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FIELD OBSERVATION REPORT

Field Observation Report Glen C. Taylor Elementary School

Olivia M. Norman

CSN EDU 203

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Field Observation Report Glen C. Taylor Elementary School

I was already at Glen Taylor volunteering in my daughters classroom when I learned

which class I would be observing. I wanted to see where the Severely Learning Disabled (SLD)

room was located within the school so that I could familiarize myself. I noticed that the teacher

was not in the middle of instruction and the students were occupied so I decided to introduce

myself. When I entered the room, the teacher, Ms. Panos looked up and asked who are you and

what do you want?. This was not the warm reception that I was expecting, so I spent the whole

week dreading going back. Once I spent some time in her classroom, I found that she was

actually quite kind and patient, but did not mince words and was extremely direct in everything

that she says. By the time I was finished with my observations, I concluded that her direct

approach was probably due in part to the nature of her job. As a special education teacher, she

cannot joke or be vague. She states her intentions for the class as a whole and each individual

constantly. Each child seems to know what is expected of them regardless of the lack of

classroom rules being posted. Each student did have a behavior chart on their desk and some had

canisters of tokens (this will be discussed in greater detail later).

The set-up of the room was unique compared to other rooms that I have observed. The

majority of the desks were clustered together in the center of the room creating a sense of

community and leaving walkways/aisles around the room. There were 2 group tables for

instruction and computers along the borders of the room open. (see diagram on last page)

Backpacks were hanging at the front of the classroom and nothing was left on the floor. While

the room was tidy, the walls were cluttered. There were posters of educational material posted on

all open wall spaces. I noticed that there were varying levels of material posted indicating a wide

gap in grade level ability of the students.

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It was more difficult than I expected to determine the demographics of the class due to

the continuous movement of the students in and out of the class as they went to specialists. To

the best of my ability, I determined there to be 5 white students, 3 Hispanics, 3 Africans

Americans, and 2 others. There were 8 males and 5 females. Contrary to our textbook indicating

there is a disproportionate amount of ELL students in special education, there were none in this

class. The most surprising statistic that the teacher informed me of was that there were three

lawsuit transfers. These are students that were new to her classroom this year because their

families had sued the previous teacher, school, or administrators and as part of the settlement

they were transferred to another school. This was the first time that she had so many at one time.

This is only pertinent in that it creates more paperwork in addition to the exorbitant amount that

she already has.

As I mentioned, the walls were covered in material; most interestingly though, was that

two entire white boards were covered in schedules. There was a general schedule for the class,

but each student who went to resource specialists also had a schedule. About every 15 minutes, a

student was leaving or returning and approximately half of them needed to be escorted during

transition. Between all the different types of therapist working with students individually, several

of the students spent very little time in the SLD classroom.

While in the main classroom, students are instructed as a whole and in small groups.

Most of the day is spent in groups of 3-5 students; one group with the teacher, one with the

classroom aide, and the remaining students working on computers with programs such as Lexia

or Accelerated Reader. During whole-class instruction, fewer students were engaged in the lesson

than when in small groups. Ms. Panos directly interacted with boys only slightly more than with

girls (5:4 average), but it was typically in a different manner. The boys tended to need
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redirecting: stop getting out of your seat, please look forward, its not your turn, we dont

step on our friends. Girls were more often on task and therefore had different encounters with

the teacher: will you please help ___? or can you answer this one?. Some of the boys were

very good at staying on task and following directions, but for the most part those students were

in a general education classroom or with therapist the majority of the time and only came to the

SLD room for part of the day. There were several boys in the room the entire day with behavior

disorders. I noticed that these were the same students that had the behavior canisters on their

desk so I asked for more information on her behavior policy. She actually allowed one of the

students to answer me which I really admired. Ms. Panos involves them so much in taking

responsibility for their actions. The boy explained that after each lesson, the teachers fill in a

box on our chart: dots are bad and stars are good. Last year, my chart had to be on Panoss desk

because I tore it up all the time, but this year I get mostly stars. If they get enough stars by

Friday, then they get to draw a ticket which offers free time, homework passes, or prizes. The

kids with canisters get tokens every time they do something good. When it reaches the top,

they get to pull a ticket. Ms. Panos explained that the students with behavior issues needed

multiple ways to promote positive behavior. They need to know that if they miss out on one (too

many dots on their chart) they still have a chance to earn rewards; otherwise, they give up and

act out. There were 3 boys that acted out and needed re-direction more than any of the others and

they happen to also be the students whose desks were separated from the group.

James sat at the table where Ms. Panos led groups. He was mentally retarded as she

described him and only has the mentality and maturity of a 3-year-old. I was taken aback by her

wording as I have been hearing for a very long time that this term is not really acceptable

anymore. She did not say it in a malicious way and was merely trying to explain his abilities, but
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it did catch me off guard. James did act similar to my own children when they were 3: easily

distracted, speaking in short sentences with few words, and crying easily especially if he did not

get his way. He sat near the teacher because he needed to be reminded frequently of what he was

supposed to be doing.

Greg was actually seated at the group of tables and moved his own desk one day. Ms.

Panos moved it back that evening, but the next day, he moved it away again so she left it. He

exhibits very defiant behaviors and this was not a battle that she needed to win. If she asks the

class to sit, he stands. She rings a bell during transitions so the students know to line up; he

walks to the back of the class instead. His desk being connected to the others was not a necessity,

so she allowed him to remain seperated.

Pete needs to be separated from his peers because he tries to injure them. He repeatedly

tries to step on their feet. When entering the class, the children line up outside and go in three at

a time so there is not congestion at the backpack area. Pete always needs to go in first because

if he remains in line for too long he tries to step on the other students which causes commotion

as they run to get away from him. If they walk too close to his desk, he will get up from his seat

and chase them down to step on them. Despite his constant attacks, the children were all

surprisingly still very kind to him and continued to try to include him. Ms. Panos had sent home

a note in his agenda, a communication calendar between parents and teachers, every day for two

weeks but his parents never responded until she said that the next step would be a citation. They

thought this behavior was out of character and must have been provoked, however Ms. Panos, 2

aides, and myself all noticed that he went out of his way to step on them.

In contrast to the behavior of these boys, I observed the most helpful and kind girl I have

ever met. Katie was the model 4th grade student. She was on task 100% of the time. When the
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teacher was speaking, she was attentively listening. She raised her hand to answer questions

instead of shouting out the answers. During reading time, she had a book out and was seen with

brows furrowed as she tried her hardest to read the words. When another student needed help,

she was the first to step in. She was called upon several times throughout the day to assist with

other students, not only because she is always willing to help, but because she has such a

calming effect on the other children. I watched as she was able to get James to stop crying

when he was inconsolable by any of us adults. Greg will follow her lead even though he will

not follow directions for anyone else. Even Pete will refrain from stepping on her. In fact, she

was the only student that I did not seem him attempt to step on. Academically, she is far behind

grade level though. While she is able to answer questions somewhat easily in class, the material

is designed for students several grade levels lower. In fact, many of the concepts that she has

mastered are ones that I am currently showing to my kindergartener at home.

I was able to observe all of these students in two different specials classes. It was very

interesting to see how the different teachers dealt with classroom management of all students and

how they incorporated the children with disabilities. The first was science and she placed the

SLD classroom students at their own table in the back of the room while the general education

students filled the rest of the room. The class as a whole was loud and disorderly. The most

surprising aspect was that she made whispered comments to myself and the aides about the SLD

students being difficult to manage in such a large class. However, I did not find them to be any

louder or disruptive than the rest of the students; in fact, at most times they were better behaved

than the general education students. The next time I went to the school, I was able to observe Ms.

Panos students in music. The music teacher had the SLD students mixed throughout the other

students. They were not singled out in any way. As the children became loud or off task, he
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immediately moved on to a new activity. While one would expect a music class to be loud and

somewhat disorderly, the teacher was able to keep everyone interested and involved. I feel that

he demonstrated the ideal of how a classroom should be run.

The music teachers classroom management and professionalism did not seem to be the

standard of the school. Perhaps it was because I visited on Fridays, but the school as a whole

seemed very casual. Most teachers were in jeans and several were in flip flops. The school

grounds were well manicured and kept, but the students seemed rather unruly. The students were

never in a lines and were talking in the halls during every transition. During the morning pledge

and moment of silence, maybe half of the students were paying attention. It was easy to see

where they learned this behavior as teachers would talk during the pledge as well and would

shout down the halls to each other. The teachers also seemed to be very gossipy no matter who

was around at the time. There were posters all around campus for the Titan 10, a list of positive

character traits expected of students, but I did not notice any of them being enforced. It should be

noted this was not the behavior I observed from Ms. Panos; in fact, she almost seemed isolated

from the comradery of the other teachers.

On the opposite end of the academic spectrum, I observed a GATE lesson. While Ms.

Panos spends most of her time redirecting and focusing her students, the GATE teacher gave her

class a lot of freedom. She spent about 5 minutes explaining the lesson, then handed out packets

of material, and the students paired themselves into groups to work on their project. They were

given toothpicks and candy pumpkins to construct towers. They worked well with their partners

to draw a design, build it, measure and record the height, and then make adjustments in order to

make it taller and sturdier. The GATE teacher did not seem to even need classroom management;

the students just did what they were supposed to do.

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Before I left on the last day, Ms. Panos was willing to give up much of her time to discuss

the ins and outs of her position. She admitted that it was never her intention to go into the field

of special education. She applied to the Alternative Route to Licensure program at the University

of Nevada, Las Vegas. The program was full so they automatically transferred her application to

the Masters Program in special education. When she got the call that she had been accepted, she

decided it must have been fated for her. While she enjoys working with the children, she feels

that it should be a 2-person job. The amount of paperwork involved could really occupy a full

time position. She showed me all of the charts and list that she has to keep track of for each

student and each subject. It takes an extremely organized person to keep it all straight. Her next

step educationally is to get her Speech Endorsement to become a specialist. This would allow her

to continue the seeing the benefits of student growth and the impact she can have on their lives.

While all teachers are responsible for imputing grades, she still has to hand write records. The

new computer system is set up in such a way that she is not able to enter grades in the computer

because all of her students receive a grade of W, meaning working below grade level. She

still reports to parents every quarter, just as the general education teachers do. Beyond standard

report cards though, she also has to note behavior, social skills, and maturity. With all of the

paperwork, she does not feel that she has adequate time to prepare lessons. Ms. Panos also

mentioned that while she is provided adequate funds for specialized material, she is not provided

with basic curriculum material the way general education teachers are. She also feels that the

staff is supportive, but because she is the only one licensed as a special education teacher there is

too much paperwork that only she can do legally. I knew prior to going into the classroom that

IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) were a large part of the job, but I did not realize how

many other meetings were required. Between all her 15 students, she averages 2 meeting per
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week with parents or specialists. These all need to be done before school, as her class is not able

to be left without her. This was another area where her field differs from the rest of the teachers.

Her students cannot walk from the lunch room or bus unattended so she is on duty every

morning to get her class.

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I attempted to gain access to the principal or assistant principal for an interview, but was

not able to do so. I stayed in contact with the office manager, but was told they had not gotten

back to her to schedule anything. Below are the questions I was hoping to ask.

1. Where does funding come from for assistive devices or accommodations for children

with disabilities come from? Do you feel it is an adequate amount?

2. What are your thoughts on the new redistricting that will happen next year? How do

you decide which teachers and parents will be on your board?

3. How is it determined which teachers get an aide? Ms. Panos mentioned that the 2nd

aide in her room is a floater and could be pulled from her class. What exactly does

floater mean, and who determines if she gets placed at a different school?
4. I noticed that some classrooms have smart boards and many do not. Is that due to

budgeting or necessity? How do you determine which teachers get which

technologies? Do they request it?

5. I was surprised at how often the students in the SLD room are working with others

(not gen ed). How many specialists are there at Glen Taylor? Is that average for most

schools?
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While I was disappointed that I was not able to meet with an administrator, I was thrilled

that Ms. Panos was able to gain permission from a parent for me to observe an IEP meeting. It

started a little later than expected because they had to make sure every person required was

present. Before anything was talked about, Ms. Panos handed the mother a 21 page packet of her

rights which included the right to prior notice and removing their child from the special

education program. Before moving on, the mother had to agree that she had read the rights (was

given a copy the prior week) and understood them. The first section of the IEP was just verifying

the familys address and home information. Then Ms. Panos and the Speech Therapist each took

a turn stating what was in the prior years IEP and where the student was preforming in relation

to that IEP. Ms Panos always started the conversation with the positives about the student before

mentioning the negatives. It was clear that she and the parent had a positive relationship and

seemed to be in line with their view and expectations of the student. I found it quite interesting

that when the mother was mentioning issues in behavior, all of us parents were shaking our

heads. The assistant principal said yes, that is something all of us parents struggle with. There

was a real sense of community within the room and I felt that this helped the meeting run

smoothly. They each stated their goals for the student and agreed on standards that they would

like to see met. They briefly went over the list of accommodations including transportation and

medical aid from the nurse for 30 minutes/week. It was apparent that Ms. Panos had spoken to

the mother ahead of time as they were in agreeance already on all aspects. I would imagine that

not all parents and meeting are this agreeable.

The aspect that I found most peculiar was the presence of a general education teacher. I

understand from the textbook that I read for my class that legally she was required to be there. I

understand the reasoning behind it if the student will at some point enter a general education
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classroom. However, this particular student will not be going into a general education class. The

parents and teachers all agreed that it would not be an appropriate setting for the student. The

general education teacher did not say anything during the whole meeting after hello. It is easy

to see how this could be a source of frustration for teachers who are asked to attend an IEP

meeting for a student that they have never even met.

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