My first day of observation!

I think the best part of today was the fact that going in to BJHS I wasn't nervous at all. It makes me feel good that I can walk into a classroom with a healthy amount of confidence, but also a general attitude of respect and desire to learn from the teacher and the students alike.

When I walked into the classroom, the students were busy at work at their desks, reviewing with Ms. H about an upcoming grammar test. One of the first things I noted was that the desks were set up in rows, with a circular back table of four students. The classroom is relatively large with a line of windows along the back wall to let in plenty of light. Ms. H had tables sectioning off her desk area, presumably to establish her personal space in the classroom.

I noticed that there were a few students seated near the front of the classroom that were talking while Ms. H was talking, and being a bit disruptive to the rest of the class. These were the kids I was asked to help during their time to work on their own. Some of them were more receptive to my assistance than others. I think I need to work with them further so they can become more comfortable with me and come to trust that I really am there to help.

In the next class, I noticed that the general tone of the room was more focused. More of the students in the second class were attentive and participating actively. This may have been because the second group had just finished their lunch, while the first group had not eaten yet.

I worked with one student, A, in the second class, that was doing work that was below the level of the rest of the class. Ms. H explained that she would be better suited to be in Special Ed level classes, but she did not qualify by state standards and couldn't be moved down. I worked with A on a set of vocabulary words from a different spelling book, helped her come up with simple definitions, and alphabatize the words. I noticed that she had a lot of trouble focusing on what was going on in class, and was easily distracted by things on her desk and the children around her.

I am really looking forward to going back next week to work with a new group of students, though I wish I would have been able to schedule more than one day a week worth of observation. Hopefully once I get my focal student I will be able to find some time to shadow that student in other classes. I feel like there is definitely a need for helpers in Ms. H's classroom, because it seems that a lot of the students in her classroom could use help getting organized and staying that way. I am ready to be a presence in that classroom, as much as Ms. H deems appropriate.