Introduction

General School Information

The school where I completed my diversity project was Independence Middle School,

located in Independence, Kansas. I worked with two English/Reading teachers, Mrs.

Brenda White and Mrs. Kylie Booth. Mrs. White has been teaching for ten years and Mrs.

Booth for four years. I worked with one student throughout the length of my project.

Building Report Card

Independence, Kansas a small, rural community in Montgomery County in

southeast Kansas. Independence is generally considered to be an agricultural

community, but does have some blue collar industries. It has a population of about

9,300 people. Independence Middle School (IMS) has an enrollment of 412 students for

the 2013-14 school year. Of these students, 62.38 percent of these students are

considered economically disadvantaged. Economic disadvantage is determined by the

percentage of students receiving free and/or reduced lunches. The districts percentage

of economically disadvantaged students is 67.92. This rate of economic disadvantage is

above the state average, as the Kansas State Department of Education reports that one

out of every two students in Kansas is living in poverty. This high rate of economic

disadvantage could be linked to the number of families trying to survive in a drought

plagued, agricultural climate. Additionally, the Kansas Department of Labor reports a

5.8 percent rate of unemployment for Montgomery County. Moreover, the counties in

southeast Kansas have some of the highest tax rates in the state, making it difficult for

families to make ends meet. The majority of jobs in this community are blue collar and
factory based. The uncertain job market, the lack of high paying jobs and the high cost

of living in the area have created a student population that exists in poverty.

The ethnic makeup of IMS is as follows: 78.4 percent of students are Caucasian;

6.55 percent of students are African-Americans; 5.83 percent of students are Hispanic;

and, 9.22 percent of students have identified themselves as other. This seems to be

reflective of the community at large, as the demographic rates for the county are: 85.2

percent of people are Caucasian; 5.7 percent of people are African-American; 6.1

percent of people are Hispanic; and, 9.1 percent identify themselves as other.

An important factor in determining student success is their performance on state

assessments. I am particularly interested in the results in the area of science, because

that is the area of study that interests me the most. In 2012, the percentage of students

that met or were above academic standards was 92.9 percent. In 2013, that number

dropped to 81.08 percent. I imagine that the reason for the significant drop in these

numbers was due to the introduction of the common core curriculum. While the district

may have changed their instruction to meet the demands of the curriculum, the state

assessments were still testing the old standards.

Since this diversity project was designed to examine at the learning needs of

unique populations, I determined that I needed to report the performance of these

unique populations on the state assessments. These percentages with disabilities

performed compared to the building as a whole. The percentage of students with

disabilities who met or exceeded standards in 2012 was 78.9 percent. In 2013 that
number dropped to 49.9 percent. That is a significant drop in numbers between years

and I surmise that the cause for the drop is for the same reason as earlier.

Since I lived in Manhattan, KS for several years, I was curious to see how the

numbers from a Middle School in that region compared to this region of Kansas. I chose

to look at Fort Riley Middle School (FRMS) which is located on the Army base Fort Riley.

This school has a total of 63.76 percent of students with a designation of economically

disadvantaged. This schools ethnic make-up is as follows: 49.92 percent of students are

Caucasian, 20.06 percent of students are African-American, 19.44 percent of students

are Hispanic, 10.58 percent of students are identified as other. I believe that the reason

for the different ethnic make-up of the school is because this school is located on an

Army base. Army bases have families from all over the country. It would make sense

that ethnic make-up would be more diverse than a district in Southeast Kansas. When I

looked at the science data for this building it was different than I was expecting. In

2012, 90.4 percent of students performed at or above standards. In 2013 number of

students who met or exceeded standards dropped to 79.1 percent. These numbers are

comparable to the numbers at Independence Middle School. Therefore I have to assume

that the reason for the numbers dropping is the same; a new curriculum was developed

in response to the common core. However it should be noted that there is not concrete

data to support these conclusions.

Target Student information

The student that I was assigned to work with throughout this diversity project was a

thirteen year old male student in the 7th grade. He is reported by the teachers to be a

second generation English Language Learner. He is of Hispanic descent which is

evidenced by his name, and the pigmentation of his skin. He would only ever tell me

that his family moved to Independence, but never from where and at what time He was

enrolled in the reading enrichment class to which I was assigned due to parent concerns

regarding his low performance in most subject areas. His teachers report that his first

semester grades were very low overall. The STAR reading test that was given to him

indicated to teachers that he would not be able to score proficient on the state

assessment if he continued to achieve at his current level. A team of IMS administrators,

counselors, teachers and the parents determined that some type of intervention was

necessary in order to change the potential outcomes for this student. Thus, his

enrollment in the reading enrichments class: a class designed to.

Dates and Times of Observation/Participation

February 25, 2014 8:00 - 9:00 am

March 4, 2014 8:00 9:00 am

 March 11, 2014 8:00 9:00 am

March 25, 2014 8:00 9:00 am

April 1, 2014 8:00 9:00 am

April 3, 2014 8:00 9:00 am

April 8, 2014 8:00 9:00 am

April 10, 2014 8:00 9:00 am

April 15, 2014 8:00 9:00 am

April 17, 2014 8:00 9:00 am

Daily Entries

February 25, 2014

Today is my first day in the classroom with my student. I have never met my

teacher or my student before, so I am nervous. When I arrived at IMS, I signed in at the

main office and was shown to the classroom where I would be observing and working.

My cooperating teacher was still in a meeting, so I was able to look around her classroom

at my leisure. Mrs. Whites classroom is fairly large and has lots of windows. This gives

it the feeling of being open and airy. The student desks are arranged into five groups

of four desks each. This allows for plenty of walkway between the desks and around

the room. There are several posters on the wall depicting different types of essays and

literary devices. For me, this was not distracting at all. However, for some students it

might be. The posters are hung up high on the wall or at the back of the classroom,

possibly to minimize distraction. Mrs. White came in after her meeting and I introduced

myself. I could tell right away that she has lots of energy and a positive attitude. The

students came into class when the bell rang and were immediately aware of my

presence. Im sure this was because I was new and unfamiliar, and they were curious.

None of the students spoke to me and I chose not to speak to them because I wasnt

sure what the protocol was. Additionally, I was just plain nervous. Looking back, I know

that I need to be more assertive and confident when the opportunity to interact with

students presents itself.

The class began with morning announcements over the schools loudspeaker. Im

not sure what I was expecting, but I was completely thrown off when the students

recited the Pledge of Allegiance after the announcements. I didnt realize that this was

still the status quo and it had been years since I have recited this pledge. To be honest,

it actually freaked me out a little bit since I wasnt sure I remembered the words.
 Mrs. White told her students that today they would be participating in the

Jeopardy game to review literary terms and additional concepts that they had been

studying in class. The students divided themselves up into teams and rearranged

themselves in the classroom. As they began to work their way through the questions, I

noticed how they interacted with each other. A group of girls worked well together and

were constantly discussing what they thought the answer would be. Another two groups

of mixed boys and girls tended to listen to one or two people who seemed to be

knowledgeable about the material. One group of all boys was becoming unruly and

talking out of turn. They did not appear to be trying very hard and seemed to be off

task. My target student was working with this group of boys. Although he was sitting

quietly and never became loud, he was laughing with the other boys in the group. It

appeared to me that he was following along with the group rather than being an

instigator.

I was anxious to see how my cooperating teacher would handle these students

if they continued to behave inappropriately. Finally, one of the students was becoming

too rowdy and loud while the rest of the class was still working. Mrs. White used a

technique that we have discussed in class: proximity control. She placed herself next

to him to monitor him and remind him of classroom expectations. It still allowed her to

provide instruction while gaining control over and redirecting this group of boys.

Initially, this strategy seemed to work, but eventually a boy at the table had to be sent

out in the hallway because he could not settle down and attend to task. This made the

student angry and he spent the remainder of the class period pacing outside of the

classroom. When class ended, I thanked my teacher and then left the building.
 Looking back on this day, I wish I had been introduced to the classroom. It would

have given the students an explanation for my presence in the classroom. I did not take

the initiative to learn any of the students names, except those that were mentioned in

passing. I did identify the student to whom I was and was able to observe his level of

participation and classroom behavior. While I really wasnt very involved in the

classroom experience today, I suppose the observation was a good orientation.

March 4, 2014 B

Today was my second day in my assigned classroom. Once again, I arrived before

the class began. However, today I began to greet the students as they came into the

classroom. I had made the decision after my last session to start interacting with the

students as they entered the room. I greeted my target student and he gave me a hello,

but that was all. He seemed to have problems making eye contact with me. Although

he did not have problems making eye contact with the teacher and his peers. With his

peers although he is quiet, he still laughs at jokes made in the classroom and talks to

some of the other boys. This leads me to believe that he has not had many positive

experiences with adult male figures. Some of the students wanted to talk to me and

asked who I was and where I was going to school. It appeared that they were used to

having classroom observers.

Once everyone was seated, the teacher reviewed the expectations for a project

they had begun prior to my introduction to the classroom. This project was over the

book The Giver and their assignment was to create a brochure or a poster. The specific

instructions were to describe the different ceremonies that children participate in as

they get older, what they receive in each ceremony, and what the significance of each

ceremony was as described in the book. After checking for any questions, Mrs. White

indicated the students should begin to work on their respective projects.

I moved so I was able to sit next to my student and asked him if I could help him

in any way. He indicated that I could help him, so began to ask him some probing

questions in an effort to gauge his understanding of the assignment and of the book. He

had decided to do a brochure and so we began discussing what each child received at

each different ceremony. Most of the time, this student could not remember what was

awarded at each level. However, the teacher had provided a handy reference chart

that contained the necessary information.

An additional part of the assignment was to explain the significance of the award

gained at each level. This was a part of the assignment that my student struggled with.

I suppose it was difficult because it required him to make inferences based on cultural

components he may have been unfamiliar with. He would think about the connection

for a while and then would claim I dont know. It was clear that his critical thinking

skills were weak. I tried to help him discover facts that might help him make the

connection more evident. I began to talk to him about certain aspects of the book and

tried to point out to him some factors he might wasnt to consider. Eventually he began

see some connections and came up with some of the correct answers. Some of it we

figured out ourselves; others we had to ask Mrs. White about. We managed to work

through about half of the project before time ran out in class.
 As I left the classroom, I was already beginning to think about what had happened

that day. I was proud of the fact that I had come up with a way to engage the student

in conversation and make him to think critically about the required elements of the

project he was working on. I also realized how important it is to be fully prepared for

class each and every day. I was not prepared for the lesson Mrs. White had planned for

today. I plan to review the book The Giver so I can be more informed and able to

assist my student. Im beginning to see that its not enough to have a lesson planned for

the day. One also needs to try to anticipate the needs of the students so you can be

prepared to make adjustments during class. This is an important lesson to keep in mind

when I eventually have my own classroom.

March 11, 2014

Today was my third day in my assigned classroom. I had decided prior to arriving

at school that day that I would actually begin to try to engage the students before class

began. I know its important to establish some rapport with students and I knew Id feel

more comfortable if I did so. I tried to address each student as they were coming into

the classroom. I greeted them cheerfully and asked them how their weekend had been.

Most of their responses were one word answers. However, they were more concerned

with determining if I was their substitute for the day. I thought Id try a humorous

approach in an effort to break the ice. I informed them that I in fact I was their

substitute and that the class assignment was to write a five page paper on what they

had done over the weekend. A few of them looked a little worried, but I immediately

broke out in a smile and laughed, which caused them to realize it was a joke. Mrs.
White entered the classroom and her students were eager to share the joke with her.

She, too, found it to be funny.

After the morning announcements, Mrs. White informed the class that they would

be preparing for the state assessments that day. They would be working on the

computers responding to comprehension activities that would be similar to those on the

state assessments. They use a program called Study Island to practice reading

assigned passages and then answering a series of comprehension questions. I sat down

next to my targeted student, asked whether or not I could help him with this activity.

He agreed and we began to work on the first selection. His task consisted of reading

short passages and then answering questions about the passage. Each time that my

student would answer a question, I would ask him why he chose that particular answer

in an effort to ensure that he wasnt just guessing. As an English Language Learner, it

was important to determine whether any concerns were related to the actual reading

of the passage or the comprehension of the passage. Most of the time he could not tell

me why he chose a particular answer, but then I would help him to look back at the

passage and justify his answer. As we fell into the routine, he became more confident

in his responses and he managed to score 10/10 questions correct on the first selection.

This task took much longer than I had realized. The bell rang and class was over

for the day. Following class, Mrs. White informed me that this student tended to guess

on assignments like this. He lacked confidence and was concerned about finishing. She

also said that he had begun to do better on assignments such as this and was taking

more time to complete his work carefully. Mrs. White indicated that I had taken an

appropriate approach with this student and had done well today.
 As I left I reflect on todays classroom experience, Id like to think it went well.

My student is quiet and reserved, so its hard to know just what approach to use. He

takes direction well, but I know I have to be careful about how much assistance I give

him. While I know we want him to do well, we also want him to do well independently.

Im sure that by my helping him, he thinks that he is being singled out for some reason.

However, he does not seem self-conscious or concerned about it. I think I managed to

give my student some positive direction today since he seemed to be getting it. Its

hard to know how much guidance to give to a student, especially when they are

somewhat uncommunicative. Sometimes I felt like I was just talking to myself. I can

see where its important to lay the foundation and then help them come up with the

words to justify their answers. I will have to begin working on that next time. As I look

at myself, I know that I have the technical knowledge for most subjects. However, over

the course of this project I will need to develop the skills necessary to teach that

knowledge to someone else. Theres a big difference between teaching and just

imparting knowledge.

March 25, 2014

Today was my fourth day in my assigned classroom. I once again tried to engage

the student as they came into the classroom. I used the same humorous tactic that I
had the last time. I asked them to turn in the fictitious assignment that I had given

them the previous week. They immediately broke into smiles and laughs. However,

today they went one step further. They began to talk to me about school and what was

going on in their lives. I truly enjoyed interacting with them.

My student does not initiate an interaction with me, as the other students do.

He responds to me if I speak with him directly, but answers in very few words and offers

very little additional information.

Mrs. White informed the class that they would once again be working on Study

Island. After getting the class started on todays activities, Mrs. White pulled me aside.

She explained that the class would continue to work on these Study Island

comprehension activities until the testing window opens in April. I sat down next to my

student and began to assist him with his reading passage. As we worked on the

comprehension questions, I tried to again coach him to look back at the passage to find

the answer, instead of simply guessing. I also tried to ask him leading questions that

were intended to jog his memory for what he had just read. He struggled with the

concepts that I presented to him and scored high on the section we covered scoring a

10/10. However used the entire class time to only answer 10 questions. I assume this is

partly because English is his second language. I also assume it take him longer because

the material that he is given to read during this exercise does not grab his attention.

I learned today to have patience and always have an upbeat attitude with

students even when you dont feel it. I noticed that while I was working with my student

that I really had to work to keep myself in check and coach my student through the
process, rather than jumping in myself and doing the work for him. I know that as a

teacher I need to be able to give my students the tools that they need to be able to

solve these problems on their own. That is why we are called teachers, we teach others

to do for themselves, not to do it for them.

April 1, 2014 A

Today was my fifth day in my assigned classroom. There was a substitute in the

classroom today. The students were a bit restless and more on edge due to the change

in their normal routine. Im sure the substitute was feeling the same sort of energy

bouncing around the classroom. However, I learned that this substitute was a retired

teacher, so I was sure she knew how to keep the students in line. Since the substitute

was already in the room when I arrived, I really didnt have the opportunity to greet

the students as the entered the classroom.

The substitute explained to the class that the activity planned for today was

once again, Study Island. I had been giving some thought to some alternative

approaches to helping my student with reading for meaning and comprehension. I had

determined that there were some steps that we should take in order for him to make

sense of the expectations. I also figured out that in addition to asking my student those

leading questions as I had been; I also needed to explain to him the process he should

use as he read through the passages. I talked to my student and together we discussed

the steps that we both thought that he needed to follow to be able to arrive at the
right answer quickly and without having to guess. We also came up with some strategies

for him to try if he really wasnt sure of the answer.

We decided that the best steps for him to follow were to first read through the

question or questions that were being asked, prior to reading the passage. He then

decided he should look at the answers that were provided for him to choose from and

any specific vocabulary words that were highlighted. Finally, he should read through

the selected passage and keep an eye out for clues in the passage that would alert him

to the answer to the questions. This way he could more effectively use his time in class

and increase his reading comprehension as well. He began to utilize this technique in

class and scored a 9/10 with minimal help from myself.

When left the classroom today, I felt a sense of accomplishment. I also felt like

a great big light bulb had turned on inside my head. I realized that I have the beginning

building blocks to become an effective teacher. I discovered that instead of subtly

giving a child the answer like I have done in the past, I have to teach the concept AND

the strategies so that they can continue to succeed after I have left. Again, its not

about imparting knowledge, but about teaching skills so students can access the

knowledge. This allows the student to be as independent as possible and to experience

success in their least restrictive environment. For my targeted student, LRE might be

working without me sitting beside him. That is the ultimate goal for working with any

student, unique needs, special needs or average needs. They all should have the

opportunity to be taught in their LRE.

 Another reflection that I have after todays classroom experience is related to

substitute teachers. I guess Ive never really given this much thought. I had always

assumed that most subs dont know what to do when they hit the classroom. Since they

werent real teachers, I figured that their purpose was to keep the classroom under

control. I just had a preconceived notion that they had no real knowledge of teaching,

content or classroom management. I think I developed this mindset as a result of

watching TV and movies and their portrayal of substitutes. So, from now on, I will leave

any preconceived notions about all students and staff at the door. By doing so, I will be

better able to serve the needs of my future students, as well as work more effectively

with my fellow teachers.

April 3, 2014 D

Today was my sixth day in my assigned classroom and my first day working with

my other cooperating teacher, Mrs. Booth. I had begun to feel comfortable in Mrs.

Whites classroom, but once again, I was feeling a little bit nervous. I wasnt sure what

to expect, but I had already resolved to leave my preconceived notions at the door. I

knew that she was likely to have a distinct and different classroom personality.

I realized fairly quickly, that Mrs. Booth had a similar sized classroom to that of

Mrs. White. However, Mrs. Booth had set up the desks in a large square and the students

sat around the outside. I liked this set up for an elementary and/or middle school

setting. It allows the teacher to be the center of attention by standing in the middle of

the desks. It also allows for the teacher to have a close proximity to every student. The

teacher can then respond quickly to questions or behavior problems.

 I sat down next to my student and chatted with him, as well as the other students

before class began. Once the bell rang, Mrs. Booth informed the class that they would

be doing a brief class activity before going to the library. The class let out a collective

groan. The class activity was related to a book the class had been reading, The Giver.

Mrs. Booth asked that I join the activity and participate along with the students. Each

student would receive a card with a question over the storyline of the book. The

students would then pair off and ask each other their questions. After asking and

answering questions with one partner, the students would trade cards with other

students and find new partners. I did notice that the boys seemed to be less enthusiastic

about the activity than the girls in the class. In an effort to help motivate the boys, I

tried to only partner up with the boys in the class. Most of them would only give me

one word answers or feign indifference, but then I would encourage them to give me a

complete answer. As the activity progressed, the students were able to provide more

complete and thoughtful answers.

After we finished the assignment, we went to the library to work on Study

Island. I joined my targeted student at his computer and we began to work on the

reading comprehension materials in preparation for the state assessments. As we were

working, the two boys at the computer next to my student began to goof off. Since the

teacher was at the back of the room working with other students, I decided that I would

attempt to redirect the students back to their assigned task. I admonished them and

gave them my best teacher face. I then informed them that they needed to focus on

their work and stop goofing off. They gave me a funny look, and I thought they were

going to tell me that I wasnt their teacher and they didnt have to listen to me.
However, I was surprised when they returned to the assignment without incident. My

targeted student and I finished the assignment and he scored an 8/10 on the

comprehension questions.

As I write this, I am thinking about how teachers have to walk a fine line between

being a warm, caring person and being a disciplinarian. It seems like an odd

combination, almost as if you are a parent to this student. This makes sense since

teachers see students for 8 hours a day. We are parent in that we nurture students and

take care of them. We try to make sure that they are safe to learn and to grow. The

question is: how do we walk that fine line and not end up at the extremes? This seems

like it is hard to do. As I am a person of extremes, I am going to have to find the middle

ground. This is something I am going to have to explore further and work on.

I also know that I need to come up with a new strategy to work with my student

to help remind him of the strategies that he and I have come up with over the previous

classes that I have worked with him. I think before starting Study Island I will try to

come up with a short version of what my student should do for each reading selection

and question. I will attempt to do that in all further classes to see if his scores go back

up.

April 8, 2014

Today was my seventh day in my assigned classroom. As the students entered

the classroom I greeted them enthusiastically. Mrs. Booth gave the instructions for

todays activities (Study Island) and it seemed to be more of the same today. I sat down

next to my student and we continued to work on his reading comprehension skills. I

went through the points that he and I had developed over the previous class sessions

and then let him try to work through the questions on his own. He managed to achieve

a 9/10 with minimal assistance from me.

My reflection regarding todays experience is that I feel like this is more of the

same. How much test preparation do these children need for this state assessment? All

I seem do every day is come into the classroom and sit next to my student while he

works through a section on this program. I seem to only be working on this one particular

skill with this student. While I am glad that he and I discovered a system that works for

him, I would love to do more with this student. I feel like he and I are stuck in a rut and

Im anxious to try something new. I think that the teachers in this class should have

started this preparation only a week or so before the test so that the all this preparation

will be fresh in their minds. Im concerned that the students will become bored with

these activities and then maybe not take the assessments seriously. I also question the

rigor of this practice. The students are required to do one reading passage and one set

of comprehension questions each day. Once they are done, they have free time. It

seems to me that precious time is getting away for students who seem to require more

time.

April 10, 2014 C

Today was my eighth day in my assigned classroom. I decided prior to arriving

this morning that although I have established a rapport with my targeted student, I

know next to nothing about him. So my goal for the day was to become better

acquainted with him on a more personal level. Once again, todays classroom activity
was Study Island. My student and I began working on a set of ten questions over

selected passages and answering multiple choice questions. We reviewed and he

utilized the intervention strategy that we had developed earlier in the semester. He

scored an 8/10on the comprehension questions. It seems that the only thing that I do

with this student are talk him through the process and then encourage him to talk to

me about why he thinks that the answers he picks are correct. We then discuss them

and he chooses an answer based on what we talk about.

After we had completed our assigned section, we had a few minutes to talk

before class ended. I asked my student about his life, his interests (both in and out of

school), and anything else that came to mind. He reported that he is an only child and

that he lives at home with his mother. He never mentioned his father so I am unsure

whether he is a part of my students life or not. My targeted student enjoys playing

soccer and is on the IMS soccer team, playing forward. He claims to be quite the athlete!

He indicated he has no interest in any other sport, despite the fact that everyone has

told him to go out for basketball because he is so tall. He really likes science and math,

which gave us something in common since science is my area of emphasis. We managed

to talk about why he likes science. He said he enjoys learning about animals and space.

He loves the stars. However, he immediately added that he does not enjoy English and

reading, which is understandable due to his difficulty with the English language. The

only other thing that we were able to discuss was who his favorite superhero was. It

was the same as mine: Spiderman. At this point, the bell rang and class was over. He

said goodbye and rushed off to his next class.

 As I left the building that day, I wondered how I had gone all this time without

knowing more about the student with whom I was working. Granted, I was only with

him for an hour a day, once a week AND I was focused on the academic side of things.

I know I have a tendency to become sidetracked and did not want that to jeopardize

my professionalism on the job. I am disappointed in myself for not at least trying to

familiarize myself with this student before now. As I thought about this, I realized that

this had applications to my future classroom as well. In my future classroom I will want

to know the likes and dislikes of all of my students. I have learned that it is important

to establish a relationship with the students, in addition to rapport. I think I will have

my students complete a survey or assignment about themselves at the beginning of the

year so that I can learn about them right off the bat. That way it will be easier to

connect with them over the course of the year.

April 15, 2014 F

Today was my ninth day in my assigned classroom. It is also the first day of the

state assessments in the classroom. I am super excited to see how testing goes from a

teachers perspective and see how hard the new standardized tests actually are. As I

entered the classroom, I noticed that the layout was different. Students were

separated in such a way that each student was by himself as they were testing. I believe

that this was to prevent the students from cheating. I talked to my teacher about

expectations for today. She said that I could observe my targeted student today but
could not help him in any way while he was testing because he was not eligible for any

test accommodations, like having the questions read to him. However, he was eligible

to have the computer read the questions and answers to him, but not the reading

passages themselves. I sat down behind my student and asked him how he was feeling

about the tests. He said that he was feeling positive about them, because we had the

system to help him work through the questions and answers.

The teacher gave the instructions and my student logged in and began to take

the assessment. It was quiet in the room and I began to think about testing in general

as I watched him work. I began to think about how much time this class has spent

preparing to take these state assessments. This has all been in preparation for one week

of testing. I wonder how many teachers this year have been stressing test preparation

rather than covering what they have planned in their lessons. I understand that these

tests are important and it is important for all students including students with unique

needs. However I feel like there is an over emphasis in my classroom to teaching HOW

to take the test. In my own classroom, I would like to be able to teach the necessary

content while still being within the bounds of state standards.

As my student went through the questions, he appeared to be following the

system that we had come up with in class. I was proud of him (and myself) because I

felt like I had actually helped someone in a way that allowed them to help themselves.

However, the questions on the test seemed to be quite difficult. As he went through,

them I noticed that even I had problems answering some of them. Even when I knew

the answer, it seemed that there was possibly more than one correct answer. This

frustrated me. If I could not figure out the answers to these reading comprehension
questions at my age, what chance do 7th graders have? My student finished and I sat

next to him and quietly talked to him while the rest of the class finished. He was reading

a book about the Titanic and I joked with him that in case he didnt know, the boat

sinks. He broke out into a huge grin and snickered that he did, in fact, know. We then

sat and talked about our favorite books until class ended.

My reflections after todays testing is this: while I like standardized tests as a

method to see where children across the state and district are academically, in

comparison to specific standards, I do not like the fact that so much emphasis has been

placed upon them. Schools and teachers need to have the ability and freedom to teach

the standards. The test should be one piece of information used to determine HOW

were doing with that. In the future I hope that this changes for the better instead of

the opposite, because I feel that so much important content is being left behind due to

these required standardized tests.

April 17, 2014

Today is my tenth and final day in my assigned classroom. It is also the second

day of testing. I went into the classroom and sat down next to my student and watched

him as he began to take the state assessment. He seemed to be relaxed and ready to

take the test. However once we started the testing, my students computer would not

play sound so that he could not listen to the questions being read to him. The teacher

gave him a new computer and he tried to log on, but again the sound would not work.

Finally, on his third try, he found a computer from another classroom that was able to

play sound so that he could hear the questions being read. While we waited for his
computer to be ready, I quizzed him again on the steps he needed to take when he read

a passage. He only managed to finish half of the standardized test, before the class

period was over and I had to leave. However, he was able to go to another classroom

to finish the assessment.

As I left this assignment for the last time, I realized that my last day had taught

me an important lesson about ALWAYS being prepared for anything that comes your

way. My teacher could have been thrown when a computer didnt work. However, she

managed to stay calm and come up with a solution that would allow her student to

continue with the activity. I would have probably become way more agitated if that

had happened in my classroom. I will need to learn to be prepared in the future to

handle whatever. If something in the classroom breaks that I need for a lecture, I will

need to be able to just use my voice and the board to give lecture. If I am in a lab and

we do not have the supplies needed or something goes wrong in lab, I will need to be

able to handle whatever comes my way. Its important to be able to adapt to any

circumstances.

I feel quite sad that I will no longer be coming to IMS and working with this

student. This experience has taught me a lot about myself and the profession. He has

made me feel more confident as an education student and future teacher.

Final Reflection

As I look back over the course of this project, I realize that I have grown as a

person and a potential teacher. I learned that to be an effective teacher I need to be

more prepared when I step into a classroom. I am by nature not an organized person
but as a teacher I have to be ready for anything at any time. I have to learn to plan for

every minute in my classroom but also be flexible when things do not go as planned as

they often do. As I go forth in my education I need to plan my time better so that when

I become a teacher, I will be ready for anything.

I also have learned that each student had individual needs. The student that I

worked with had specific problems the needed to be addressed that other students did

not. Learning needs to be differentiated as much as possible so that each student can

learn the material in the way that they learn best. Although I know that many students

are not in need of differentiated instruction, I need to strive to help create instruction

for the ones that do.

Working with this student has helped qualm a lot of my fears about working with

students of diversity in the classroom. Most of my experiences have been negative in

nature due to the fact that the students I was working with being in a mental health or

day school setting. This experience has taught me that my experiences working with

students of diversity are not the norm but rather the extreme.

By working with this student, it has also reminded me how much I love to teach.

The moment when the light comes on for a student is the thing that inspires me. I love

imparting new knowledge to others and watching them become inspired or understand

the concepts that I am trying to communicate. These are the successes that make

teaching worthwhile. This experience has inspired me to continue on with my pursuit

of an education degree.
I have grown as a person as well. I have learned the value of being prepared every time

that you come into the classroom. I also learned that sometimes to achieve results you

have to dive right in to the situation with enthusiasm and a smile. I should also never

be shy even around new people. By opening myself up to these new people and new

experiences with no preconceived notions. I will grow as a person and become a better

and more effective teacher.