Mrs. A is over 70 years old. Although she is recently retired, Mrs. A has been teaching for more than 50 years and continues to do so today by volunteering one to two days a week to work within a first grade classroom. The school is in a coastal town of California. At least ninety percent of the student population is considered low income. Of her more than half century worth of teaching experience, she has done all of it within the compulsory educational system. She is a one time teacher of the institution she now volunteers within. In fact, she was once the "master teacher/supervisor" to the first grade teacher she now volunteers for.
In terms of professional philosophy, she is a true advocate for learning and education. Although she is retired, she continues to volunteer as much as she can because "I feel like teaching and preparing students to succeed is a way to fulfill my life mission." Mrs. A is a self proclaimed Christian and has dedicated her life to social work. As for Mrs. A's current interaction within the classroom, every Friday, she arrives punctually to the beginning bell. For the entirety of this school year, Mrs. A has been working on Math concept development. When she arrives, she begins setting up her daily activity on a side table adjacent to the main group area. The activity always includes a set of manipulative based math instruction and is conducted with an alternating small group of 3 or 4 students.
According to Mrs. A, children are often not properly conceptualizing the math. Much in agreement with the main teacher, their current math text does not sufficiently teach math. The homeroom teacher selects the small groups based on his weekly assessments. From what I have observed, the groups are usually ability mixed with students testing in the high, mid, and low ranges. The strategy she uses is usually questioning. She asks questions and observes what they do. From time to time, she even uses an iPad to record her observations. The students love the manipulative math. They all voluntarily work with Mrs. A. The manipulative activities are all sort of designed in ways so the students can succeed. When the students do something satisfactory in response to Mrs. A's questioning, they receive a "spot." A spot is a foam square used to attain a certain prize. Mrs. A always finds a way for the student to earn a spot. In fact, at the end of each individual group session, all of the students win and earn the same prize.
In terms of describing what keeps Mrs. A enthusiastic, she joked, "It gives me something to do." In all seriousness, she has devoted her time to social work and she enjoys being in the classroom. As for my own personal learning, I feel inspired in many ways by people like Mrs. A. She is a 70 plus year old woman with hearing aids and glasses, but still so mentally sharp and well spoken she feels much younger. As for an something explicit she has advised to me about school setting survival, Mrs. A once told me, "If I can tell you one thing about working within any school young man, it is that you've got to learn how to play politics with the people you work with. If you don't, you invite a hell you never knew was coming." I admire her love for teaching and hope I'll still have that kind of passion if I reach her age.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Monday, March 12, 2012
Lisa Olesen's Interview with a Second Grade Teacher
Susie is a well-known educator at an elementary school in this California valley town. She is currently in her 32nd year as a teacher and has continued to be fully dedicated and passionate about her career. For the past 19 years she has been working a school in this small town, which is a Title One and Basic Aid school with about 50% Hispanic/Latino, 30% White, 13% Native American, and about 7% other ethnicities.
Going into college, Susie had her mind set on becoming a physical therapist; however, that changed once she realized how much she enjoyed working with children in an educational setting. Her first teaching position was in a one-room private school house with ten students, consisting of grades two through eight. In this rural community she was able to gain an appreciation for time spent one-on-one with the students, while understanding the importance of grade level separation. After that she changed to another school and work for two years with seventh and eighth graders in pre-algebra and algebra, then moved to the 5th grade for one year.
Over these first few years as a new teacher, Susie experienced a variety of different grade levels and diverse settings. After about six years of teaching in this rural community, Susie and her husband decided to move and start a family together. For the next seven years, Susie was a stay-at-home mother with two children. She re-entered the teaching career as a GATE teacher and has continued to work at that same school for the past 19 years. After 17 years as the GATE teacher she recently decided to change to second grade. Even though she admitted it “was a very difficult decision to leave my loved position,” she realized that due to the budget cuts there was a chance she might be let go later on and at that moment there was a small window of opportunity to change into a full-time, single grade level position.
Even though Susie has moved around grade levels and subject areas many times, the main component she always includes while teaching is some form of “hands-on learning.” Throughout the interview she continued to stress the point that she believes students learn better if they are engaged with the lesson and given the opportunity to experience learning through hands-on activities. This plays well into the style of instruction Susie uses in her classroom. She strongly believes in pairing and group work activities that get the students talking to one another and working together. She tries to limit the amount of “teacher talk” in each day so that it provides more time for the students to collaborate together, work individually, and work with the teacher in smaller group or individually settings. Susie provides clear, concise instructions and tends to follow the “I do, we do, you do” pattern. In order to gain the students interest in these activities, Susie is “constantly trying to pick high interest topics for that grade level.” For example, she is currently working on a thematic unit focused around spiders. She creates reading lessons, writing projects, and science experiments that incorporate this topic while also staying on task with the standards that need to be met in each subject area.
In order to realize this form of hands-on learning, she sets up her classroom in a way that enables to students to be more independent and learn from personal experience and practice. Around the classroom she has many different areas for the students to learn how to do things without help from the teacher. The reading library, for example, is set up in a numerical way so the students can go over and choose which book to read depending on what Accelerated Reader level they are at. Along with that, there are two computers near the reading area for the students to take their AR test when they have finished their book. She also has all the art supplies (crayons, paints, scissors, etc) set up in the back cupboards and placed on shelves at their level of reach. Susie’s attention to these details might seem like minor elements to the setup of her room, but by taking a step back and asking the students to do more things on their own it provides them with the ability to become more independent and learn through doing.
Susie repeatedly stressed the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people and truly appreciating the successes of teaching. She has always loved working with children and has an innate connection with them and their families. Her relationship with the children is caring, warm, happy, and lively. She makes learning fun for them and you can tell they all adore her. The passion she brings to the classroom clearly spreads to her students and you can see their excitement for learning.
Susie further emphasized the point that teachers need to focus on the successes no matter how big or small they might be. She does not dwell on the things that go wrong; instead she highlights the elements that the students did correctly and alters her lessons accordingly.
The excitement of teaching has definitely not died down in Susie. She is continually finding new lesson ideas, bringing in fun facts to share with her students, incorporating animals she gets from the museum or her backyard, taking the students on a variety of field trips, and so much more. Just by talking with her I can see how strong her passion is for being an educator.
Through this interview I came to realize how similar we are. Her enthusiasms for teaching are aligned with some of my strongest passions for this career. She is also a very creative teacher who takes a standard lesson plan and creates her own twist on it to engage the students more. Many of her teaching qualities are ones that I can start seeing in myself and hope to incorporate into my own style of teaching. It was a very inspiration conversation with Susie and I hope to not only increase my passion and motivation for teaching, but also use my positive and enthusiastic attitude to improve the educational careers of my future students.
Going into college, Susie had her mind set on becoming a physical therapist; however, that changed once she realized how much she enjoyed working with children in an educational setting. Her first teaching position was in a one-room private school house with ten students, consisting of grades two through eight. In this rural community she was able to gain an appreciation for time spent one-on-one with the students, while understanding the importance of grade level separation. After that she changed to another school and work for two years with seventh and eighth graders in pre-algebra and algebra, then moved to the 5th grade for one year.
Over these first few years as a new teacher, Susie experienced a variety of different grade levels and diverse settings. After about six years of teaching in this rural community, Susie and her husband decided to move and start a family together. For the next seven years, Susie was a stay-at-home mother with two children. She re-entered the teaching career as a GATE teacher and has continued to work at that same school for the past 19 years. After 17 years as the GATE teacher she recently decided to change to second grade. Even though she admitted it “was a very difficult decision to leave my loved position,” she realized that due to the budget cuts there was a chance she might be let go later on and at that moment there was a small window of opportunity to change into a full-time, single grade level position.
Even though Susie has moved around grade levels and subject areas many times, the main component she always includes while teaching is some form of “hands-on learning.” Throughout the interview she continued to stress the point that she believes students learn better if they are engaged with the lesson and given the opportunity to experience learning through hands-on activities. This plays well into the style of instruction Susie uses in her classroom. She strongly believes in pairing and group work activities that get the students talking to one another and working together. She tries to limit the amount of “teacher talk” in each day so that it provides more time for the students to collaborate together, work individually, and work with the teacher in smaller group or individually settings. Susie provides clear, concise instructions and tends to follow the “I do, we do, you do” pattern. In order to gain the students interest in these activities, Susie is “constantly trying to pick high interest topics for that grade level.” For example, she is currently working on a thematic unit focused around spiders. She creates reading lessons, writing projects, and science experiments that incorporate this topic while also staying on task with the standards that need to be met in each subject area.
In order to realize this form of hands-on learning, she sets up her classroom in a way that enables to students to be more independent and learn from personal experience and practice. Around the classroom she has many different areas for the students to learn how to do things without help from the teacher. The reading library, for example, is set up in a numerical way so the students can go over and choose which book to read depending on what Accelerated Reader level they are at. Along with that, there are two computers near the reading area for the students to take their AR test when they have finished their book. She also has all the art supplies (crayons, paints, scissors, etc) set up in the back cupboards and placed on shelves at their level of reach. Susie’s attention to these details might seem like minor elements to the setup of her room, but by taking a step back and asking the students to do more things on their own it provides them with the ability to become more independent and learn through doing.
Susie repeatedly stressed the importance of surrounding yourself with positive people and truly appreciating the successes of teaching. She has always loved working with children and has an innate connection with them and their families. Her relationship with the children is caring, warm, happy, and lively. She makes learning fun for them and you can tell they all adore her. The passion she brings to the classroom clearly spreads to her students and you can see their excitement for learning.
Susie further emphasized the point that teachers need to focus on the successes no matter how big or small they might be. She does not dwell on the things that go wrong; instead she highlights the elements that the students did correctly and alters her lessons accordingly.
The excitement of teaching has definitely not died down in Susie. She is continually finding new lesson ideas, bringing in fun facts to share with her students, incorporating animals she gets from the museum or her backyard, taking the students on a variety of field trips, and so much more. Just by talking with her I can see how strong her passion is for being an educator.
Through this interview I came to realize how similar we are. Her enthusiasms for teaching are aligned with some of my strongest passions for this career. She is also a very creative teacher who takes a standard lesson plan and creates her own twist on it to engage the students more. Many of her teaching qualities are ones that I can start seeing in myself and hope to incorporate into my own style of teaching. It was a very inspiration conversation with Susie and I hope to not only increase my passion and motivation for teaching, but also use my positive and enthusiastic attitude to improve the educational careers of my future students.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Avelina Campos-Marquez's Interview with a Second Grade Teacher
Ms. A. teaches at M Elementary School in this seaside California town. This school has a fairly heterogeneous makeup of Asians 5%, Black/African 12%, Latino/Hispanic 29% and White (non-Hispanic) 46. M Elementary School mainly serves children from all branches of the military, and a few of the locals that are attracted to the Dual Language Immersion Program (DLIP). Ms. A is currently is part of the DLIP Staff at M Elementary School, this would be her third year teaching at this school. M Elementary is one of very few schools that still use the DILP model and is currently using the 50/50 model, 50 % of instruction is conducted in Spanish and the other 50% of instruction is instructed in English.
Ms. A went to school at a California State University, and did not go through the traditional student teacher program. She had her emergency 30-day teaching permit when she started teaching her first year. She was terrified of teaching her first year, but she ended up having a perfect classroom. Her classroom consisted of twenty-one students. Out of the twenty-one, eighteen students were girls. She has been teaching for 14 years now, and had been able to work in a variety of settings and school districts. In those fourteen years, she has only taught second and third grade, describing second grade being the best, because third grade is full of transitions as far as academics for the children. She has had the opportunity to teach in a Structured English Immersion (English only classroom), bilingual classroom, and now currently teaching in a DILP. She has worked in three different districts in California.
"Without a structure, you cannot teach." Ms. A says about a basic philosophy. Ms. A thinks there should be a balance in literacy between word study, phonics, writing, and not isolating them from each other as they all lead to one goal. She has a strong belief that public education needs to provide the best services for all children in order to succeed academically, and there should be high expectations for all students.
Her classroom is set up and based on language. She has chosen the color blue, to represent the bilingualism the children are acquiring. Each bulletin board in her classroom serves an instructional purpose. These bulletins boards are all interactive and all children can reach them. The bulletins boards need to be interactive and well organized for the children to be able to see the flow of information. She uses three main bulletin boards. One has "La Gran Pregunta" (the big question) and this bulletin is solely dedicated to Spanish Language Arts. She has a very well organized bulletin containing everything the children will be learning in the unit. Every week, the vocabulary words change, and the small topics do as well, as well as mentioning the standards that are being covered in the lesson.
Then she has the bulletin that is dedicated to math. On this bulletin board all the objectives of the day are displayed, as well as the standards and all the new vocabulary words we will be learning in each topic within the unit.
The last bulletin board, which she is just starting to put together, is for her small groups. Because of the DLI program, they focus a lot on interaction between students. She has set up her classroom in a way that all the tables are directed towards the center of the room. Then, each group consists of a boy/girl, and is arranged by an English speaker next to an ELL.
Ms. A is great about updating her bulletin board in a daily basis.
As part of her instructional strategies she uses the Multiple Intelligence. She believes that certain strategies will keep them engaged, and not all students learn the same. She does a lot of teacher directed instruction, not so much because of the scripted curriculum, but because the language and the classroom materials are very structured as well. After the giving the first benchmark this up coming week, she will be then shifting into small group activities (many call them centers), in order to have differentiated as well as direct instruction. This differentiation is mainly to be able to aid students in a particular area they need extra help, and at the same time challenge those overachievers in the class.
When I asked her about what keeps her motivated and enthusiastic about teaching her eyes lit up and responded with a huge smile telling me "I love what I do." Ms. A loves to push students to do the best she can. She has high expectations for all of her students regardless of the level they are in. She tries to provide as much support for the students, but she does not enable them to fail.
I learned a lot from the interview and from being on her classroom every day. Ms. A and I have similar backgrounds; we both were raised in Mexico, both were able to attend college here in California and both ending up in the education field. I can see myself as a close image of Ms. A in a way that she approaches the children, the way she looks at the smallest detail.
Ms. A went to school at a California State University, and did not go through the traditional student teacher program. She had her emergency 30-day teaching permit when she started teaching her first year. She was terrified of teaching her first year, but she ended up having a perfect classroom. Her classroom consisted of twenty-one students. Out of the twenty-one, eighteen students were girls. She has been teaching for 14 years now, and had been able to work in a variety of settings and school districts. In those fourteen years, she has only taught second and third grade, describing second grade being the best, because third grade is full of transitions as far as academics for the children. She has had the opportunity to teach in a Structured English Immersion (English only classroom), bilingual classroom, and now currently teaching in a DILP. She has worked in three different districts in California.
"Without a structure, you cannot teach." Ms. A says about a basic philosophy. Ms. A thinks there should be a balance in literacy between word study, phonics, writing, and not isolating them from each other as they all lead to one goal. She has a strong belief that public education needs to provide the best services for all children in order to succeed academically, and there should be high expectations for all students.
Her classroom is set up and based on language. She has chosen the color blue, to represent the bilingualism the children are acquiring. Each bulletin board in her classroom serves an instructional purpose. These bulletins boards are all interactive and all children can reach them. The bulletins boards need to be interactive and well organized for the children to be able to see the flow of information. She uses three main bulletin boards. One has "La Gran Pregunta" (the big question) and this bulletin is solely dedicated to Spanish Language Arts. She has a very well organized bulletin containing everything the children will be learning in the unit. Every week, the vocabulary words change, and the small topics do as well, as well as mentioning the standards that are being covered in the lesson.
Then she has the bulletin that is dedicated to math. On this bulletin board all the objectives of the day are displayed, as well as the standards and all the new vocabulary words we will be learning in each topic within the unit.
The last bulletin board, which she is just starting to put together, is for her small groups. Because of the DLI program, they focus a lot on interaction between students. She has set up her classroom in a way that all the tables are directed towards the center of the room. Then, each group consists of a boy/girl, and is arranged by an English speaker next to an ELL.
Ms. A is great about updating her bulletin board in a daily basis.
As part of her instructional strategies she uses the Multiple Intelligence. She believes that certain strategies will keep them engaged, and not all students learn the same. She does a lot of teacher directed instruction, not so much because of the scripted curriculum, but because the language and the classroom materials are very structured as well. After the giving the first benchmark this up coming week, she will be then shifting into small group activities (many call them centers), in order to have differentiated as well as direct instruction. This differentiation is mainly to be able to aid students in a particular area they need extra help, and at the same time challenge those overachievers in the class.
When I asked her about what keeps her motivated and enthusiastic about teaching her eyes lit up and responded with a huge smile telling me "I love what I do." Ms. A loves to push students to do the best she can. She has high expectations for all of her students regardless of the level they are in. She tries to provide as much support for the students, but she does not enable them to fail.
I learned a lot from the interview and from being on her classroom every day. Ms. A and I have similar backgrounds; we both were raised in Mexico, both were able to attend college here in California and both ending up in the education field. I can see myself as a close image of Ms. A in a way that she approaches the children, the way she looks at the smallest detail.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Veronica Brewington's Interview with a Third Grade Teacher
I was fortunate enough to interview and learn from the experience of Mrs. B. She has been teaching for thirty years in a variety of forums. Mrs. B began her teaching career at a high-income school for fifteen years. She then moved to this area where she taught for ten years, two of which were in a bilingual program. Her final five years up to the present have been taught in in her present school, in grades three and four. Mrs. B also took a break from traditional teaching for an additional four years to do home instruction. The students she aided ranged from first to twelfth grade.
The school she is working in currently is located in a mostly low-income community on the central coast of California. The school has roughly 435 students who are predominantly Latino. Mrs. B is presently teaching third graders. Her class has twenty-three students, fourteen boys and nine girls. There are twenty-one students of Latino descent and two African America students. Twenty of Mrs. B's students are English Language Learners.
We began by discussing Mrs. B's educational philosophy. She expressed a belief that public education was meant to impart quality education to all. "Every child can learn." she believes, and it is our job to reach each and every one of them. In describing her pedagogy, she mentions "equal opportunity." She emphasized the vitality of tailoring the lessons for the students. It is in this way that teachers can ensure all students get reached, regardless of socio-economic status or background. These are virtues that I not only admire, but strive for. Even after thirty years of teaching, most of which have been under standardized based instruction, Mrs. B does not overlook the true value of what educators are doing. Teachers are incapable of doing their jobs if they do not primarily believe each one of their students not only can learn, but have the right to do so. These principles have created the basis for Mrs. B's quality teaching, a model that I hope to mirror.
In setting up her classroom, she has placed the students in tables of about four students to promote group discussions. She ensures that the tables are angled so that the students are able to view her, wherever she may be within the classroom. Mrs. B seats lower scoring students next to higher scoring students, allowing the children the opportunity to learn from each other. The bulletin boards located throughout the room reflect what the students are working on for the particular week. Mrs. B's strategy for designing her classroom is informative. She allows interactive group work by having the students in tables based on skill level. However, to maintain management, she ensures the tables are angled so that the primary attention is on her. The bulletin boards attend to those students who are more visual learners. Mrs. B has struck a challenging balance. She allows the students to be more interactive with each other; however she is always able to maintain control of her class.
One of the more vital points discussed was the necessity to meet the needs of all learners, even in these times of more standardized instruction. Mrs. B angrily admits that the majority of her daily instructions entail teaching to some sort of test. She describes the heavily weighted emphasis on math and language arts, leaving little room for social studies and science. "They're lucky if they get to any form of art or physical education," she explains, "I do not get to decide what I teach anymore." However, she does understand her role for delivering quality education to all types of learners. Whenever possible, Mrs. B makes her instruction more physical and hands-on. She allows the students to use manipulates during math and has them write their answers on their own individual white boards. She uses pictures for vocabulary and has the students get up and act scenarios out for language arts. Mrs. B demonstrates a teacher's ability to be creative and a curriculum that calls for very little creativity.
We concluded the interview by discussing how, during these seemingly frustrating times for teachers, she is able to maintain her optimism. I asked her what keeps her enthusiastic. Mrs. B described the look children possess when they finally get something. "You can literally see the light bulb come on," she describes. Mrs. B enjoys grappling over a concept with a student stating "It makes the end result more rewarding." These are the untainted basics of education that Mrs. B has not lost. She instills knowledge that helps children grow into adulthood and encourages lifelong learning.
This interview taught me about the importance of reaching all varieties of diverse learners, and the ways in which this can be achieved. Mrs. B demonstrates the ways in which she tailors her strict curriculum to accommodate her students. She allows for visual learning and group discussions. The children are often times given the opportunity to get out of their seats. I learned the ways in which I am able to implement my own level of creativity within my classroom. Most importantly, however, this interview reminded me of why I decided to enter the field of education in the first place. When asked what maintains her level of enthusiasm, Mrs. B stated "watching the kids learn." This simple answer instilled exactly what it is I am doing as a teacher. I am fortunate enough to contribute to the growth of children into who they want to become. This is what keeps Mrs. B coming back to school every morning, and what I have to look forward to.
The school she is working in currently is located in a mostly low-income community on the central coast of California. The school has roughly 435 students who are predominantly Latino. Mrs. B is presently teaching third graders. Her class has twenty-three students, fourteen boys and nine girls. There are twenty-one students of Latino descent and two African America students. Twenty of Mrs. B's students are English Language Learners.
We began by discussing Mrs. B's educational philosophy. She expressed a belief that public education was meant to impart quality education to all. "Every child can learn." she believes, and it is our job to reach each and every one of them. In describing her pedagogy, she mentions "equal opportunity." She emphasized the vitality of tailoring the lessons for the students. It is in this way that teachers can ensure all students get reached, regardless of socio-economic status or background. These are virtues that I not only admire, but strive for. Even after thirty years of teaching, most of which have been under standardized based instruction, Mrs. B does not overlook the true value of what educators are doing. Teachers are incapable of doing their jobs if they do not primarily believe each one of their students not only can learn, but have the right to do so. These principles have created the basis for Mrs. B's quality teaching, a model that I hope to mirror.
In setting up her classroom, she has placed the students in tables of about four students to promote group discussions. She ensures that the tables are angled so that the students are able to view her, wherever she may be within the classroom. Mrs. B seats lower scoring students next to higher scoring students, allowing the children the opportunity to learn from each other. The bulletin boards located throughout the room reflect what the students are working on for the particular week. Mrs. B's strategy for designing her classroom is informative. She allows interactive group work by having the students in tables based on skill level. However, to maintain management, she ensures the tables are angled so that the primary attention is on her. The bulletin boards attend to those students who are more visual learners. Mrs. B has struck a challenging balance. She allows the students to be more interactive with each other; however she is always able to maintain control of her class.
One of the more vital points discussed was the necessity to meet the needs of all learners, even in these times of more standardized instruction. Mrs. B angrily admits that the majority of her daily instructions entail teaching to some sort of test. She describes the heavily weighted emphasis on math and language arts, leaving little room for social studies and science. "They're lucky if they get to any form of art or physical education," she explains, "I do not get to decide what I teach anymore." However, she does understand her role for delivering quality education to all types of learners. Whenever possible, Mrs. B makes her instruction more physical and hands-on. She allows the students to use manipulates during math and has them write their answers on their own individual white boards. She uses pictures for vocabulary and has the students get up and act scenarios out for language arts. Mrs. B demonstrates a teacher's ability to be creative and a curriculum that calls for very little creativity.
We concluded the interview by discussing how, during these seemingly frustrating times for teachers, she is able to maintain her optimism. I asked her what keeps her enthusiastic. Mrs. B described the look children possess when they finally get something. "You can literally see the light bulb come on," she describes. Mrs. B enjoys grappling over a concept with a student stating "It makes the end result more rewarding." These are the untainted basics of education that Mrs. B has not lost. She instills knowledge that helps children grow into adulthood and encourages lifelong learning.
This interview taught me about the importance of reaching all varieties of diverse learners, and the ways in which this can be achieved. Mrs. B demonstrates the ways in which she tailors her strict curriculum to accommodate her students. She allows for visual learning and group discussions. The children are often times given the opportunity to get out of their seats. I learned the ways in which I am able to implement my own level of creativity within my classroom. Most importantly, however, this interview reminded me of why I decided to enter the field of education in the first place. When asked what maintains her level of enthusiasm, Mrs. B stated "watching the kids learn." This simple answer instilled exactly what it is I am doing as a teacher. I am fortunate enough to contribute to the growth of children into who they want to become. This is what keeps Mrs. B coming back to school every morning, and what I have to look forward to.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
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.
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.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Berenice Amaya-Gonzalez's Interview with a Bilingual Kindergarten Teacher
The teacher I interviewed has been working at Mariposas Elementary for the last six years. She is currently teaching a staggered bilingual kindergarten. This school serves a population of more than 90% Latino students with only 35% of the students being English proficient and more than 95% of the students speaking Spanish as a first language. Ms. Minakata has been teaching for eleven years and has taught bilingual kindergarten, first, and second grade. Ms. Minakata explained that this school district serves low-income families, most of the families are fieldworkers and there is a lot of mobility due to the migration from field to field.
Her professional philosophy is the assertion and conviction that everyone can learn. Every student has the capacity and potential to learn in her classroom. She describes some students as "late bloomers" who will struggle at the beginning of the school year, but will eventually catch up around November or December. She explained that these particular students may need more support and often times with some encouragement they will keep up with the pace "it's like spoon feeding a child, little by little they will learn to work in a classroom." Her philosophy extends to know "the whole child" which includes her students' backgrounds and understand that sometimes the students have not been exposed to school and she has to build this knowledge from scratch. "You are building the learning foundation because some students have no idea what school is all about." She also takes into consideration the neighborhood her students come from and considers the possibility of her students' being expose to violence, "After all, the school and district is located in the east side of Salinas" which is known as a dangerous area.
Ms. Minakata shared that she has seen some progress with her students; she also noticed that some are struggling and knows that these students' parents are working in the fields since very early in the morning, and often parents do not arrive at home until the work is done late in the evening. The children of these families are worried about their parents and often times they do not know who will take care of them. "Learning becomes a struggle for these students." Through her eleven years of experience working with migrant families and field workers, she has noticed a pattern that involves the active participation of these parents during the spring break or when the harvest is done. The parents' presence at home makes a big difference to their children's learning and they also have time to volunteer in the classroom "even if they don't know how to read or write I find ways to integrate their presence and their help in my classroom."
She uses some form of direct instruction as her pedagogy. She also incorporates small groups or centers where children produce independent work or learn from more experienced peers. She also does one-to-one instruction or support to scaffold the students who are struggling. She uses many open- and close-ended questions "at the beginning you have to model them how to answer because even when you ask an open ended questions they tend to use a word to answer." She uses games played in the playground before lunchtime to include movement, and she uses songs with repetitive words to help with memorization, especially during English language development time.
She believes that the purpose of public education is to provide equal education to everyone. As a public entity, certain standards have to been created, written to include all the students. However, unfortunately, equal opportunities are not provided for all students to meet these uniform standards. Standards are written to measure certain skills and competencies acquired during a particular time frame, and some students who do not meet these requirements should be retained. She understands that there are some students' for whom detention can be negative and she studies each student closely and independently before she makes a suggestion about retaining a student.
Ms. Minakata's classroom has been built following a kindergarten design. The classroom has an extra storage space and three bathrooms: two for students and one for staff. This set up is very convenient and less disruptive during instruction. The classroom is decorated with students' creations and some academic displays, such as the alphabet in English and Spanish, the vowels, the months of the year, the days of the week, the colors, and high frequency words. The classroom has four centers, which are tables for students to work on their assignments. There is a big rug where direct instruction takes place as well as the alphabet practice and a place for students to participate in self-exploratory learning when they finished their assignments. Each center has a geometric shape hanged from the ceiling and this is the way students are grouped. There are two extra tables that are used for assessments and independent one-on-one support. Ms. Minakata has a desk, but she uses it as a storage place and seldom sits behind it.
She is always assessing her students' performance directly and indirectly. When she notices certain progress, she moves the students to another center where the students will be challenged through teacher directed games at the beginning and eventually when students learn the process and skill how to work with the material she integrates a new game with other materials. Every six weeks she officially assesses certain skills to evaluate the curriculum and think of other methods to reach to the students who have not performed as well as the others or "to regroup the students, again." She works with her students interacting with them and even at home, she is constantly thinking ways to motivate their desire to learn "I have high expectations for all my students. If I see a child who will benefit from the after school program because I suspect there is not enough support at home, I will talk to the parents." She explains that often the students are under the care of babysitters who do not help the students with homework. When she notices this setting, she interferes for her student to receive the support from the school.
Her enthusiasm about working with young learners is seeing their progress and "when parents share a skill learned at school and give me credit for it is what keeps me looking forward to the next day, to the next year." She accepts feeling overwhelmed sometimes, especially this year with the new curriculum because she did not receive the training until a few weeks after school started. She is learning the information and trying to catch up with the expectations thinking about what is best for her students and trying to meet the requirements the district imposes. She said "I sometimes can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but then something happens, I may see an older student of mine and I would think about the years he is being at this school and I get excited again."
She also told me that when other teachers share the accomplishments of some of her previous students, she finds this action very touching and rewarding "especially if the student was quite challenging." Hearing that this student is making progress is very rewarding for Ms. Minakata.
She shared that it makes her feel valuated when parents request her as a teacher because someone else has recommended her, or just from previous experience. For example, she shared that right now she has the younger siblings of three families who have been with her for several years. One of her students is the fourth child of a family who has requested her explicitly at the beginning of the school year. This seems to be a privilege and praise for her hard work as a teacher.
Ms. Minakata recommended that I obtain my BCLAD credential and shared with me that it makes a difference. "Anyone can teach in English, but a few can teach English and content at the same time." Teaching kindergarten is very hard and requires a lot of work and dedication. Students have no idea what to expect and parents often times don't want to let go of their children, especially if these are the first children of the family or the last ones. "You have to teach parents and children how the school works, what to expect from you, in what ways they can help you and their children." The vowels foundation, syllables, sounds, numbers, colors, shapes "takes a lot of repetition and you need to find ways to make the instruction repetitive, yet fun and new." She also recommended that I get informed about the school district emergency procedures. For example, not many districts deal with "lock down" safety interruptions during instruction, but due to the location of the school, there are times when students have to experience the scary process to be kept inside the classroom. Their routines are changed and instruction has to continue.
She ended the interview by adding that working with young students give you the skills to work and manage older classrooms because students grow, skills and procedures have been acquired. "It's not the same to have one or a few students who may need help, then building the foundation of each student from zero." Ms. Minakata is a well organized teacher who is also a mother of three children. She has her own family and her children also go to school where she is actively involved in the parents' association. She also mentors other teachers who are currently doing their beginning teacher training and I had the opportunity to see her work in close relationship with these new teachers. "I want to give back to the community the help I received when I was in the process to become a teacher." Ms. Minakata is a good role model to have in the classroom and I am very privilege to know her and learn from her.
Her professional philosophy is the assertion and conviction that everyone can learn. Every student has the capacity and potential to learn in her classroom. She describes some students as "late bloomers" who will struggle at the beginning of the school year, but will eventually catch up around November or December. She explained that these particular students may need more support and often times with some encouragement they will keep up with the pace "it's like spoon feeding a child, little by little they will learn to work in a classroom." Her philosophy extends to know "the whole child" which includes her students' backgrounds and understand that sometimes the students have not been exposed to school and she has to build this knowledge from scratch. "You are building the learning foundation because some students have no idea what school is all about." She also takes into consideration the neighborhood her students come from and considers the possibility of her students' being expose to violence, "After all, the school and district is located in the east side of Salinas" which is known as a dangerous area.
Ms. Minakata shared that she has seen some progress with her students; she also noticed that some are struggling and knows that these students' parents are working in the fields since very early in the morning, and often parents do not arrive at home until the work is done late in the evening. The children of these families are worried about their parents and often times they do not know who will take care of them. "Learning becomes a struggle for these students." Through her eleven years of experience working with migrant families and field workers, she has noticed a pattern that involves the active participation of these parents during the spring break or when the harvest is done. The parents' presence at home makes a big difference to their children's learning and they also have time to volunteer in the classroom "even if they don't know how to read or write I find ways to integrate their presence and their help in my classroom."
She uses some form of direct instruction as her pedagogy. She also incorporates small groups or centers where children produce independent work or learn from more experienced peers. She also does one-to-one instruction or support to scaffold the students who are struggling. She uses many open- and close-ended questions "at the beginning you have to model them how to answer because even when you ask an open ended questions they tend to use a word to answer." She uses games played in the playground before lunchtime to include movement, and she uses songs with repetitive words to help with memorization, especially during English language development time.
She believes that the purpose of public education is to provide equal education to everyone. As a public entity, certain standards have to been created, written to include all the students. However, unfortunately, equal opportunities are not provided for all students to meet these uniform standards. Standards are written to measure certain skills and competencies acquired during a particular time frame, and some students who do not meet these requirements should be retained. She understands that there are some students' for whom detention can be negative and she studies each student closely and independently before she makes a suggestion about retaining a student.
Ms. Minakata's classroom has been built following a kindergarten design. The classroom has an extra storage space and three bathrooms: two for students and one for staff. This set up is very convenient and less disruptive during instruction. The classroom is decorated with students' creations and some academic displays, such as the alphabet in English and Spanish, the vowels, the months of the year, the days of the week, the colors, and high frequency words. The classroom has four centers, which are tables for students to work on their assignments. There is a big rug where direct instruction takes place as well as the alphabet practice and a place for students to participate in self-exploratory learning when they finished their assignments. Each center has a geometric shape hanged from the ceiling and this is the way students are grouped. There are two extra tables that are used for assessments and independent one-on-one support. Ms. Minakata has a desk, but she uses it as a storage place and seldom sits behind it.
She is always assessing her students' performance directly and indirectly. When she notices certain progress, she moves the students to another center where the students will be challenged through teacher directed games at the beginning and eventually when students learn the process and skill how to work with the material she integrates a new game with other materials. Every six weeks she officially assesses certain skills to evaluate the curriculum and think of other methods to reach to the students who have not performed as well as the others or "to regroup the students, again." She works with her students interacting with them and even at home, she is constantly thinking ways to motivate their desire to learn "I have high expectations for all my students. If I see a child who will benefit from the after school program because I suspect there is not enough support at home, I will talk to the parents." She explains that often the students are under the care of babysitters who do not help the students with homework. When she notices this setting, she interferes for her student to receive the support from the school.
Her enthusiasm about working with young learners is seeing their progress and "when parents share a skill learned at school and give me credit for it is what keeps me looking forward to the next day, to the next year." She accepts feeling overwhelmed sometimes, especially this year with the new curriculum because she did not receive the training until a few weeks after school started. She is learning the information and trying to catch up with the expectations thinking about what is best for her students and trying to meet the requirements the district imposes. She said "I sometimes can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but then something happens, I may see an older student of mine and I would think about the years he is being at this school and I get excited again."
She also told me that when other teachers share the accomplishments of some of her previous students, she finds this action very touching and rewarding "especially if the student was quite challenging." Hearing that this student is making progress is very rewarding for Ms. Minakata.
She shared that it makes her feel valuated when parents request her as a teacher because someone else has recommended her, or just from previous experience. For example, she shared that right now she has the younger siblings of three families who have been with her for several years. One of her students is the fourth child of a family who has requested her explicitly at the beginning of the school year. This seems to be a privilege and praise for her hard work as a teacher.
Ms. Minakata recommended that I obtain my BCLAD credential and shared with me that it makes a difference. "Anyone can teach in English, but a few can teach English and content at the same time." Teaching kindergarten is very hard and requires a lot of work and dedication. Students have no idea what to expect and parents often times don't want to let go of their children, especially if these are the first children of the family or the last ones. "You have to teach parents and children how the school works, what to expect from you, in what ways they can help you and their children." The vowels foundation, syllables, sounds, numbers, colors, shapes "takes a lot of repetition and you need to find ways to make the instruction repetitive, yet fun and new." She also recommended that I get informed about the school district emergency procedures. For example, not many districts deal with "lock down" safety interruptions during instruction, but due to the location of the school, there are times when students have to experience the scary process to be kept inside the classroom. Their routines are changed and instruction has to continue.
She ended the interview by adding that working with young students give you the skills to work and manage older classrooms because students grow, skills and procedures have been acquired. "It's not the same to have one or a few students who may need help, then building the foundation of each student from zero." Ms. Minakata is a well organized teacher who is also a mother of three children. She has her own family and her children also go to school where she is actively involved in the parents' association. She also mentors other teachers who are currently doing their beginning teacher training and I had the opportunity to see her work in close relationship with these new teachers. "I want to give back to the community the help I received when I was in the process to become a teacher." Ms. Minakata is a good role model to have in the classroom and I am very privilege to know her and learn from her.
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