Cristina Cervantes Interview with a Fourth Grade Teacher

This school is a fairly new school compared to other schools in the. The school is located near many shopping centers and restaurants. There are a couple of parks and a library nearby. The school population is 98% Hispanic/Latino.
      
Kim is a young teacher who is involved in many activities in the school and is very dedicated to her students. This year marks her ninth year being a teacher. She has taught all nine years at the same school. During her years of teaching she has mostly taught third and fourth grade, and has taught first and sixth grade once. Today she is currently teaching fourth grade which is her favorite grade to teach. Her philosophy of teaching is not to teach just the academic subject matter and the standards, but to teach the whole child. She views each student as an individual person and she wants them to become productive members of society. She promotes certain values, such as honesty, responsibility, respectfulness, health, and to try their best. Kim believes there should not be a difference in public education and private education. Furthermore, public schooling should provide high quality education just like in the private sector. She feels that as teachers we should not set limitations on the students, and at times she sees this happening in her school.
      
Kim has a unique purpose on how she arranged the students in her classroom. The classroom consists of seven table groups where each table has four to five students except for one table which has only two students. The seating arrangement was done based on their academic level, creating heterogeneous groups. At each table she has at least one student that is performing above average, and the rest of the students are a combination of average to below average. The purpose of having students arranged like this is so they can hopefully learn from each other. Also, by having a higher English level speakers in each table they would be able to help the other students that are struggling. These students can model proper spoken English. She emphasized that the elimination of bilingual education in the school this year has impacted the students. Many of them do not feel comfortable speaking English out loud. Giving them the opportunity to have discussions in small groups lets them speak in a less intimidating setting.  
      
Kim organized the class to be as close to the students desks as possible. She likes to be able to be face to face with her students. She does not stand in front lecturing and you hardly see writing on the white board. The classroom is really focused on reading and she has many books available for students and a reading area. Throughout the outer sections of the classroom is where she has her books and the textbooks. In addition, she has each table organize their textbook by subject on the bookshelves. Each day of the week a student from each table is assigned to get the textbooks needed for the lesson. The materials that students use regularly, such as their folders and notebooks, are in baskets at their tables. This makes transition time easier when moving from one subject to another.
      
In regards to instructional strategies, Kim tries to have students collaborate within their tables as much as possible. When introducing new material she does not rely on just telling the students how to do something. She has students write, listen, and practice individually and with their groups. When it comes to meeting the needs of the diverse learners, she confessed that lately she feels that she has not provided as much as she should have due to the new curriculum which has taken time to become familiar with and develop a routine. However, she usually tries to work with the individual students and their needs without holding up the class. She attempts to teach students at a level that is challenging, but yet at which they are able to complete and learn from it. She gave an example of a student that just came from Mexico knowing no English and she has to make specific lesson plans for his learning needs. Furthermore, since most of her students are English learners meeting their needs as a class is something she incorporates to her teaching on a regular basis.
      
Kim is a teacher that truly loves her career, and making a difference in the lives of her students. Even though there are many obstacles in being a teacher she would like to be, she is very enthusiastic about her work. In addition, there are many gratifying moments that Kim has experienced. For example, having previous students that are in high school come visit her, and some even go to her classroom to help her during the after school program. Also, watching the improvement that each individual student makes during the school year is a rewarding experience. An accomplishment Kim wanted to share with me is that two years ago her students scored second highest on the standardized tests for her school even though she had mostly lower performing students in her class.

From doing this interview I have learned the variety of obstacles that teachers are confronted with, and the experiences that makes teaching so rewarding. By understanding the tools that one can use when teaching a diverse group was really helpful because that is something that as a future teacher is crucial to understand the individual needs of the student. One of the most important aspects that Kim pointed out is the crucial role that teachers play in the lives of the students. Especially since students spend so much time at school, I believe it is important to teach not just the curriculum, but the whole child.