Thomas Huisman

Education 102
Professor Bobeldyke
December 8, 2015
School Analysis
For my classroom observation I chose to go to a high school because I know I
will be spending lots of time in elementary school classrooms in the coming years and I
wanted to switch it up early. I went back to my old high school, unity christian. Although
it wasnt my old high school...and I dont mean it had changed so much since I left that it
seemed like a different place. Unity Christian actually built a brand new high school this
past year and my senior class missed the new building by one year. So as I returned to
my high school or I guess arrived for the first time, it was like I was visiting a new
school, just with the same people. I wasnt sure at first if I wanted to go back to my
original high school or not, but the more I thought about it, the more I was very curious
as to how classrooms and teaching styles had possibly changed because of the new
environment.
Sitting in on a senior bible class I thought about the purpose of school. I thought
about how I sat in through these same classes for four years and eight more years of
school before those. Why did I do that? Was it all a waste? I probably did it because I
had to and its the law to go to school. So then why does everyone have to go to
school? Why is it important? Eighteen years is a long time, just think about how goood I
could be at something if I started learning when I was young. I asked myself and the
teacher this question. We decided that in order for our country and society to keep
moving forward, progress, and simple just function, we need everyone to have some

kind of base education. There needs to be a level in which everyone can function. From
there people can pursue higher education or start a career. School also in a way,
prepares you for regular life. It teaches you skills, social and intellectual, that you will
need to use in everyday life. At my school and in the bible class I was my teacher also
stressed that his class is part of the benefit that comes with a Christian school. Not only
are the students prepared for everyday life, but hopefully the bible classes are unity,
along with chapels and other things prepare the hearts and minds of the students to
continue to grow spiritually as they move on to the next chapter of their lives. Whether it
be intellectual or spiritual, schooling sets the informational foundation that ones life is
built upon.
The role of the teacher in the classroom is to teach the information to the
students. That can be done in many ways and strategies. In the bible class that I was
observing I noticed how the teacher used notes and lots of stories to make his points. I
specifically wanted to observe this teacher because I remember him being so engaging
and I wanted to see if I could figure out why. I discovered one of the main reasons was
because he is a great story teller and a great teacher. He could captivate the entire
room with a story and also make a brilliant transition into what he wanted the kids to
think about and learn. I also realized that he was so captivating because he is
passionate about what he teaches and really wants the kids to hear what he has to say.
I learned something new that day. Before I thought being passionate was something
that came with some teachers, but if we are honest with ourselves as educators, I
believe that being passionate comes with the role of the teacher, and should be
expected to be seen in all teachers.

As I watched the students I found it fascinating to be sitting on the other side of

the desk. All the other times I have been in front of a class, I was speaking so I never
really took the time to observe people. I noticed students who took very diligent notes,
and students who took none. I saw kids occasionally whispering to one another and
others trying to keep eye contact very frequently. I wish I could tell you who was
learning, but I dont think that is possible. Everyone learns and absorbs information
differently so I dont think you can decide who is really learning until you give out or
work through some kind of assessment. What did I learn about the learner? They are all
very unique and different, but at the same time many characteristics overlap. I believe in
time I will be able to see not all, but much more of the learning happening in a
classroom.
After observing the class and looking for effective and ineffective teaching
strategies, I realized something. There really arent any ineffective teaching strategies
out there. All teaching strategies can be used well, what matters how long and how
often a teacher decides to use them. The teacher used to main strategies, storytelling
and note taking. Personally I could listen to stories all day, but that doesnt guarantee
that every student is learning and taking in information. The teacher mixed in writing
notes on the board before and after his stories. He also drew maps and pictures with his
story. This variation in these common strategies is what I believe helps the teacher to
be so captivating. Everyone loves listening to his stories, he has their undivided
attention, and while he holds their attention he quickly writes down and shares his main
point. Then he is back to another story or a different diagram. This back and forth
strategy keeps the kids focused and makes for a great learning environment for the
kids. The teacher had so much of their attention he probably should've broke out some

english or spanish notes that kids missed in their other classes because they got
distracted. I was very glad to be able to observe this class because I feel as though I
gained very helpful knowledge when it comes to holding the attention of a group.
The content of the class that I observed was about moral decisions, specifically
drinking alcohol. The class is based on preparing students for hard life choices and
getting them to think and discuss hard topics that they will have to face or vote on in the
future. The teacher presented a situation to the class, but left it open ended with a
decision to be made and asked the kids what they thought. Both options had
advantages and disadvantages to them. I remembered wrestling with similar questions
when I was in the same class. I loved the curriculum of the class because I could
directly apply it to my daily life or in things I knew I would face in college. I could tell the
curriculum was very relevant and recent news stories were used in the teaching.
When observing I noticed hardly any assessment strategies except for asking the
students if there were any more questions. I asked the teacher about this strategy and
he said because some classes are so discussion based, he can tell based on the
classroom discussion whether or not the kids are getting the information or the
complexity of his questions. He also takes time to go over all the questions he asks and
explains a solid answer for both sides. Sometimes he gives his own opinion and other
times he leaves it open ended as to what he actually believes. I could tell this bothered
a few kids a bit not getting the exactly correct answer from their teacher, but I think it
helped them to think about the question even more. I thought that was cool.
Unity Christian is many things, but one of those things is not being diverse. The
whole school is basically white dutch kids. There are some foreign exchange students
from korea there, and I noticed two in the classes I was a part of. It dont believe its a

serious problem and there really isnt much the school can do about it given their
location. However, the students that go through the school do lack a certain aspect in
terms of being accustomed to different races and cultures. When I spoke with the
teacher, he agreed with me that there is a lacking in diversity at the school. However he
did remind me that the school as classes where the students study the world and
different cultures. While this is true, its not the same as being friends with someone
who comes from a different background from you. Unity Christian isnt very diverse, but
they are accepting of many different ideas and I believe as time goes on things may
change for the school and I think they will be ready for it.
When I think of outside forces that affect the teaching and learning at Unity
Christian I tend to think of the lack of diversity and the bubble that some kids live
inside of in Hudsonville. Its not to say that every kid in the Hudsonville area is sheltered
and naive to the outside world, but there are definitely a good number of kids who are.
That's because the Unity Christian community is a very homogenous society, everyone
is quite similar in terms of ethnic and religious background. I believe this creates
unspoken rules within the school that teachers must abide by when teaching and
students must follow when discussing certain topic in class. When the Bible class talked
about drinking alcohol and whether it was okay for parents to let their kids do it as long
as they took away everyone's car keys, the class seemed to all already know what the
correct decision was. The challenge was just finding a way to articulate it so they could
for sure be right and the other option was wrong. I think if the school had a more diverse
population of kids from all different backgrounds then class debates would look more
like 13 against 12 instead of 23 against 2.

Going back to my old new school was an incredibly interesting and informing
experience. I feel as though I was able to figure out what I was like when I was in school
and I started to see the classroom more as a teacher. I started taking note of things that
worked and got a good response out of the students and things that flopped a bit. Im
not sure if I was surprised to find that classes seem pretty similar to the old building,
they are just in a new place with the smell of new paint and carpet instead of a leaky
ceiling. I discovered that so much learning can happen in a short time when you know
what youre looking for. I love that. I love learning, and when its efficient, its even
better. I look forward to observing more classrooms in the future, but also carrying this
skill into other aspects of my life so I can continue to learn quickly and improve in many
different areas, especially teaching.