CHRISTOPHER JEZ

FIELD OBSERVATION

ASSIGNMENT ONE (Observations):

Observation 1: The environment of the classroom is very friendly; the students seem to find their seats
leisurely as if there is no seating arrangement (some of the other classes did have arrangements). The
posters on the wall do not only include science facts, like the periodic table of elements, but also some
motivational anecdotes such as a kitten poster with the phrase “Study”.

*Observation 2: This first class has almost twice as many girls than boys panning out to 21 girls and only
12 boys. The ethnicity of this class is rather mixed, though it was still majority white. There were no ELL
or any physically challenged students in this class (only one physically challenged student was in any of
the classes, the teacher offered assistance a few times but he was reluctant to accept help).

*Observation 3: The posted classroom rules were posted in the back corner of the room and read:
1. Respect and support everyone right to learn. 2. Come prepared to learn. 3. Help maintain a safe
classroom.

*Observation 4: The rules in this classroom seem somewhat lax; most classes were compliant and
listened to the teacher and were rewarded with Jolly Ranchers candy. Other students who were
disruptive were scolded for disrupting other students. The teacher made the point (to the disruptive
students) that if they could not finish their work in class they would have to finish at home, which could
shorten the students “X-box time”.

ASSIGNMENT TWO (Classroom Layout):

Classroom Layout Question 1: This classroom does have many students, but the desks are arranged in a
group setting, possibly promoting progressive traits. This allowed room for students to go to the trash or
pencil sharpener with ease.

Classroom Layout Question 2: The teacher’s podium was rather large and was filled with many papers
that did not seem relevant to the lessons that were taught (maybe there is method to my cooperating
teacher’s madness). The space that was cluttered was pretty large, and could have been used to present
material. With that said, the teacher did have overhead projectors and other technology which allowed
her to use a small space effectively, so maybe she didn’t care about the workspace.

Classroom Layout Question 3: There are 2 doors that lead out of the class, which would be good in an
emergency fire, but could make it harder to lock down or to do the shelter in place. The doors are to be
locked during class time, which would help in the case of having to do a lock out.
ASSIGNMENT THREE (Instruction):

Instruction Question 1: The lesson plan for the day is presented on the white board; giving students a
chance to think about the lesson of the day before Ms. Fletcher, the teacher I am observing, says
anything. Ms. Fletcher also orally recognizes previous assignments for the students who were absent.

Instruction Question 2: Before the regular lesson plan is started Ms. Fletcher asked a few questions out
loud to the class and let students answer individually. Correct answers were rewarded with candy. After,
the students work in small groups and are allowed to collaborate with each other in order to finish
regular assignments (different from quizzes).

Instruction Question 3: I would say that many of Ms. Fletcher’s philosophy reflect the behaviorism and
progressive philosophies. The group setting of the class and reward method is what would lead me to
think that. The teacher would walk throughout the class and when a problem occurs, Ms. Fletcher would
attempt to guide students to the right answers.

*Instruction Question 4: The assignment the students worked on was the Earth’s core cutout. Using an
overhead projector Ms. Fletcher would show and explain how to assemble the project (visual and
auditory). The students then would have to cut out and color the project and layer them in the correct
order (kinesthetic). The quiz was visual and the students did seem to have trouble figuring out one of
the diagram questions. It is possible that Ms. Fletcher realized that many students were having trouble
visualizing what the diagram was signifying, so she gave a small lecture, in almost every class, hinting at
the answer. This shows that Ms. Fletcher adapted to the lesson as it was happening.

*Instruction Question 5: The colored cutouts allowed for the lesson plan to be taught with little friction.
Using “fun” ways to engage students could be something planned around the age group of the students.
Most students seemed to get right on task with little complaint. Ms. Fletcher would coach the students
with their work, keeping an eye on the students to make sure they were on task. Ms. Fletcher explained
that making the lesson plan exciting made teaching easier and that her 5 years of experience has taught
her a lot. Ms. Fletcher also made the quiz on the material easy to follow; this would eliminate
unnecessary questions, which distract students from the lesson and their quizzes.

*Instruction Question 6: One student is segregated, and it is because the student asked to be seated up
front. In doing so the student acted as a teacher’s aide and would do tasks requested by Ms. Fletcher,
such as writing on the board or passing out papers. In a different period, there was one other student
segregated and it was explained that that specific student harshly refused to do any work, so Ms.
Fletcher separated him so he does not distract the rest of the class. Ms. Fletcher explained that she had
made numerous attempts to meet up with the problematic student’s parents, but to no avail. She also
explained that the standards to pass that grade were easier, and that some students get to a passing
grade and stop working.
Instruction Question 7: In one period, Ms. Fletcher realized that she still had a lot of material to cover,
but time was running short. She took control of the class, stopping the chatter (which was normal) she
pushed the students to finish the assignment when thing were going to “slow”. The other periods
finished with time to spare. This showed me that she adapted to her teaching environment when she
had to, making her an efficient teacher in my eyes.

Instruction Question 8: Ms. Fletcher explained how the lesson gets easier with each period. The practice
of presenting the new information and the feedback from students can show a teacher how students
understand and how they are responding to the lessons.

*Instruction Question 9: Ms. Fletcher would start by simply telling the class let’s start, but in some of the
louder classes, the teacher would use a loud speaker to talk over the students and scold the few
disruptive students. The scolding was mild at most, most often referring to other students learning and
X-box time. There was a few instances where Ms. Fletcher threatened to call home (she did write a few
names down). However, considering that she has so many students (her largest class was 41 students), I
feel that Ms. Fletcher was an effective teacher.

*Instruction Question 10: The main behavior in the class that Ms. Fletcher did not tolerate was, students
talking while she is giving a lecture or while other students were asking questions. Ms. Fletcher would
pause and scold “I know you are not talking while I am”. She would do this quickly so she could continue
her lecture, and it normally calmed things down. She did threaten a few students with calls home if they
would not stop interrupting her, and she did write a few names down. She explained to me that most of
the time, a call home is effective and normally not to hard to handle (most parents let voicemail pick
up), but other cases parents can argue on the students behalf, even when they have no clue what goes
on in the classroom.

*Instruction Question 11: Each student has a Chrome laptop. This could help the teacher in many
obvious ways, for instance, it could allow for discrete chats with students about grades or problems, or
something simple like making grading easier (for some classes anyways). But this technology was also
the root of some problems I observed in the classroom. A few students had lost their chargers for the
laptops and therefore could not use them. The seating arrangement did seem to also hinder time, a
couple students would attempt to switch desks in the middle of class (Ms. Fletcher would stop this), and
even though it was seldom, it did take away lesson time.

ASSIGNMENT FOUR:

1. The parking lot was clean and there were immediate directions posted as I entered the premises.
There was not very much vegetation, but Las Vegas is in a water restricting county and that could be
why. The gates surrounding the field were sturdy and secure and with no broken spots.

2. The front gates seemed very secure; only one gate was left unlocked to the outside during school
hours. While walking through the school there can be many flags from basketball achievements made by
the students. The courtyard was illuminated by natural light. The halls were well lit and open. The main
building was decorated with the large colorful numbers that signified the grade level of the hallway and
the inside of the halls were painted using warm colors.

Culture of the School:

1. The Lied Middle School mission is to provide a safe community where students may grow
academically and socially in order to prepare them for all future endeavors. The Lied Middle School
mascot is the Navigators and their motto is “We take the –Lied-.”

2. The office administration was very helpful to other guests of the school. For instance, while I was
waiting for my cooperating teacher a couple of substitute teachers walked in unsure of where to go. The
substitute teachers were directed promptly. The office administration was also very helpful to the
students. One student had lost his Chrome laptop and the office administrator almost immediately
called several school employees and the laptop was recovered very quickly.

3. The sizes of the classes were rather large, between 30 and 41 students. There are daily
announcements in the first period that state upcoming events and the lunch for the day. The school
seems to have a strong basketball following and the announcements reflected that. The grouping of the
students was largely inconsistent, due to the fact that every class had majority girl students

4. The students gather in the halls during passing period, socializing and some mild horseplay. During
lunch period, the students would all gather in the courtyard and lunch room. The students in the
courtyard seemed at ease and behaving as one would expect.

5. The school is broken down into grade level hallways and an elective hallway. Each hallway is clearly
marked with large colorful numbers that signify the grade level.

6. There are many ways that the school recognized student achievements. The school displayed items
that included many basketball trophies in the dean’s office, banners that signified wins by the basketball
and other teams hung in the rafters, and other elective class achievements were also displayed, classes
like theatre and technologies.

C.

*1. Ms. Fletcher had pretty high expectations for most of the students. She would never just give an
answer, she would always keep asking questions to let the students figure out the information, or in the
least where to find that information. She also allowed the students to do the assignment at their own
pace, expecting them to be responsible for their own work. After class, many students would come to
Ms. Fletcher’s classroom and talk about their work (mostly AP students). Ms. Fletcher gladly talked with
each student, giving them feedback as necessary. Ms. Fletcher was loud and strict, but still very nice to
the students.

*2. When Ms. Fletcher was introducing the lesson, she asks only a few questions and gives out candy for
correct responses. At this time most students would not participate, possibly scared to have the wrong
answer. After the activities were passed out, the students all seemed excited for or at least dedicated to
their assignment, all but one student (out of all periods) got ready for the assignment. Many students
would come to ask questions about the assignment, and the teacher would respond to them as quickly
as she could. The few students who did not ask questions followed along with the teacher and lesson
and were able to do the assignment on their own. The group setting of the class allowed the students to
compare work, compelling students to cooperate and participate.

*3. Ms. Fletcher had a rapport with several students. These students would come to her almost every
passing period and tell them small achievement that they have accomplished and even questions
regarding her class. Some of the interactions included a student telling Ms. Fletcher that she did well on
a test, and another student would come to ask about a previous assignment in her class. This showed
me that these students trust and maybe even admire Ms. Fletcher (there are numerous praises on Ms.
Fletcher’s white board from students). Ms. Fletcher often talks to the student how she would like to be
talk to, reflecting Haim Ginott’s belief system. Her tone was most often casual and inviting, as to not
cause the students to shy away from her authority. There was one class that had far more behavioral
issues than all the others, and she was far more assertive when dealing with the disruptive class. In more
than one class the teacher had trouble settling the students down when the bell rang; she would use the
loud speaker to talk over the students, letting them know to calm down, and then turn off the speaker.
She would use this same technique to quiet down the unruly class, but the class would soon start
talking, so the speaker came back on and was left on throughout the class.

ASSIGNMENT FIVE

Interview Question 1: Ms. Fletcher became a teacher as a 2nd career. It was always something she
thought about doing because she would be a 3rd generation educator.

Interview Question 2: Some of the main challenges Ms. Fletcher faces as a teacher is the amount of
confrontation. Parents, some students, and even school admin often come to cause conflict with
teachers. There is also a lot of time required outside of contract time, lesson plans can take up time,
especially when teaching more than one grade.

Interview Question 3: Ms. Fletcher claims the best part about teaching is when she is actually teaching,
it is not only rewarding, but it is fun as well. She enjoys (most) of the students, and how some of them
look up to her.

Interview Question 4: Ms. Fletcher allows the students to sit where they want at first, and watches for
problem areas. Then based off of observations, she would assign seats as needed; problem students
away from each other and closer to her.

Interview Question 5: Ms. Fletcher did not follow any flexible grouping patterns.

Interview Question 6: Ms. Fletcher does formative assessments and small quizzes on each section.

Interview Question 7: Ms. Fletcher The school uses a program called Infinite Campus, which is an instant
report of unsatisfactory progress. This requires the students to get a form signed and returned to assure
the parents know.
Interview Question 8: On average, Ms. Fletcher interacts with each student’s parents about 10 times
each year. She states that such occasions are somewhat rare.

Interview Question 9: Ms. Fletcher claims that behavior issues are the top reasons for interacting with
parents, followed by work ethics (cheating and other related infractions), and then student
improvement.

Interview Question 10: Ms. Fletcher does around 6 – 8 hours each week grading assignments.

Interview Question 11: Ms. Fletcher spends around 6 hours on Sunday to prepare her (one) lesson plan
for the week.

*Interview Question 12: Ms. Fletcher uses routines to keep the students on track. At the beginning of
the year she sets up a scavenger hunt and a quiz on classroom procedures.

*Interview Question 13: Ms. Fletcher uses various ways to give positive reinforcement. Some of the
ways include passing out candy for good efforts, the chance to be the classroom helper, and if the entire
class does well she sets up time for music and games.

*Interview Question 14: Ms. Fletcher finds that calling home is the most effective behavioral
consequence.

Interview Question 15: Ms. Fletcher states that specialists are not involved in any way when instruction
planning.

Interview Question 16: Ms. Fletcher claims that you are assessed one time a year with something called
the SLG or student learning goal. This is utilized with NEPF and is how teachers are evaluated.

Interview Question 17: Ms. Fletcher has not received any negative evaluations and said that she does
not really remember the smaller consequences of negative performance. Some of the larger
consequences include termination and loss of teaching license in extreme cases.

Interview Question 18: Ms. Fletcher claims to receive no instructional support from any entity.

Interview Question 19: Ms. Fletcher says that she is most surprised by the time commitment required
for the job, and she is also surprised by the lack of support from the school district.

Note: Ms. Fletcher had to use her free period both days I did my observations. This made our interview
shorter than I would have liked.

ASSIGNMENT SIX (Classroom Interactions):

Exchange directed toward boys: 4

Exchange directed toward Girls: 2

Ms. Fletcher seldom asked for hands when asking questions. Most of the time she would let the answers
be called out, and when it was at the beginning of the lesson, some of those students would get candy.
In the middle of the lesson she would still ask questions, but candy became less frequent. The students
that called out answers were more often boys. Also, it was the boys who got more wrong answers. This
reflects the idea that boys are more assertive in grabbing the teacher’s attention.

ASSIGNMENT SEVEN (Administrator Interview)

Open Ended Question # 1 for Administrator: Were you (the dean) a teacher before becoming an
administrator? Why did you switch?

Dean Paul Rochester was a teacher before becoming a dean. He switched paths because as a teacher he
felt that he was making a difference in his classroom, so he felt that he could make his impact school
wide or even greater.

Open Ended Question # 2 for Administrator: How familiar should teachers get with students and their
parents?

Lied Middle School finds parent involvement very important. Dean Rochester claims that the more the
parents are involved, the better the kids do.

Open Ended Question # 3 for Administrator: How often do teacher pursue higher courses and move to
be college level professors?

Dean Rochester says that the teachers and he do not often get together; his purpose is problem
resolution and is generally the only way he knows teachers. He says that in his many years of working as
dean he has not heard of very many cases of this happening.

Open Ended Question # 4 for Administrator: How are issues resolved among teachers, students, and
parents?

Dean Rochester claims that problem resolution can be very difficult at time. Most of the time the
parents will accept responsibility of their child’s actions, but there are other times that the parents
refuse to believe that their child is misbehaving or needs improvement. When parents deny
responsibility it makes and resolution a compromise.

Open Ended Question # 5 for Administrator: How has increased technology affected the school?

Dean Rochester says that the new technology has made some trouble in the school. Cyber bulling is
worse than ever and something he is dealing with on a daily basis. Technology might have good
meaning, but it is being misused in the hands of the younger generation.

Interviewed school administrator’s name/title: Dean Rochester

ASSIGNMENT EIGHT (Specialist Classroom Observations):

B) Ms. Fletcher had two AP science classes and I was able to observe those classrooms.
1. Ms. Fletcher’s AP science class was taught the same lesson as the regular classes. The difference in
the instruction is how Ms. Fletcher presents it. She does not give the class nearly as much guidance, and
the classes reflects the fact that they are AP classes. Both classes we quicker to listen, and did not ask
Ms. Fletcher as many questions. Instead of asking the teacher they would collaborate with each other to
find the answers.

2. A few of Ms. Fletcher’s AP students started to do the work before she asked. In other classes Ms.
Fletcher would not allow students to jump ahead of her, she did not want them to do the assignment
the wrong way. These few students were trusted to figure out the assignment themselves, showing that
her trust in the AP students is much higher.

3. Ms. Fletcher claimed to love her two AP classes. She feels that they want to learn and it makes those
two periods less like a job. Ms. Fletcher seems to give out more candy in the AP classes, showing them
recognition. She also lets the students know that they are AP students and more is expected of them.
When a teacher lets students know what is expected, they are more likely to do what is requested.

4. If I was a student in Ms. Fletcher’s class, I would definitely like the AP class better. Other classes had
to be scolded, the AP classes were great. After the students finished their work, they were allowed to
play games and listen to music on headphones. I would much rather get my assignment done in a timely
manner and play games, rather than wait for everyone to quiet down so I could do the next part of the
assignment.

5. Letting the students know what is expected, then not giving them to much support gives the AP
students a challenge. This works out in a few different ways. Because the progressive style classroom,
the challenging environment lets student challenge each other’s knowledge. Observing other student’s
train of thought can give students different perspectives of issues, this starts the process of critical
thinking.

ASSIGNMENT NINE (Observing a student):

1. The student observed talked with their neighbor and did continue talking until Ms. Fletcher used her
loud speaker. The observed student promptly stopped, other students needed to be scolded again. After
Ms. Fletcher had control, she asked the students to do the first activity of the day, which was called DNA
or Do Now Activity and is done in the Chrome laptops. These had 3 open ended questions that were
relevant to the lesson plan of the week. The observed student quickly got the DNA done and quietly
chatted with their neighbor again. The next assignment was the Earth’s core colored cutout. This time
the student reacted to the teachers command and stopped talking immediately. Other members of the
class were once again loud and Ms. Fletcher got on the loud speaker again. Once calm, Ms. Fletcher
handed out the activity and directed the students to wait until everyone was done coloring before
cutting; the observed student sat quietly and quickly colored the handout. The observed student almost
seemed to grimace at the Ms. Fletcher’s instruction to wait, and as soon as Ms. Fletcher announced that
everyone was ready, the student quickly grabbed scissors and cut out the assignment and glued it
together. This leads me to think that the student was on task during the lesson but might have not been
engaged. Ms. Fletcher instructed that once the students were done they could have free quiet time. The
observed student seems to have rushed to get the assignment done and listen to music on their
headphones. Putting myself in the student’s shoes, I could see how maybe lesson plans don’t always
allow for more advanced students to feel engaged. Work sheets comprised of colored cut outs might not
be enough to engage all students that given age group. The observed student seemed to want to get the
remedial work done as quickly as possible in order to have free time.

ASSIGNMENT TEN (Summary):

In my observation I have realized that teachers deal with a lot in the classroom. It almost
seemed like a domino effect. When one student got confused and blurted out his or her question it
would cause other students to lose focus and blurt out things of their own or talk in the group. In the
more disruptive classes, this happened quite often. Sometimes the teacher seemed to be babysitting
more than teaching. On the other side of the fence are the AP classes. I could tell that Ms. Fletcher loved
these two periods, and those periods have motivated me to become a teacher even more. Ms. Fletcher
was not a strict teacher to any of the classes, until they got loud. The AP students were quiet when
asked, listened to the lesson, and still had fun while doing it. Both of these examples of class show that
teaching can be tough at times but still a rewarding career.

There are many different ways to set up a classroom, and Ms. Fletcher’s class was set up so the
students could work in groups. This style of the class had the students working together, but sometimes,
chaos would ensue. As I mentioned, the domino effect happened at times. There might be other ways to
organize a class, but due to the high volume of students, this class might have been arranged the way it
was for that purpose. Ms. Fletcher did state that she feels that she has to many students. Even so, she
said she still enjoys her work, and shows that she adapts and overcomes issues in the field. This is
something I could strive for, in order to be the most effective teacher I can.

The dean and teacher had a different view on technology in the class. Ms. Fletcher utilized
overhead projectors and loud speakers, while the dean does not use such things. The dean’s struggle
was with what the students do with new technology. According to the dean, cyber bulling is far more
common than ever and something he has to deal with on almost a daily basis. This does not affect the
teacher the same because he/she has all of their students only for one hour a day and is in front of the
students as an authority figure. With a watchful eye a teacher can stop students from using phones in
that class, and then after the students leave they are in a way “out of the teacher’s hands”. Passing
periods, lunch break, and after school gives the kids all the time to cyber bully. Teachers very well may
receive reports of bulling or even notice it happening and get involved, but most if not all bully reports
go to the dean. The dean was very displeased with the amount of cyber bullying, and as an aspiring
teach, one day this is something I will probably have to deal with.

The amount of time that a teacher spends on lesson plans did surprise me. Ms. Fletcher did
show me Nevada’s core curriculum and at first, I did not think much of it. But after we did our lesson
plan assignment, I was startled how long it took me, and I don’t even think I did a whole week’s lesson!
Ms. Fletcher also said that sometimes the school a teacher is working at requires teachers to teach more
than one grade or one type of class. This make a teacher write more than one lesson plan! I do like the
fact that there is a very detailed website that states the required curriculum, and building lesson plans
will get easier with practice, I hope. Ms. Fletcher did also mention that, if you stay organized (as a
teacher), you can keep your lesson plan from the previous year. This does not always work, things can
change, things like the curriculum (which happened this year), the grade level, and class type. This
shows me that teaching might be chaotic and time consuming at times, but there are also easier times
as well.

One thing that I would have liked to see in the observation was a different style of classroom. I
feel that Ms. Fletcher’s class was a progressive approach and it worked well, but seeing a different style
of class could have been informative (I know that setting up multiple observations would complicate
things). Another thing I would have maybe changed is the date of the lesson plan assignment, or at least
an earlier introduction to the curriculum website. Ms. Fletcher showed me the curriculum website, but
only very briefly. I feel that this could have been helpful because I could have compared Ms. Fletcher’s 2
day lesson plan to my lesson plan to see how well, or bad, I did. I will acknowledge that seeing Ms.
Fletcher in action did help me with my lesson plan, but if I had prior knowledge of the website it would
have possibly helped me understand it better when she showed me (I did draw a blank when she asked
me if I knew anything about it). With only 2 days of observation, I can say it was fun, for the most part,
and has taught me a lot. I am sure that I will learn much more as I further my education, and I cannot
wait for the experience to be a teacher!