Hannah Morini

Reflection 1

1-23-24

On my first day in Mrs. Kessler’s classroom, I noticed right away that her students were

calm and quiet. I thought to myself, “How can first graders be this well-behaved?”. Mrs. Kessler

told me that kindness, respect, and expectations have been ingrained in them since the first day

of school. Quickly I saw these students' routines and how well they followed them. For example,

every morning when they come into the room, they hang their bookbags and begin their morning

work. Another constant routine is after the students are done with work of any kind, their only

option (unless said otherwise) is to read a book. Mrs. Kessler explained that these expectations

were always held at the beginning of the year. She explains them now as a “well-oiled machine”.

As I observed Mrs. Kessler interact with her students, I noticed how she always keeps them

accountable for respect for one another. For example, if a student interrupts another while they

are talking, she’ll address it.

Mrs. Kessler encourages her students to share roles and responsibilities by having

“leadership roles” chosen every week by the students. These roles are specific to the student who

chose them, and they are held accountable for them all week long. Some leadership roles include

librarians, tech helpers, sweepers, and bathroom monitors. During my time in this classroom,

these roles ensure an efficient classroom. Each student takes these roles seriously and is proud of

them as well. Each leadership role is held accountable for doing their job correctly and

thoroughly. Every week there is also a “star of the week”. This student has special roles

throughout the week like being the line leader and sharing something at each morning meeting.
Sharing consists of pictures, a special object, and a book to read to the class. This role not only

makes this student feel special throughout the week, but it allows them to speak in front of their

peers, and their peers to make that specific student feel special.

As of right now, there are no students in Mrs. Kessler’s classroom who have IEPs that

include behavior or would need major accommodations. There is flexible seating to read in,

tables grouped in 4-5, and there are also multiple workspaces. Students are seated in groups of 4-

5 which emphasizes cooperative learning. As for technology, each student has a computer. These

computers are designed for educational purposes only. For example, students are permitted to go

on their computers after they get work done only for reading or watching educational videos.

Games are only permitted at recess unless said otherwise. For teach-student conferences; Mrs.

Kesslers’s classroom is designed where it is safe for a student to talk individually and privately

with the teacher. There is a kidney table in the back of the room that is used for individual testing

and progress monitoring. For movement and safety, Mrs. Kessler’s classroom is well set up for

movement. Although it is one of the smaller classrooms, the group tables make it easy to

integrate movement into lessons.