ELE300- Journal #1

I was able to start my observations this week at Everett Elementary in Lake Forest, Illinois. I have been placed in a Kindergarten class. There are two half-day sessions, but I only observed the second half on Thursday. I will be observing both classes on Wednesdays in the future.

When I walked into the classroom, it was the first time I met my cooperating teacher Lyndsey Simala. The first thing she said was, "Oh I am sorry it is such a mess in here. Organization is not my strong suit." But it was not exactly messy in the classroom. Actually, it was very well organized in the classroom. I truly saw this when the children came into the room. They all had organized cubbies to put their clothes in. The students also knew to head to their assigned desks and grab their work out of their pouches on their chairs. When it was time to do group work, all of the students knew where they should sit and with whom they should be sitting.

The students were very aware of where all their resources may be. They had a great sense of belonging in Mrs. Simala's classroom. What I saw on Thursday was probably a result of the students being in the classroom for five months at that point. I'm sure with Kindergartners it is hard for them to become acclimated to their new setting. That is why it is probably most important to have routines for the students to become comfortable.

I think part of the reason that the students are so comfortable in Mrs. Simala's classroom is because of her tone with the children. She has a very calm tone that lets the kids know that she is here to help them. She has rituals that allow her to maintain her calm demeanor. When it is time to switch stations, Mrs. Simala will announce that there is one minute left of a certain activity. She will then turn the timer on, and when the buzzer goes off all of the students switch stations. She will also do the routine of, "If you can hear me clap your hands." This way, the students on the other side of the room will notice the other children clapping and they will turn and listen.

I noticed many things around the classroom that were mentioned in our text. There were words all around the classroom that have been used in different lessons from the year. This was called the word wall. Also, the students names on located on their desks, and their cubbies which gives them a sense of belonging and community. They have displays from all of the different lessons they have learned, and they also have a mini library full of books that relate to their current curriculum.