"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.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with your initial impression on the school. The walls were so bare and the school seemed dark. I was wondering though, if now that the tutoring program is over, do you still agree with your initial impression of the school, the students, and the teacher? You mentioned something about the students having their own space and feeling a sense of possession. When you were in kindergarten did you have tables or desks? I remember having switching tables often in kindergarten. Also, did you see the students build up more confidence as a result of the tutoring sessions? Or do you still feel like they are still quiet and internal? Do you still feel uncomfortable when you went into the classrooms every week? Shor suggests that people begin life as motivated learners. That children learn by interacting and experimenting. As the years go on, less interacting and experimenting is available as a result of strict curriculum. I noticed that other than the walk to intervention, the classroom lacks interaction and experimentation. I feel that the teacher gives instructions on the mat, the students go back to their seats, and they do the assignment. Other than the intervention, I have not seen any experimentation or interaction going on in these classrooms. I know we have not spend a whole lot of time in these classrooms, but I recall speaking with the teacher in my classroom about this. She said there are so many assignments and subjects they need to work on in one day and so little time. So if there is not even enough time to accomplish all of these assignments, then when will there be time for the students to experiment? I hope that I may have missed something, or that these students get time to interact more often because I do believe that interacting and experimenting is the best way to learn anything. How do you feel about this? Did you notice any changes from the beginning?
ReplyDeleteI'm interested to see how you feel now compared to how I feel now since we both tutored at the same school. It is interesting how some first impressions can be misleading or they can be completely accurate.
I spent my time at the same school, and I had similar feelings toward the school in the beginning as well.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I didn't pay attention to was the fact that none of them seemed to have personal space. I think it's interesting you picked up on that! I wonder if the classroom would have a different vibe if they simply replaced the centers arrangement with desks for each student. I notice that the students get pretty territorial on the rug- I've seen several arguments break out simply because someone's knee brushed against a student. Personal space really is important.
I agree with the bit you wrote about comparisons. I know I would feel embarrassed and inadequate if my work was compared to another person's and deemed "bad" or "wrong."