Blog Entry #3

• What modifications for learners who are exceptional do you see?

           They have homework, in-class assignments, and tests that are modified and adapted for them. For kids who are a little bit behind, the teacher can make the assignments shorter. They can also make questions a little bit easier, but have the questions about the same subject for all students. For students who are on the other end of the scale, a little bit ahead of everyone else, the same can be done. Teachers can make questions a little harder, tests a little longer. I've also seen teachers send students who have finished their assignment around to help those that need help.

• What results of laws like IDEA do you see in the school?

           I think it's so good for students, not even educationally, but as a whole. I've seen students helping other students with disabilities in class. And they're so happy to do so. Kids are learning so many valuable lessons- kindness, patience, leadership. There is a lot more integration when it is appropriate and best for students. Kids feel a lot more included and a part of a whole when they can participate in a regular classroom. 

• What strategies does the teacher use to support students who are English learners?

           I've noticed a lot of different things! A teacher paired one little Hispanic boy with another boy who's first language was English. He would help him with vocabulary and make sure he understood what was going on. They were little buddies and it really worked well for this boy. They will pull students aside to make sure they understand, work one on one with them, have adult tutors come in. I was sitting in on first grade helping a different Hispanic boy one time and while the kids were spelling their colors, I would tell this boy a color and he would have to pick that crayon up and color in a square. So teachers modify assignments for English Learners, too.

Blog Entry #2

• Tell about an opportunity you had to work with a small group.

           I worked with a group of kids who have minor reading disabilities. We went into a room in the back of the class that had a door so we could have some privacy. We had the kids take turns reading paragraphs and highlighting information they thought would be important. Then when we finished the article, there were questions on the back for them to answer, just to test their reading comprehension. It was good for keeping the focus on just those kids, they participated a lot more than when they were in the whole class. It was easier to let them know they were doing a good job and it boosted their confidence.

• Tell about an opportunity you had to work one on one with a student.

          I got to pull a few students aside for one on one work. It was in a class of first graders, and we were testing their sentences that they had learned the week before. I had to read them the words and they would write them down. I couldn't give them any hints or help, it was specifically a test to see how much they had learned. So it wasn't really like I was helping them, I was just reading them stuff and they would write it down.

• What other responsibilities does your classroom teacher have?

           They're constantly doing something. They're making lesson plans, schedule parent meetings, going over students progress. They've had to meet with the principal or other teachers on lunch break, after school, and before school. Also, whenever there is a student with special needs in their class, they have to attend IEP meetings and put in that extra work to make sure they are prepared to care for and teach that student. Even when they're home they still have homework to grade and lessons to prepare for. They are always trying to keep things clean and organized to better the learning environment of their classroom.

• In what ways is the school in which you are serving similar to or different from schools in the earlier periods of history in the United States?

           Well the school I am observing at, Sunset View elementary, has Hispanic students as the majority. As I sit and watch what goes on with the kids, different interactions and such, I can tell that there are some cliques and posses. I remember seeing 4 little Hispanic girls that were kind of telling a little white girl that she couldn't hang out with them. It reminds me a lot of that picture of the two girls, one white one black, in class. I think it's unavoidable with kids, that they notice difference in skin color and say something. Kids are honest and blunt. So just like earlier schools, they're is going to be some inclusion issues because of differences. But unlike schools so many years ago, there is a ton less racism. As a culture we have changed our view on different races, and kids are a part of that. I'm glad kids in school are more accepting