Raul Gutierrez

LBS 300
December 13, 2016

Reflective Essay

I was placed in a kindergarten classroom with Mrs. Sylvia Althaus at Billy Mitchell

Elementary School, located at 14429 Condon Avenue in the city of Lawndale, CA 90260. The

schools Academic Performance Index score is 807. The school mission statement at Billy

Mitchell states that it is a collaborative learning community that celebrates the uniqueness of

each individual and his/her contribution to achieve continuous academic excellence. The

opportunity for parental involvement is provided regarding on how parents can become involved

in school activities, and provides contact information pertaining to organized opportunities for

parental involvement. Students performance is based on California Standards Test, California

Modified Assessment, and the California Alterative Performance Assessment. According to Billy

Mitchell Elementary School Accountability Report Card reported using data from the 2012-2013

School Year, The Standardized Testing and reporting results for all students in English-Language

Arts is based on percent of the students scoring at proficient or advanced was at 52% for the

school. In the subject of mathematics the score was a 65%, and Science was a 38%. The

Standardized testing and reporting results by students group, all students in the LEA in the

English-Language Arts was 54% proficient or advanced. In Mathematics, it was 56% and in

Science, it was 63% proficient or advanced. There were 49 males and 56 females who took the

English-Language Arts test, 64 males and 65 who took the mathematics, 48 males and 31

females for the Science portion. 52 African Americans took the English- Language Arts, 60

African Americans who took the test, 51 Hispanic or Latinos for English- Language Arts, 63 for
mathematic, and 38 for Science, 56 Whites for English- Language Arts, 72 for the Mathematic,

37 English Learners,59 for mathematic, 14 for Science. They also had 46 with students with

disabilities who took the English- Language Arts and 60 students with disabilities who took the

mathematic parts.

Academic Performance Index Growth by Students Group with in the school. Black or

African American had 24 with the API of 806, Hispanic or Latino 334 with API of 799, Whites

18 with API of 780, English Learners 213 with API of 796, students with disabilities 57 with API

of 731. The average where the school API should be at 800. Billy Mitchell is right there meeting

their API which means this school has parent volunteer and involvement with school, and have

resources and materials for the children.

Billy Mitchell student enrollment by grade level has 91 Kindergartener, 103 Grade 1, 90

Grade 2, 117 Grade 3, 114 Grades 4, 87 Grades 5, a total of 602 kids enrollment for this school

which Latinos dominate the school for the most part. The school facility repair status overall

rating is in good conditions. The school has 26 teachers with full credential teaching the kids.

Teachers average salary is 71,889.14.

I learned by doing my field work how Mrs. Althaus first stared her class with a warm

greeting, and smile on her face. She asks her class to check in at the bulletin board where she has

all the names of her students on bottom of the bulletin board where they need to move it to the

side where they indicate they are Here once you enter the classroom the front door. The

children sit down on the carpet where they go over the class routine for that day. The children

know what they are going to be doing and the expectations of that day. I learned how she

transition from one subject to another, and see how she teaches her class. I got to see how she

gets the children to be engaged in the topic, and saw how she incorporates some of the common
core standards where she asks the children to talk to each other and discuss what they have

learned. She walks around the class to listen to the children discussing the topic in question. I

observe when she reads to the children during story time. I even got to experience giving a

spelling test to the kids. I noticed she had many parents helping as volunteers. She has at least

one parent helping her with that class. She was always prepared for the parental volunteers in

helping her with running off copies or even helping her with projects. Her classroom is clean and

organized.

The techniques I saw Mrs. Althaus using while doing my field hours was brain storming.

When the children had to work on their writer work shop, children had to write a story about

their favorite place they have been, she had the children group up in pairs to talk about the place

they want to write about. This way if one child does not know what they want to write about the

other can help start on their story. Another technique she uses in her class, and I think is a great

idea to use is multi-sensory instruction. For math time, the children would have hands on

expeience to help the kids understand the math concept if they need help with it. This way child

can visualize the problem. I did not see this technique but I have read that teacher should have

different ways of teaching. Children have different ways of learning concepts. Some children

might have a learning disability and as a teacher you will need to find alternative ways to teach

these kids to be able to understand the concept you are trying to teach them.

The strategies I will keep in my training as a teacher is keep lesson moving. Teach the

lesson and if the children do not understand, re teach it in a different way. As Mrs. Abbott says

all throughout the class, you do not want to be known as a butt teacher. I need to move around

the classroom and see what the children are doing if they are doing their class work. Do not

lecture for the whole time because common core says children need to be discussing what they
have learned. Have talks with your students, and when they are being bad in class stand next to

them to show you are aware of what they are doing. The phrase I will not forget is I AM IN

CHARGE.

The strengths that I see in myself in working with students are that children like me. I like

helping the children understand their assignments. I was excited to go in the classroom and be

able to get the experiences in working with the children. I can see myself doing the job but I

know I have a lot of work ahead of me.

The weakness that I discovered in working with the children is that I need more practice

and time in the classroom. I feel that I am not ready or have been trained enough to step foot in

the classroom. I want to continue to go to other schools and learn more from other teachers

because each of them has something different to teach. I have never been in a classroom as a

teacher before. I have worked with kids in an after school program and it is a different

environment. I have a lot of learning to do however I think I still want to proceed in this field.

In conclusion, this class was the first step for me to be able to walk into the classroom

and see how it feels to be a teacher. At the beginning I felt lost most of the time, as a person who

did not have any experience, and was just left there not knowing what to do. I think people who

are new to this field need to have some help to know what to expect. I felt I needed some help to

learn what I needed to do. Now, I know I need to find kids who are struggling and need the extra

help. As for Mrs. Althaus, I felt she could have help me or guide me in the right direction not

just left me in the cold. I know she is a very busy person who has to teach the class but before the

class started she could have told me what I was doing wrong and what I had to correct in order to

improve myself. In my opinion she is a good teacher however, she is not a good mentor for me.