Contextual Factors: Description of the Students

In my classroom there are a total of 13 students. With a class this small, I will need to be aware of including students in discussions in which they may not feel comfortable with. While I may simply be trying to include the whole class in a discussion, I need to remember that there are some students who are not comfortable speaking or reading in front of the class. This is a major part of setting up a safe environment where students feel comfortable enough to come talk to me about potential issues they face. Being open to my students’ feelings and understanding of their unique personalities is going to be very important for me to remember.

In my class there are 4 boys and 9 girls who are between the ages of 11 and 12. I think there are two really good things to keep in mind when teaching this class. The first is the difference in the ratio of boys to girls. I will need to make sure that I am not simply referring to my class as, “hey guys”. I am also going to need to remember to include examples of women’s activities and not only use masculine examples. I am going to have to also remember that these so called ‘masculine’ examples can also be interests that the girls in my class have. The second thing that I need to remember is the age of my students. Making classroom discussions and work, age appropriate is very important. I can’t be talking to my class about in depth discussion such as the ethical controversies of cloning. My students are going to be more interested in why they are having troubles with their friends or how they can deal with their parents getting a divorce. I also need to remember that these are students who are going through significant physical and emotional changes. Being conscious of this fact will help me to better set up a healthy, safe environment for my students.

In my interactions as their instructor I have noticed a behavioral issue that I will need to be aware of. There is a student who has been moved to the front of the class. He seems to have difficulty staying still and lacks in group work participation. Although he does not seem to distract the others in the class, I feel like he is missing out on some important concepts that are a part of my curriculum. I am going to need to learn how to micro-manage his behavior and talk with him to discuss potential solutions that will help facilitate his learning in my classroom. I think that this also brings to my attention the fact that students may be learning even while an outside observer may think otherwise. I need to remember that just because a student seems to be letting his thoughts wonder elsewhere, they may in fact be actively learning the course content.

From my observations of the students I cannot find any cliques that I will need to be aware of. The students all seem to interact well with one another, and participate in active listening during classroom discussions. I have observed that there are two girls who seem to be treated differently than the rest of their peers. I can only guess that this might be because of the socio-economic differences of the girls and the rest of the class. These two girls seem to be dressed a bit nicer and present themselves a little more confidently. It seems that their peers treat them like the leaders of the class, choosing to defer to their suggestions. However, these are just assumptions that I am making and may be lead by the enthusiasm that the two girls have in answering questions, and regardless, the two girls work well with their peers in class.

Contextual Factors: Description of the Classroom

My classroom is located out in one of six portables on campus. Because the 6th grade health class only meets every other day, the classroom is shared with another teacher. Health teachers are one of the only school faculty that do not have their own classroom. As a result, the health teachers move to a new classroom every period. In my classroom I am provided a single shelve to hold my students workbooks, papers and supplies. I am also provided with the use of only one whiteboard and the smartboard. The beginning of class, roughly the first 3 minutes, is usually accompanied with the instructor logging in to the host computer. This creates a challenge for the teacher who must try to begin the class effectively while waiting for the technology to boot up. I will need to take this into account when I design my lessons and make sure that the first few minutes of every lesson do not depend on the availability of technology.

Over the past couple of weeks the mornings have been increasingly darker. There are only two windows in my class which keep the classroom very dark without having the classroom lights turned on. Because my classroom is a first period block I will need to be aware of keeping the environment bright, so as to provide a more academically motivational classroom for my students. The dark complexion of the classroom will also provide a great atmosphere for viewing video. My current curriculum incorporates short video clips that provide realistic visual representations of situations that they may be involved in, and effective examples for dealing with those situations. I really enjoy being out in the portables. I feel like it gives me a better environment which might otherwise be interrupted more frequently with students and faculty coming in to talk to my students or myself. I also fell like being in control of the lighting gives me the opportunity to create appropriate atmospheres for each of my lessons.

My classroom seating structure consists of four seats per row with a total of eight rows. Because I am technically a guest of the teacher whose classroom I am borrowing for the period, I have little control in how the seating is arranged. However, since a major part of my unit deals with group work and building positive communication skills, I will make sure to allow my students the chance turn their desks towards one another and create small groups of 3 to 4 students. This will be done with the understanding that before the end of class the room must be straightened back into its original form. As nice as it would be to be in charge of the seating arrangement in my classroom, the rearrangement of the desks into groups will help to provide a short stretch and break time for my students. With such short periods, 58 minutes total, any time that I can find available to give my students a quick break and get their blood flowing in a semi-aerobic activity is an added bonus. I will just have to make sure that I do not provide too much time and that the days lesson is cut short as a result.

Overall, I am thoroughly excited about my classroom. There may not be any space to place student’s drawings or health related posters on my wall, but I intend to incorporate plenty of health visuals using the classroom smartboard and classroom handouts. I believe that the teacher sets up the classroom environment more so than the classroom itself and I fully intend to set my classroom up so that it promotes conversation, reflection and healthy learning.

Contextual Factors: Description of the School

Houck Middle School, home of the Huskies, has an average student enrollment size of 1,025 students. The current enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year is 966 students. It serves student grades 6th -8th. There are a total of 353 6th graders, 284 7th graders, and 329 8th graders. The school is run by the current principle Susan Rieke-Smith and the assistant principle Leeana Fletchall. There are a total of 59 licensed teachers on staff with a support staff of 34. There are also 3 school counselors as well as a fulltime bilingual services staff member.

There are a total of 2 gymnasiums which provide a place for afterschool sports like basketball and volleyball, along with wrestling. There are also track and field facilities as well as both a football field and soccer field surrounding the school. The school provides an afterschool program in the cafeteria in which students can hang out and play a variety of video games such as guitar hero. This offers students a chance to interact with entertainment technology that they may not have a chance to at home.

The school has just recently enforced a mandatory dress code for their students. As I walk the halls I can sense the students responses to having to wear white, black or gray. Most are ok with the dress code, as it has helped lower violence and gang activity on campus. Others however, feel they are being ignored a chance to display their personalities in how they dress. Overall, the teachers have positive things to say about the enforcement. There are little to no problems with inappropriate female and male attire, and most teachers participate in the new dress code.

Overall, the middle school has an atmosphere of excitement and energy. Students walk around with smiles on their faces and seem eager to interact with one another as well as with their educators. There is quite a contrast in how I feel from the outside community where it seems so desperate, to inside the school where I feel safe and excited.

I think that the overall feel of the school is going to help improve my investment in the school. If my students are excited to be there, even if it is because they receive a hot meal and a safe eight hours, I am going to make every effort to be excited to be there. I think it will help to make my lessons more exciting and interactive. It says a lot about a classroom if a teacher is excited about a subject. Feeling the energy in the halls and making sure to bring that energy into my class is going to be a top priority. As a middle school educator, I have a crucial roll to play in the educational development of my students. Here in middle school they are beginning to come into contact with core classes such as math, social studies, science and language arts. If I can influence my students to be more excited in these core classes, it will help to provide a strong foundation for them as they move on to high school and college. Houck Middle School will influence me to be aware of my students. I know what lies outside of these halls and so I am better prepared to provide for the needs of my students while they are here.

Contextual Factors: Description of the Community

I will be doing my practicum teaching at Houck Middle School located at 1155 Connecticut St. S.E. in Salem, Oregon. Located off the busy commercial Lancaster Street, Houck Middle School has the feel of both an inner city district and a suburb. According to the school website, Houck is a traditional middle school serving students in grades 6 - 8. The average enrollment for the school is 1,025 students. The school itself is fed by Miller, Eyre, Four Corners and Bethel Elementary schools within the Southeastern part of Salem-Kiezer School District.
According to the website, School Matters, Houck Middle School has an average household income range of $30,000-$50,000. Only 25% of the population has had an education higher than a high school degree. Most of the population in the community surrounding Houck Middle School falls between the ages of 5yrs-40yrs.
Walking around the surrounding neighborhoods I found several new developments next door to the school. After surveying one particular neighborhood I found that the median home price, for those that were for sale, was around $180,000 with a few extremities that included a home for $122,000 and $280,000. However, most of Houck is surrounded by older family homes reminiscent of the ranch home architecture found in the 1950s and 1960s.
The overall feel of the community is shady. Its not quite dark, because of the patches of light that show up throughout the community. There are parts in which I feel safe and secure and I observed kids laughing and playing out in their front yards. Other parts are less lighthearted and I felt lonely and depressed looking at the fading paint and un-kept lawns. There is a definite divide between impoverish and middle class. Just by observing the number of students who stayed at school in afterschool programs until they were forced to leave around 6:00pm told me how disparate their need for supervision might be.
It seems to me that I do develop a bias towards the community. For me, this bias is not a negative bias, but an increased awareness to the needs of safety and security for my students. I don’t think you can ever visit a community and not make an assumption as to what you might expect at the school. It’s a part of our mental evolution that allows us to categorize things to help better our own survival. Before having spent a day with the middle schoolers of Houck I would have expected to find great diversity in ethnicity, race and income and indeed I found these things within the school. However, I may show up to class and feel a bias towards what I may expect, but it is how I adapt after observation and the ability to not let yourself take away the equity of your students that really defines who and what kind of a teacher you are.

Reflection 4.1

Kids I find it easy to like?
-Those that have like interests, sports, movies, readings, faith.

Kids I find it hard to like?
-Those that show little respect, behavioral issues, lack of interest in class.

Kids I am sorry for?
-Outcasts, lower economics, disabilities.

Kids I feel threatened by?
-Those that display violent tendencies, dress inappropriately (boys and girls)

Kids I identify with?
-Athletes, outdoorsmen, gamers.

Kids I gravitate towards?
-Students with like interests, do well in school, easy to talk to and dont shy away from teacher interest.

Kids I feel inadequate around?
-Those I cannot "fix" their lives. (I can always help to improve, but seeing self-destructive behaviors really pulls on me)

Kids I probably don't even notice?
-Quiet, back of class, little participation.

Reflection 3.10

So I interviewed two students from a field biology class which had 8 IEP students and 13 honors students. I was able to find an honor student who was female that would talk to me about teacher expectations. She told me that she felt like her teacher thought she was very smart. Probably in part because of her “honors” title. She also thought that her teacher would think she would be “some nerdy” biologist. She said that she really liked the field biology class, but it wasn’t necessarily her “thing”. She didn’t think that her teacher knew she was more interested in architecture and engineering.

The second student I interviewed was an African American student who started on the varsity football team. He had been spending most of the class causing disruptions and interrupting his teacher. When I asked him what his teacher thought he would be when he grew up he said sarcastically, “Playing professional football.” He also thought that his teacher thinks he is “having difficulty” and “is dumb”. He said he thinks that because he never really trys hard during the assignments. “Its just an elective”.

Interestingly enough, when I asked what my teacher thought both of the students would be doing when they grow up he replied that both would be successful in their own ways. He thought that both would probably go on to college and get a post-secondary education. He did however; agree with both students personal assessments of their academic potential in class. He agreed that the first student was very smart and understood the concepts in class. He also agreed that the second student was having difficulty and brought up several examples of disruptive behavior. I think its great that even though the teacher was frustrated with the second students behavior and felt like academically he was having quite a bit of difficulty, that he still genuinely felt that he would succeed in life.

Chapter 2 Reflections

Opps, sorry guys, I accidentally posted to my other blog.

It was interesting to hear each of the responses for their greatest achievements in life. No one answered that it was how great they did on their SAT’s or Praxis, but I did receive the answer graduating from college. This was interesting to me because college deals so heavily on academic achievements. However, the most common answer for what kind of achievements do you admire in persons you respect had little to do with examinations. They said they admired people they trusted, and people who had leadership skills. People who had love of their family’s.

My cousin was able to find a couple of things that were both affirmed and contradicted by outside influences. In her science class she was learning evolution, but at her home, her Christian family was struggling to find meaning within this context. In school she was also learning about the health effects of marijuana, but on the news, down in California, she was watching the debate over legalization of the drug.

One of the things that I shared with my cousin was our interests in after school activities. She played softball and volleyball and watched a lot of football (mainly due to my uncle). I shared a passion for coaching softball and enjoy playing beach volleyball. We also shared the same reaction to our sense of belonging. We both felt secure while with close family and friends but left out in the open amongst people we were unfamiliar with we both became introverted.

One of the most important things that came up while doing this last reflection was how a teacher influences their environment. Environment is so important to learning. Without a safe secure place a student will not be able to focus properly on learning material. As a teacher it is going to be important for me to understand this and begin by presenting a classroom environment where a student does not feel foolish for asking a question. I can remember times while I was in high school that I was curious about something but did not feel secure enough to raise my hand and question it. We have to help our students become secure in our classroom.

My Autobiography

I was born and raised, for the first 18 years of my life, in the small coastal town of Newport. Though there was a smaller population than in major cities, our community seemed to be very diverse. I grew up next door to an Asian family whose son became one of my best friends. Later in grade school I encountered another of my best friends whose parents had immigrated to our town from Mexico. Though I can reflect back on our cultural differences, at the time I was unaware of a separation between the three of us. Perhaps this comes from our common interests. I grew up in a conservative household. My family attended church every Sunday at 8:30am. During my childhood I enjoyed church simply because my friends would be there to great me, as well as the candy which was handed out for correct answers to bible story questions. It may not have been a common ‘interest’ of our own , but it was a familiar family experience for all three of us. Later on, we began to find other common interests that we shared, such as sports and mischievous activities. It wasn’t until fourth grade that I actually realized that we were in fact, racially different from one another. Of course this changed nothing between us. But it began to open my eyes to the world around me.

I grew up with a family that believed in how important we were to one another. We only had one family to ourselves. Family was the second most important thing other than God. As a result, I remember times when my friends would laugh at me for how often I would pass up the opportunity to go to a movie so that I could hang out with my family. We had dinner together at 6:30 every night and would spend the evenings sitting around talking with one another until bedtime. Now of course this schedule changed once my brother and I began sports and started middle school and high school. I can look back at how my family evolved to cover the many baseball and football games that we both had and how my parents kept their core values of family by making every effort to be there to support each of us as a group. I can actually remember the very first baseball game that my father could not attend and this was a result of our social class and my fathers drive to provide financially for my family.

My dad is the persona of the blue collar worker. He has held a variety of manual labor jobs such as fisherman, mechanic and most recently electrical lineman. He is probably the most influential person of my life. This includes the many good influences and some bad. My dad worked incredibly hard for my family to provide the economic support that we required as a middle class family. He made certain sacrifices so that my brother and I would be able to live a happy life. I can remember distinctly one night as I waited as a freshman in high school, for my dad to pick me up. I kept praying that none of my friends would be around when he drove up in his ‘beater’ of a car, a 1974 Volkswagen Rabbit. Socially, during time in my life, I knew that we weren’t rich, but I also understood that we definitely weren’t poor.

It wasn’t until I began my undergrad that I really became aware of different religious beliefs other than my own. I knew that not everyone was Christian like myself. I knew about the other world religions and knew individuals who practice none. I had grown up attending school assemblies where Native Americans came to school and taught their traditions and culture. But I had never really thought about the implications that culture had on me. During undergrad I had a professor who really challenged my thinking and helped me to think of the larger world perspective and not keep myself so centralized. I began to appreciate what different cultures taught me. I think that this understanding, or eye opening, will stay with me and challenge me to never stop thinking about culture. As I begin to spend more time in diverse classrooms these life experiences will help to keep me both grounded and open to knew ideas and its this balance that I believe makes a teacher great.

Reflection 1.13

As a teacher I envision myself as promoting a healthy learning experience for all students that I come in contact with. (I would love to say that every student who hears or sees me would know I am promoting this environment but reality leaves me with the feeling that there are always factors outside of my control.) I also envision myself as a person that students could actively seek out for mentor ship and direction as well as providing accountability. With these in mind, I would also hope that I would be a teacher who teaches to the individual learning styles and does not shy away from the challenges presented by exceptional learners.

Reflection 1.12

The main purpose of schools are to provide a safe learning environment for children to come and learn both necessary ideals and values as well as important general knowledge of our world. A diverse society, such as the U.S., needs a safe learning environment as well as an education from experienced teachers in core social values. Treating humans as humans. In a socially stratified society it is necessary for schools to create and instill the desire to un-stratify the society. The teacher is a means of capturing the attention of the students and promoting the healthy school environment as well as socially correct ideals.

Reflection 1.11

Sojourner Truth's interpretation of the old ways of conducting business is more of a direct way of getting your opinions heard. She puts herself out stating the things that she has lived doing, which mainly are tough physical "man" things, and ends her discussion with the question, "ain't I a woman?". She really makes a great point in defending her feminism. If she can do all those things as well or better than a man, doesn't that make her an equal of men?

Reflection 1.4

I agree that to teach effectively, we as teachers, must be prepared to address diverse experiences that children bring to the classroom. I want to teach so that I can help students understand my passions, but I also must come to terms with the idea that I will not be able to teach in a universal manor. Individual students learn at individual rates. Some students may come to class more focused on how they will be able to make enough money after school to purchase food for their family. Its my job as their teacher to understand the social-economic differences that students face and to effectively grasp their attention so that they will be able to leave my classroom with additional knowledge that will help them succeed with their lives.

Reflection 1.3

The only real way that teaching will sustain me is if I look at it from the perspective that I teach because I enjoy sharing knowledge. I understand that I also would love to make a big impact on children’s lives, but reality says that I may not impact a single child into adopting what I believe to be great life lessons. Therefore, if I wish to be an ongoing figure in education I must teach simply for the joy of teaching and sharing of knowledge.

Reflection 1.2

I would like to teach so that I can help students better explore our world. So many students are swept away through school and on into the working world without taking advantage of their own identities and knowledge. I have seen my people ‘waste’ a free education in our public schools without reaching their own great potentials. If this is because of social or economic boundaries, then as a teach I would aspire to break students understanding of these and help invite them into a world where their potentials are endless.
I guess, lastly, that I want to teach so that I can share my own interests with others. In Biology, there are so many wonders that can be viewed from a car window or as you walk to class. Knowledge of our environment helps an individual better appreciate this beauty, and I can live a full happy life dedicated to educating students on our life sciences.

Reflection 1.1

My personal fantastic teacher persona requires me to be first and foremost, a caring, trustworthy person. Without trust, my students would find me inaccessible and a fantastic teacher is an individual who is accessible. I as a fantastic teacher would also hold my students accountable. Many students today lack a mentor who has enough weight in their lives to hold them accountable. This goes back to being an accessible educator.