Observations

1. By: Danica Green Observations

2. Introduction • Over the course of a few months, I was given the opportunity to observe the life inside a 1st grade classroom. • . I currently am an afterschool counselor and I work with 2nd grade, in which the students I work with now are the students I worked with last year as well while they were in the 1st grade. Completing these observations allowed me for a moment to view what it was really like to work in a 1st grade setting, in a teachers perspective rather than a student. • I completed my observation hours at P.S. 102 and I worked with a teacher named Ms. Moore.

3. Classroom Setup • The classroom had just about 23-25 students, some in which, while I observed were absent. When I came into the classroom for the first time, the children all looked at me with a state of confusion, wondering who I was.

4. Diversity • Inside the classroom, there was a lot of diversity. There were children from the Philippines, China, India, and the list goes on. • Two students in which one of them was from China and one from the Philippines that did not speak any English. The teacher created a setting where each child was helped by the student to help translate what the teacher was saying and in turn, the student would help translate to the teacher what the student was saying • It was difficult for the two students to complete writing and English assignments because not only were unable to speak English, they could not write it either. Nevertheless, the two students did exceptional work when it came to math. • . I asked my cooperating teacher if the school would move them up and the teacher said that in most cases they move them to the 2nd grade. Ms. Moore felt that it was unfair to the other students and the students themselves that they move on to the 2nd grade with the little knowledge that they had in the English language

5. Interaction • Overall, the way the children got along inside the classroom, considering the diversity was interesting. I witnessed very little disputes amongst the students. The children enjoyed, for the most part, working together, sharing, and making everyone feel included when it came to either playtime or classroom assignments. The way the teacher had the classroom and students set up displayed a great amount of organization and it allowed students to learn and teach themselves how to work with others and how to share. For example, each table group had a “leader” or “table monitor” which kept their own table organized and in order. Each person at the table had a job to fulfill to make it easier and organized when jobs were assigned to the students.

6. Technology • Technology inside the classroom was very limited. Due to the children being so young, they rarely used computers or anything of technology for that matter. • She did things the “old fashioned” way. The closest thing to technology that the teacher used was a projector, and even then, she did not really use it. • The one time the students used laptops was when completing their “All About” assignment. This assignment consisted of the students picking out their favorite animals and writing all about them. The laptops came into play because the students typed their “all about” in a PowerPoint.

7. Behavior • Misbehavior inside the classroom was very limited. The teacher’s method to children who misbehaved was they had to “turn their card”. • This consisted of each student possessing a card with three colors, green, blue, and red. Red was the color that all the children wanted to avoid, because if their card was turned on red that would result in a severe punishment. Some of the punishments included, going to the principal’s office, a letter sent home, no playtime and the list goes on. • . For students who had exceptional behavior, received a “token”. If a student received ten tokens, he or she would receive a prize of their choice. This motivated the students to be on their best behavior because he or she wanted to either receive a prize or not get into trouble.

8. Conclusion • Overall, my experience as an observer for the first time was very interesting. I was able to view that various styles of teaching inside one classroom with one teacher. • I felt that Ms. Moore was a very nice and compassionate teacher, two qualities I feel a 1st grade teacher must possess. • She was giving and understanding of the students needs, wants, and tried her best to fulfill them. She contained a great amount of control inside her classroom, which resulted in the students for the most part, always on their best behavior.