Classroom Arrangement

The classroom that I did my observations in was a science classroom, the teachers' table was in front of the class and six desks in lines of two in front of it. There were lab tables on the back of the room and two on the sides, which made it easier to manage students' behavior during labs by spreading the students apart among the six tables. Several storage cabinets were mounted on the back wall of the room, which served to store the many materials that are utilized in a science classroom. There weren't computers in the room for student use, only that of the teacher. However, teacher used the elmo to show students videos and lessons on the computer. There were different posters and diagrams of science concepts on the wall that promoted learning. For instance, the periodic table was on the wall which helped students during the lesson of elements and atoms. Therefore, I believe that the arrangement of this classroom was effective because students were able to see the teacher and the board without a problem and were engaged during the lesson and lab.

Mentor Teacher

The mentor teacher that I observed is a science teacher at a middle school here in the Rio Grande Valley. She has 28 years of experience and usually teaches sixth or seventh grade. The reason that she became a science teacher was because she loved working on experiments and the process of it. Since she was in grade school, she was introduced to experiments and she realized she really liked working on them. She felt that the most rewarding aspect of teaching was to have your students know that you cared for them and want them to succeed. There are students that don't receive alot of attention at home and feel that nobody cares about their progress in school, thus having them know that you are there for them and care about them means a great deal to students. The most challenging aspect of teaching for her was the management of a big class with students from different grade levels. For instance, during summer school students from different grade levels are all in one class, making it difficult to maintain students focused on the lesson. Some of the older students are more talkative and have side conversations, while some younger students feel uncomfortable or that they will be judged if they say something by the older students. The advice that she gave me, was to make sure my students always knew that I cared about them and that I was there to help them succeed.

School

My field observation took place in a middle school here in the Rio Grande Valley. The climate of the school was warm and friendly, as I walked through the halls students and teachers smiled so you definitely felt welcomed. Staff and administration were very attentive and always monitoring students. During breakfast, the students were all sitting in the cafeteria eating and they were all laughing and having conversations, meaning that they felt comfortable in their environment, which in turn promotes learning. They all wore their uniforms from their respective schools, showing their school spirit. Most students also wore different t-shirts of extracurricular activities and clubs from their schools. Also, in the cafeteria they had flags from all different colleges and universities, which showed that they were definitely promoting students to further their education. I noticed that alot of students continued to look at the flags even if they had already seen them before because they would catch their attention. By them continuing to see these flags everyday, they become motivated to do good because by now they probably have a favorite college or university that they would like to attend. There was a group of students that would attend a type of sports camp that was being offered in the school gym, they would all eat lunch with the students attending academic summer school. Also, I saw a couple of students wearing cheerleading practice clothes, which meant that they would practice there at school too. All in all, the school was a great environment that promotes learning.