Emilys Blog Number 3

As a classroom helper I have been observing what goes on as well as helping the students with their work. For thanksgiving, they made little turkeys and putting them together was the hardest part because they had to follow directions. They colored the turkeys what ever color they wanted to and coloring is a hard skill for kindergartners to learn. At the end of the day the children were so excited to have their finished turkeys to take home to their parents.
I have only seen a few parents coming in the classroom at the end of the school day and it was mainly for behavior problems. In the class there is a star board and from what I understand each student has four stars to start out with each day. The teacher pulls stars when the student is not following directions, behaving inappropriately, not paying attention, etc. etc. The students get very very upset when their star is pulled because when all four are gone then their parents gets a phone call. They have to come in after school is over and meet with the teacher and their child and explain what went on that day and why they do not have any stars. My classroom teacher gave myself and two other girls who come into the classroom with me permission to take away their stars if we need to. The students try to act like we are not as powerful as the teacher and she wanted to give us some authority to make sure the students are respecting us and doing as we say.
This system seems to be a good one that I would like to use in my classroom someday because I feel that it is important for parents to be involved in their child's behavior problems and try to correct that at home as well as learn to discuss with their child why they did what they did. When your are a teacher you are like another parent who is actively involved in their lives and it is important for everyone to be on the same page. I know that it is going to be extremely hard to get every parent involved in their child's schooling because some do not care as much as others. The students want to make their parents proud.
Skills in school that seem basic like coloring as I mentioned before and even using a pair of scissors is a hard task for the students. It is important that the parents at home take time with their children to practice these skills. There is one little boy in the class and he colors so well I thought it was the teachers example being passed around the class. Other students take hours to color one thing and I am not exaggerating. One boy takes so long that he has to finish it the next day. It is the teachers responsibility as well as the parents responsibility to help the child master these skills. The only problem is some parents do not have the time or do not care.
In my classroom they have red folders that they take home for reading with their parents. The children pick a book that they want their parents to read to them and bring it back when they are told. This is a good way to get the parents involved because some may never have read to their child before or some may not even own a book. I think the parents need to understand that their child's education is not all up to the teacher but includes their participation as well. As a soon to be teacher I think it is going to be hard dealing with parents who could careless but I must be persistent and keep trying. If the parent does not want to be apart of it all then I as a teacher may keep the student after school to practice the basic skills kindergartners need to be successful in their schooling to come.

Blog Number 2

I have been going into the classroom now for awhile now and it is such a pleasure being able to work with the kids and see how they learn. I observe the classroom, help out the kids and engage in "teacher like" conversations with them to see if they are understanding the lesson. The children really respect my presence and like having me in the classroom.
My classroom is one of the most racially diverse rooms that I have ever seen. There are about three white students, six black students, eight hispanic students, an asian student and a couple students that are a mix of cultures. When I looked on Infoworks it said that my school consisted of 23 percent White, 19 percent African American, 55 percent Hispanic, 2 percent Asian, and 1 percent Native American. Their information kind of matches up with what I have observed except there seems to be less White students and more African American.
All of the students can speak English and I know that many can also speak a different language just by their accents. On Infoworks it states that 25 percent of their students are bilingual yet there is no ESL program in their school. I have noticed that when I ask a question to a student that speaks more then one language they seem to have a harder time understanding it and answering it. I have to repeat myself a few times and be patient. I think it is very hard for the students who speak more then one language because sometimes they can't find the right words to say and usually get confused. I have seen the kids struggle especially when their teacher gives them directions in class and on assignments.
There was one quiz they had to do that had them circle an object relating to its placement. For example, which picture shows the bee on the left side of the flower or which picture shows the teddy bear on the table? This is hard for the kids in general because they do not know their left from right yet or do not have a developed sense of direction and placement. It makes things ten times harder when you do not understand the language that is being thrown at you. Simple words like left, right, on, over, up, down, under, beside, etc. etc. are not easy words for students speaking another language. This example shows how testing students this way is not always the best idea and does not give a chance to students who are struggling with the language.
I think the whole idea of having a diverse classroom is a great idea because everyone can learn from each other and understand each other more. These students in my classroom are going to be better off in society because there used to being around people who are different from them. It is amazing how well they all work together and how the students love to help one another.