Reflective Journal & Observation #2

1) Reflective Journal

          My last two visits were much better experienced’s than my first! I’ve had the opportunity to get to know a few more of the students and I’m finally remembering all of their names. Bittersweetly, the child I wrote about in my previous post has moved in with different relatives, more apt and knowledgeable in helping her receive the assistance she needs to overcome her trauma and learn how to manage her behaviors. The teacher informed me that she now attends a preschool with a much smaller class size and a higher teacher-student ratio and that she's enrolled in dance class and absolutely loves it! It’s discouraging that I didn’t have the opportunity to get to know her better but I’m so happy to hear that’s she’s living with relatives who will nurture and appreciate her.

          I will say though, the atmosphere in the classroom is completely different now. There’s less disruption and students seem to stay engaged in activities for longer. The teacher is much more focused on staying on task as well. I headed up the matching game at stations today, and some of the children were concentrating so hard on remembering where the matches were that we were able to play two or three games before the 15-minute timer went off.

          Something that will definitely stick with me was listening to one of the ELL students explain the goal of the game to her little sister in Mandarin, their natural language. She said to me, “Ellie doesn’t know much English yet so I will tell her.” She’s so soft-spoken and a bit difficult to understand because she speaks with an accent but she would turn to me and ask me what the pictures on the cards were (they were valentine themed) so she could tell her sister speaking Mandarin. When she held up the cupid card and I told her “Little man of love.”, she looked at me like I was from another planet and just kinda shook her head at her sister. Probably the best part of today.

          What I’ve discovered about curriculum from my most recent visits is that the three-year-old children in the classroom are tracing their names on dot worksheets and the four and five-year-old students are writing their names. And some are really good at it too, especially Ellie and her sister who are able to clearly write out their first and last names. I have two and almost three-year-old children in my classroom and I’ve never considered trying to show them how to write their name because they just seem so young to me. Perhaps I’m undermining their potential and maybe this is an unconscious bias of mine that can now be confronted.



2) Environmental Analysis of Diversity.

How are families involved in the classroom? How are cultural differences between families and diverse language backgrounds addressed by the teacher? How are cultural differences and diverse language backgrounds evident in the classroom environment? What are your ideas for involving families in the classroom?

          Family members are welcome to volunteer in the classroom whenever they’d like. They’re welcome to read a story, help out with stations, or just hang out with their child. They’re also strongly encouraged to attend classroom parties, open houses, and other school functions. I wasn’t able to attend the Valentine’s Day celebrations, but the teacher informed me that quite a few parents attended the party, and the amount of leftover treats covering the countertop in the classroom was even more evidence of parental participation.

          The teacher addresses the diverse language backgrounds by clearly labeling everything in the room in English, Spanish, and whatever other languages any of her students may speak, such as Mandarin Chinese. Thanks to online translating technology, this task isn’t as daunting as it seems. Sadly, she doesn’t really observe any diverse holidays in the classroom apart from Black History Month.

          Classroom newsletters including pictures of students should become a weekly if the not monthly norm in all schools. They help keep parents informed on what’s happening in the classroom and up to date on school events. And parents just really like seeing pictures of their kids participating in activities.

Reflective Journal & Observation #1

Reflective journal:

        The first day of observations was spent mostly getting to know the children and helping the teachers in the classroom. I arrived shortly before breakfast, so I started the morning chatting with the teacher while we passed out grapes and cereal bars as the children slowly filed in. They were very curious about me and asked me lots of questions about why I was there. After breakfast, we went to the gym and played a bit of kickball. I tried to spend some individual time with a few of the children who quickly became attached to me, but the other children were curious about the game we were playing, and individual time just wasn’t an option. We then went back to the classroom and did a few activities including my favorite which was a self-portrait. The children used crayons to draw pictures of themselves, their families, and the things they liked. It was an exceptionally diverse activity and a good beginning insight into their lives.

        I debated writing about this, just because I’m not big on conflict, but here goes. The negative aspect of the day was watching one of the professionals who work at the school taunt and mock a young child obviously suffering from emotional and psychological trauma. According to the teacher, the child lost her mother in an accident and her father is incarcerated. Because of the trauma she has experienced she is prone to tantrums and fits of rage. Some of her days at school consist of being put in the back corner of the room away from the other children to protect them from her outbursts. At first glance, it appeared that the professional was trying to console the child. He was sitting in a seat in front of her, obstructing her view, attempting to encourage her to take deep breaths so she could calm down. He eventually became more and more irritated with her defiance until he was literally mocking her shrill screams each time she would let one out. He would then glance over at us and make some kind of remark, in essence blaming her for her behavior and his, in an attempt to excuse and make light of what he was doing. His methods and words were very crude and unprofessional. I was absolutely horrified and broken-hearted for the little girl. It’s blatantly obvious that he has absolutely no training or experience in dealing with children suffering from the effects of trauma or doesn't care to apply any training he's received. I left that room with a pit in my stomach and a dull soreness in my heart.

        My goal for next week is to continue building relationships with the teachers and students. I’m looking forward to attempting to spend more individual time with each child.




Environmental Analysis of Diversity:

Describe the class (size, gender balance, diversity, disabilities, physical environment). What examples of diversity do you observe in the class?

        The classroom, which consists of 7 boys and 8 girls, is big yet cozy with comfortably furnished centers and brightly decorated artwork all throughout the room. The diversity amongst the students is considerable. We have two children from China, both ELL, another child who is non-verbal and requires a tablet device to communicate, and two other children with IEP’s. The children from China spend time with an instructor every day learning how to read, write, and speak English. I was only able to observe the non-verbal child for a few moments, I had to hold in a laugh as he was being scolded by his therapist for watching YouTube videos on his device instead of working on his assignments at home. He didn’t need any words, the look of satisfaction on his face said it all.