Applicant and Student Environment

School is a place for students to discover their talents, what motivates them, and to grasp

an understanding of what it means to be an active participant in their community. It is a place for

adolescent self-determination, self-exploration, and for student talents to be nurtured. Low-

income schools have an especially critical role in student success as disadvantaged kids require

more support and resources since their parents are unable to fully provide for their children.

Thus, it is imperative that schools reflect on their effectiveness to meet all the basic needs of

their students.

I am a seventh-grade language arts teacher at Dysart Elementary School in the Dysart

Unified School District (DUSD). DUSD has twenty-four schools that enroll 26, 421 students of

which the demographics are White (49%), Hispanic (36%), Black (8%), Two or More Races

(4%), Asian (2%), (American Indian/Alaska Native (1%), and Hawaiian Native/ Pacific Islander

(<1%) (Great!, 2019). Just over half of the students in this district are low-income (51%) and

three percent are English Language Learners (ELL) (Great!, 2019). Thus, the district needs

appropriate funding for technology integration, school psychologists, school counselors, and

student support programs.

Dysart Elementary School (DES) enrolls students from PK-8th grade and is rated the

ninth best elementary school in the district with a B rating (Dysart Unified, 2019). DES enrolls

683 students of which the demographics are Hispanic (53%), White (31%), Black (8%), Two or

More Races (4%), Asian (2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2%), and Hawaiian Native/

Pacific Islander (<1%) with student population being mostly male (52%) (Great!, 2019). With

seventy-five percent of students considered low-income, DES is a Title One school. The

neighborhood homes around the school average in the low to mid two-hundred-thousand-dollar
price range. The school’s vision statement is, “Dysart Elementary is a community of learners

where everyone accepts responsibility for their learning, decisions, and actions while striving for

and taking pride in their achievements” (Dysart, 2019). The mission statement is, “Dysart

Elementary is a safe learning environment that challenges every student to master the knowledge

and skills to achieve their full potential” (Dysart, 2019).

As a whole, this school’s English scores of low-income students are above the state

average for low-income kids (Great!, 2019). This could, in part, be due to the fact that eighty-six

percent of teachers have three or more years of experience in the classroom (Great!, 2019).

While this statistic is promising and motivating, this school is still in need of social and

emotional learning supports. Supports such as these would aid in the school’s primary focus in

seventh grade English Language Arts classrooms as grade 7 performance dropped 6% in 2018

according to Dysart Elementary School’s Continuous Improvement Plan (2019). Funding for

social and emotional learning specialists would aid students who are unable to interact

appropriately in school due to circumstances such as being in foster care, losing family members,

family being in jail, they themselves being in gangs, etc.

As I have been teaching for a year, I believe that my education philosophy will grow and

change as I progress through my own career and life. Learning is a lifelong journey that can

never be separated from an individual. Thus, as an educator, it is my role to be a leader, a

motivator, a positive model of behavior, and to be flexible. I have found that when students feel

cared about and supported when they enter the classroom, they are more likely to have an

enriched understanding of course content and standards and be more involved in class

discussions. A class is a community in which students have the opportunity to interact, learn, and

grow as individuals. Everyone, from myself to the principal to the students to the parents, have
an obligation to contribute in the community in order to cultivate a positive

environment. Through my classroom experiences both as a student and a student teacher, I have

observed teaching techniques that empower students and create an eagerness for learning. Being

clear and concise with learning objectives and lecture examples ensures that students will be

more apt to absorb key concepts. Blooms taxonomy is a teaching strategy I find works

exceedingly well in the classroom as it ensures lessons are thoroughly planned and that each

section of a lesson flows effortlessly together.

I have found that project-based learning (PBL) is exemplary in empowering students to

have an in depth understanding of content and to think critically. PBL benefits students by

encouraging collaboration, self-confidence, and project management, all of which are skills that

are vital for success in the real world. This type of learning can be enhanced with technology to

be even more effective in preparing students for high school, college, and the workforce. I have

used technology in my classroom almost daily as DES is a one to one technology school. My

schools’ textbooks are online using a program called iSchool (Schoology). I have used screen

casting to introduce my objectives and bell work every day and I have used Kahoot to review

key concepts of the day as my exit ticket.

When students feel supported and cared for by their teachers, community, and peers they

are more likely to retain key concepts and perform well on standardized tests. I believe it is up to

everyone, from parents to school staff, to ensure students are given all the support and resources

they need to gain the necessary skills to have an effective education and successful life.

Resources like school psychologists, school counselors, student support programs, and social and

emotional learning specialists would ensure all students needs are met no matter their socio-
economic status. School is the place where young minds go to gain knowledge, social skills, and

to find who they are as adolescents.

 References

Dysart Elementary School. (2018). Continuous Improvement Plan. Retrieved September 21,

2019, from

https://www.dysart.org/CMS/Uploads/32/Document/Dysart%20Elementary%20CIP%20

2018-2019.pdf

Dysart Elementary School. (2019). School Vision and Mission. Retrieved September 21, 2019,

from https://dysart.org/Sites/Default.aspx?pgid=1905

Dysart Unified School District. (2019). Arizona Accountability System Letter Grades. Retrieved

September 22, 2019 from https://www.dysart.org/Sites/Default.aspx?pgID=5261

Great! Schools.org. (2019). Dysart Elementary School. Retrieved September 21, 2019, from

https://www.greatschools.org/arizona/el-mirage/625-Dysart-Elementary-

School/#Race_ethnicity*Test_scores*English

Great! Schools.org. (2019). Dysart Unified School District. Retrieved September 21, 2019, from

https://www.greatschools.org/arizona/surprise/dysart-unified-district/