the teacher and students' actions.
What angered me a little was that it was a kind of structure with no assistance except for some annoyed yells coming from the teacher. In this particular classroom the students did not have personal space, other than their cubby. They had no desk to call there own. They moved around to different tables during center time and met at a rug as a class.
I personally believe that sharing is a good quality to teach, but for a child to feel a sense of possession is also important.
The time where the students seemed the happiest was when they rotated around to different centers. They had control over there time and there work; with this little bit of freedom the students were different people from when I first walked into the class.
The disciplinary actions taken by this teacher are done so comparatively. Things like, "Why can't you be more like her?" are often said. This kind of discipline rewards the one child who is behaving properly, but it degrades the other. By asking questions such as, "Is she annoying you?" puts students in uncomfortable positions, in deciding whether or not to put their friend down.
Because of this negative attitude coming from the teacher, the majority of the students tend to be very quiet and internal. Negative feelings dominating this classroom make me feel uncomfortable as both an observer and an assistant.