Howard A Webb

Educ. 350
November 22, 2016
Interview with Naomi Coutio
I interviewed Naomi Coutio, a student in Mrs. Deborah Frains eighth-grade art class at
Lesher Middle School in Fort Collins, Colorado. I wanted to interview Naomi for a variety of
reasons. In the time that I have spent at Lesher, I have found Naomi to be intelligent and polite. I
have seen that she regularly produces quality work in art and that she does so without any extra
direction. In spite of her apparent interest and ability in art, I feel that she does not received the
level of support that she deserves. I have tried at different times to speak with her about her
work. I have offered her compliments on the quality of her work and at other times made
suggestions about how she might push herself further. During these interactions, she has seemed
uncomfortable being a recipient of instruction or a participant in a discussion. For that reason, I
was surprised and pleased that she agreed to be the subject of my student interview.
During our conversation, Naomi was quiet and reserved. However, her responses were
interesting and thought inspiring. She stated that she has been a resident of Fort Collins for
almost her entire life. She lives with both of her parents and her two younger brothers. She
attended Harris Bilingual School before coming to Lesher Middle School. Her two younger
siblings are both currently students at Harris. We spoke briefly about the distinct advantage that
being able to speak more than a single language is today. I have observed that she and her close
friends converse in Spanish regularly in class, and at times discuss elements of the Spanish
language with their non-Spanish speaking peers. She seems to take a degree of pride in her

bilingual ability and cultural influences and appears to be confident sharing that aspect of herself
with others.
Naomis answers to my questions suggest that she is studious and intelligent and that her family
is of tremendous importance in her life. She implied that she does not see enough television to
call any show her favorite, stating that she thinks that TV is dumb and boring. She is an avid
reader, who reads books from a variety of genres. Her appetite for reading and writing seems to
be an important part of her private life and her life at school. Naomi described one frustration,
which she experiences in classes, related to her advanced literacy. She recounted situations in
which she finished prescribed reading for classes more quickly than other students did in her
class. Being ahead of other students in the reading leaves her with nothing to do, or makes it
difficult to participate in related discussions. During our conversation, Naomi discussed several
minor frustrations related to school but described the school and education fondly without
exception.
I noted that her responses seemed to suggest a local mindset, or frame of reference, focused on
her family, friends, and community. When asked about where she would like to travel, she stated
that she would like to see an art museum. Naomi alluded to wishing that she could change the
attitudes and actions of some bad people in her neighborhood when talking about changes that
she would like to see or make happen. Her favorite food, hobby, school activities, and holiday all
suggest an involvement, interest and affection toward her family and life today, rather than in any
abstract ambition or notion. She did express serious concern about the outcome of the recent
elections. Even in this instance, her concerns seem most closely related to her life, as she knows
it today. Naomis insights suggest that she gives many elements in her life, both positive and

negative, a deep level of thought. Her answers were succinct, but well thought out and
perceptive.
Naomi has a greater interest in art than I had realized before our interview. She described art
as being her favorite subject. She likes this subject because it allows her to be creative and to
express herself. She enjoys the work that she has done in Mrs. Frains art class, but she would
like to have the opportunity to try working with clay. She did suggest that a good teacher should
talk with his or her students in order to get feedback. She noted the pace of lessons, student
comprehension, and personal interests of students among things that an effective educator should
gauge through a dialogue. When asked about what a teacher does that makes her not want to
learn, he described situations in which the teacher provides too much instruction or input rather
than letting her get to work. My impression is that Naomi may feel under-challenged by her
education at times, but she appears also to have a notable appreciation for the culture of her
school and the caliber of the education she receives at Lesher.
My interview with Naomi has provided me with some valuable perspective as a future teacher.
She and other students that I have spoken with seem to find more satisfaction in their work when
they are given even small opportunities for self-expression and freedom. Being an active
participant in their education, and being listened to is important to Naomi and other students. She
reminded me that not every student has had exposure to, or has access to even local resources.
The culture of a school is important to the happiness of students, and classroom culture is an
important factor for student success. The significance of art class in Naomis life reminds me
how important it is for me to create a learning environment in which each of my students is able
to reach his or her full potential. I will have to work hard to create a balance between the order
that supports efficiency, concentration and growth and the interaction that leads to student

satisfaction. As Naomi has suggested, I will get feedback from the students that I work with in
order to help evaluate how well I am doing in these aims.