In Everett School, there is not much diversity. Students learn about other cultures in their classes, but the truth is that there is not very much diversity in the school. In the two kindergarten classes that I have been observing, all but four children are white.
In Mrs. Simala’s classroom, the children are encouraged to work with each other frequently. The students are often working in different groups depending on which subject they are involved in. This is of course late in the year, but the children are very good at staying on task in the classroom. The students are young so it takes a little prying on the teacher’s part, but the more advanced students have shown the ability to help the students who may be struggling.
Both the morning and afternoon sessions have children with special needs. In both classes there is one student with extreme needs. They both have an aid that shadows them throughout the entire day. This aid is able to help with the other students when it is needed. In the morning class, there are a lot of students who are behind in a lot of the subjects. Those students have already started getting extra help during class and some have even started sessions after school. Mrs. Simala stated to me that it is unusual for students to have an IEP so early in their school career and she has multiple students who will be receiving them. I guess people try to wait and see if the student will get the concepts with time, but these particular students will fall too far behind if action is not taken.
Mrs. Simala works with a lot of the faculty everyday. As stated earlier there is a teacher’s assistant in both classes. Also, reading specialists come into the classroom two or three days of the week and work in small groups with the children. Mrs. Simala prepares the children for their sessions with the reading specialists with the knowledge of what they will be learning. This collaboration between the faculty occurs mostly at meetings.
Families are very involved at Everett School. Parents are frequently involved in the classroom, often assisting Mrs. Simala in small group lessons. This is a great benefit of working in a community like Lake Forest where you actually have the luxury of parents who are willing and able to help.
In a recent discussion with Mrs. Simala about her students with special needs, she showed me some charts which tracked students’ progress. These charts showed students scores on reading tests. In these tests, the students are shown words and their assignment is to read them out loud. The chart that I was shown displayed the individual students’ score along with the range and average scores of the rest of the class. There were scores from the beginning of the year and from their more recent assessments. She also showed me some charts marking the improvement of her past students. She did this to display to parents the benefits of students receiving extra help. Apparently there have been a lot of parents who do not want any extra help for their children. Mrs. Simala wanted to track the improvement of those who did and did not receive extra assistance so parents could see the benefits.
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Very good job, Brett. You are very thorough in your work and you answer all the questions well. I like how you seem to have a lot of conversations with Mrs. Simala so you can truly find out what she thinks about teaching and her students' psychology of learning. I also like how she showed you the charts which track students' progress. This is important knowledge for you to have so you can observe why the children learn and behave the way that they do. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteBrett, I also liked the way your writing sounded in your journal. You have a nice flow with your words. I thought it was great how your teacher took the time to make charts to show the parents the progress of her students. She felt passionate about the issue and wanted them to see that they were making progress. Sometimes people are too stubborn to admit that their child might have a problem. You are right, the key is early intervention. If they wait too long, it will be very difficult to help them later. I also thought it was great how the parents of the school really help out in the classrooms. I love that! Parents who help out in the classrooms are not only helping the teacher, but they are showing support for their own child.
ReplyDeleteBrett - This is a better journal as you followed the format. It is usaly easier to state each question and then put a direct response. You are right about the Lake Forest School. You will see how different this is from other people. You might want to read Jill's journal which is the complete opposite from a cultural diversity perspective. You have observed many good ideas and are taking the time to reflect on them. Please remember to integrate the book a bit.
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