Frank Verga's Interview with a Fourth-Fifth Grade Teacher

Mrs. M has been a teacher for seventeen years in four different school districts in California. Mrs. M has enjoyed the students in all districts, but feels the students in a small agricultural city, may be the most eager to learn. She has taught all elementary school grades, kindergarten through fifth grade. The last two years have been spent teaching a fourth-fifth grade combination class at DR Elementary School.

Mrs. M received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish Studies from the University of California Riverside. She then went to UC Irvine to complete her teaching credential. Mrs. M did not intend to become a teacher when she was starting college. She was seriously considering becoming a doctor. She took chemistry and biology classes in preparation for this field. However, she did not feel an affinity for these classes, but enjoyed her Spanish classes. She decided to become a Spanish Major with a Minor in psychology. During college, Mrs. M worked at a local school assisting with an after-school program. She enjoyed working with the students and decided to pursue a career in teaching.

Mrs. M is of European (Irish) descent. She is married to a Mexican American man whom she met while working at an elementary school in Salinas. He came to this country when he was seven years old. He is a teacher as well and currently teaches a fourth grade class at another school. Mrs. M has studied Spanish since the seventh grade and she speaks Spanish fluently. She has a 6-year-old daughter who is in the first grade. She is very active and keeps Mrs. M busy at home.

DR Elementary School serves kindergarten through fifth grade. The large majority of students are from Hispanic backgrounds. European, African, Asian and Pacific Island backgrounds are also represented in small numbers. In Mrs. M’s class, there are 28 students. There are sixteen fourth-graders and twelve fifth-graders. Thirteen students are males and fifteen are females. There are five English only students. Sixteen are Fluent English Proficient and seven are Limited English Proficient. There are two students on Individualized Leaning Plans, and none have 504’s nor are any in the Gateway (gifted) program. All the ESL students have Spanish as their first language. Most of the students are Hispanic, of Mexican descent. There are also two students of Vietnamese background, two African Americans, and one child of Thai/Guamanian background.

The classroom is neatly organized. Mrs. M does not like clutter. There are no stacks of paper or other items in the class. Students do have samples of their work neatly posted on the walls. One project, a poster board entitled “All About Me” is displayed along the class walls. Also on the wall is each student’s name with a colorful border that each student created themselves. Mrs. M feels this helps the students to think of the classroom as theirs. There is a bookshelf in one corner with many books. There are books about animals, mystery stories, and children’s stories such as Stuart Little and James and the Giant Peach There are also historical stories about life as a slave in the Southern U.S., life as a Jewish person during World War II, and stories about growing up in Mexico. Most of the books are in English, but there is a small Spanish section.

The students sit in clusters of four or five. On occasion, a student is separated out due to talking issues. Mrs. M rearranges the students every five weeks. This gives them some variety of whom they sit next to and helps control behavioral issues. However, Mrs. M does not have any serious behavior issues in the class. She is strict with the students and they behave very well for the most part. At 9:00 am until noon, the students are grouped by grade level for English Language Development and English Language Arts and the fourth graders leave and more fifth graders from another class join come in

Mrs. M uses primarily a teacher centered instructional strategy. This is in keeping with the standardized instruction of current classroom practice. Mrs. M does not think that standardized instruction is beneficial to the students. It tends to make instruction dry and non-creative. Instruction is often lecture oriented with time for students to work independently. Cooperative group work is limited. Most of the time, students work individually. Mrs. M does have the students use wipe boards for math. They show her their answers to various questions so she knows they are doing them correctly.

For Mrs. M, the most rewarding time as a teacher is when a student who has struggled with a concept for a long time is finally able to understand and appreciate it. This is particularly true of students for whom English is a second language. Mrs. M, as a non-native but fluent Spanish speaker, is able to make connections with the Spanish language for the students periodically. This seems to help them to get some concepts faster, especially vocabulary words.

For Mrs. M, the purpose of public school education is to give students the tools they need to be good citizens, such as strong language and math skills as well as an appreciation for the arts and history. She also hopes to prepare a strong foundation for students to succeed in college if they choose to attend.

In doing this interview, I learned that you need to be flexible when you are a teacher. You may often be asked to teach another grade level or a different combination of students. Also, you need to be able to adapt to different principals’ styles. A good principal can really make the difference between a positive and negative experience teaching. Therefore, when you find a good principal, try to stay with them. This is a tall order in today’s “succeed in a year or you’re out” climate.