October 3rd

On my first day of observation I was extremely nervous up until I introduced myself to

the teacher. There was a lot of information thrown at me within the first hour, so I was a little

overwhelmed, but I was very excited to be there. The students were very polite and overall, I got

a good first impression. My teacher told me that he had a few ASI students, but I did not see any

differentiated teaching. His lesson was easy enough to follow and the students seemed to grasp

the topic. During their math period, they had a test and this was when I saw modification for the

ASI students. None of them needed to leave the room but they were given a different version of

the test that was handwritten. My teacher did not make it obvious that he was handing out

different copies to some students, I did not realize it until I walked around the room. When there

are students who have different learning capabilities, I believe that teachers should keep this as

private as possible because you do not want the student to feel embarrassed or uncomfortable for

needing accommodations that others may not require. Not that this is something to feel ashamed

about, but some students do not like having this information being public knowledge to their

classmates and teachers should do what is necessary to respect wishes like those.

October 10th

The teacher I was assigned to teaches math and science so on the first day of class he told

me that he could speak to the teacher next door who switches students with him to see if it was

alright for me to come and observe her room as well. It was very kind of him to offer as this can

give me more insight on a different teaching style and a look into the course material of two

other subjects. The teacher said it was fine, so I went to her classroom on my second visit.

During a conversation with her, she told me about how her homeroom class contained six
‘gifted’ students while the rest were high performing. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the

other class had 18 out of 26 students below their reading level. This made me pay close attention

to how the students performed academically. I chose to go during the English periods and

students were working on vocabulary. Their task was to create a skit using the language they

were learning. When the students were presenting, I could see the differences between the

quality of work in the classes. Her homeroom class had more organized and thought out skits

while the other class’ were messier. I missed the first fifteen minutes of my teacher’s homeroom

class but when I observed the English teacher’s homeroom class, they went over things that a

good skit contained. Those students seem to have understood the ideas and incorporated them

into the assignment properly. The other class must have not received the same tips at the

beginning or failed to use them effectively. It is interesting to see how the classes differ in

quality when presented with the same assignment.

October 17th

When I initially started my observations, I wasn’t formally presented to the class. I came

into the class and introduced myself to the teacher who told the students my name, but they were

having breakfast so half of them were not paying attention. I think that might be why my

presence in the classroom does not seem to bother the students. They do not really know why I

am there or who I am, so they maintain their focus on their teacher and the lessons being taught.

This is a big shift from my observations from last semester. I was with 3-year old's in a day care

and I could not make a squeak without distracting them from practicing writing their names.

There is an 8-year difference between the two classes, so I expected some obvious contrast.

Behavior wise the students in my class this semester are very mature, I do not see any of them
being deliberate distractions to the class and they stay on task very well. For a group of 6 th

graders I find it very surprising. I believe this is also due to the standards my teacher sets in the

class. He likes to joke around with the students but when it is time to be serious, the students

know how to act.

October 24th

Today I went into the student’s social studies classroom and they were learning about

Native Americans and their land. At the end of the lesson, the students were given an assignment

in which they needed to create a slideshow presentation about one Native American tribe from

the list provided by the teacher. In that classroom there is a teacher’s assistant, her and I were

going around helping the students. One student called her over and said something along the

lines of “look at these retarded kids” and the room went silent. The teacher’s assistant did not

yell but she immediately reprimanded him, telling him not to say those words. I never expected

one of the students in the classroom to say that, however I do not believe it was said with

malicious intentions but out of ignorance. It is unfortunate that this situation occurred but

hopefully now the student will know better than to say such things. This also got me thinking

about how a teacher must show their students right from wrong in different ways that their

parents might. Depending where you grow up and the household you come from effects your

way of thinking what is acceptable and is not. Hopefully now the student will know better than to

say such things. This also got me thinking about how a teacher must show their students right

from wrong in different ways that their parents might. Depending where you grow up and the

household you come from effects your way of thinking what is acceptable and is not. Sometimes
teachers are put into situations where they must educate students in things that are not socially

acceptable to do or say in a classroom environment.

October 31st
On the very first day of my observations, my cooperating teacher made it a point to tell

me that he held the students in his classroom to a certain degree of responsibility. They are sixth

graders and he wants to make sure they are prepared for the upcoming grades where they are

expected to behave more autonomously. He always reminds the students that they need to start

changing their bad habits because they will not be tolerated after this year. This is mostly in

terms of being prepared for class and having the materials necessary. The student switch classes

for language arts and social studies, I have witnessed many cases where they return to their

homeroom class after switching because they forgot a notebook required for the other class. I can

see how this proves that students are not ready for instruction and in the process of retrieving the

missing item, they are disrupting the other class. Today was the first time that my teacher got

visibly irritated about this problem. When the class was getting ready to switch, multiple students

said they forgot to take out materials from their book bag after entering the classroom in the

morning. He was so bothered that he told the students they were not allowed to go to their book

bag until lunchtime so if they forgot to take out items, they had to deal with the repercussions of

not being equipped for class. At first, I thought this was kind of harsh but there was no denying

that this was a recurring event for some students. These habits could potentially be fixed by

having textbook checks incorporated into a student’s participation grade. Once they realize how

their grade is affected, they will be more inclined to have everything needed with them.

November 5th
 In the previous weeks I would only stay a little over three hours at my observation site

because when I initially reached out to my cooperating teacher, he told me what the classes'

morning schedule was and it only covered about the first three hours of the day. I never thought

to ask to stay longer as I was not sure if those were the hours that my teacher wanted me to stick

to. One of my classes got cancelled so I thought this would be a great opportunity to stay longer

and when I approached my teacher about it, he was welcoming to the idea. This action ending up

being beneficial to me. I was able to witness the two classes being taught both subject lessons

and it allowed me to see how each one receives and connects with the lesson different. When

speaking about observation experiences with my classmates, some of them would tell me that

they would stay for lunch during their observation. I was surprised since I had never had that

opportunity and it seemed very intimidating. Staying longer today meant I would have lunch

with the teachers, and it ended up going well. Since the sixth-grade teachers are in the location

they currently reside in due to construction in their building, they tend to stick together. They

have lunch in one of their classrooms and once a week one of the women make a meal for all of

them to enjoy. I was lucky enough to be there on this day and enjoy their little tradition.

Considering how hectic some days as a teacher can be, having a treat like this is a great way to

take your mind off any stresses even if it is only for a moment. Not only is this personally

valuable, it helps create a better connection with your colleagues resulting in a friendly work

environment.

November 14th

In the mornings after breakfast, the students have their morning meeting. The teacher

uses this time to give any announcements but also talk to the students about what is going on in
with their life or just pass along some advice. This morning one of the students brought up

President Trump and she started saying that she cannot comprehend how someone can treat

people so cruelly. She was amazed at how Trump could think so low of a group of people who

do no harm. This brought on similar opinions from other students and the topic took over the

morning meeting. After the students went to their class, the teacher told me how he has a family

member who is also a teacher in the southern area of the East coast. She teaches a special

education classroom that contains several undocumented children. There have been many times

where students go home and do not return or where some return from school to an empty home.

The school has attempted to help by alerting the teacher when ICE is nearby so that she may take

her students to a hidden location. There are many students all over the country who are

undocumented or have undocumented parents and either of them can be sent away at any

moment. In this political climate, I think it is important to create a safe space for children.

Celebrating diversity and creating inclusive classrooms are just small things that an educator can

do to create support for students and their families.

November 21st

During lunch today I was speaking with one of the teachers, her daughter graduated from

high school the same year I did so we were discussing college and career dynamics. I told her

about my current course plan and transfer options once I finish my associate degree. Throughout

this conversation she was giving me advice, words of encouragement, and made sure to let me

know that I can reach out to her and the other teachers as I continued school. I made sure that she

knew how much I appreciated her words because it is pleasant to hear that other people

recognize your efforts. As much as I enjoy being in a classroom, sometimes I lack confidence in
myself. When people tell me things like the she did, it provides a sense of reassurance that is

uplifting. Her compliments created this feeling that I remember having after the first day of my

observation site. I left that day feeling like I could finally envision myself in this career, with my

own classroom, teaching a group of bright students. Up until that point I doubted myself a lot

and I know that it will reemerge at certain points in the future, but it is nice to know that

someone sees something in me that I have struggled seeing in myself.

November 21st

I went to the classroom of the teacher next door today and she started the day by telling

her students why their seating arrangement was different. Usually the students are in groups of

five or six but now the desks were organized in rows. The students had to sit in specific places as

well. While the teacher did not go into deep explanation, she said that these changes were a

result of the behavior that had been taking place in the classroom. The seats were not going back

to groups until the students proved to her that they could handle sitting with each other. She also

mentioned that they were not allowed to sit at her desk anymore which I was surprised she

allowed to begin with. She said she needed some space and that was her only area of the

classroom. This was fair of her to argue as students have a majority of the room to themselves

and most of the time all a teacher has for themselves is their desk. One interesting thing she

created was a sort of reward system for good behavior. There was a desk that was connected to

hers and each week she would select a VIP student who would receive a treat and receive the

choice to sit at that specific seat. This person was chosen by the teacher when she saw a student

showcase a good deed or good behavior. I thought that the combination of the treat and seat

placement was a clever way to encourage better conduct in the classroom. However with this
new system, she has to make sure that students do not lose their interest in becoming VIP or else

they will not work to improve themselves.

November 27th

Today was my last day and it was very bittersweet. I truly enjoyed my time at my

observation site. I got to meet different teachers and connect with some old ones since I went to

the same school district. I also had the opportunity to meet a wonderful group of kids who truly

made me excited for the future students I will have in my classroom. Unfortunately, this day

started on a sad note as my teacher told me that one of the student’s mothers had passed away

over the weekend. He said that the sixth grades teachers were going to the funeral mass that was

taking place later in the day and it reminded me of all the different roles a teacher must occupy.

Teachers are stretched very thin and they are expected to take on the role of a counselor, a

parent, a nurse, etc. It can be very draining, but students need all the support possible.

Considering how much time teachers spend with their students it is inevitable that they will have

to help them cope in situations like this. The student was very open with my teacher, she had let

him know prior to this event that her mother was sick so there was already a personal connection

being developed between teacher and student. It is useful for teachers in training to prepare

themselves for the informal roles they will be responsible for. This will help improve student

learning and the culture in the classroom.