Wyatt Reid

Edu 202-1001

12/3/2017

Field Observation

Assignment 1

1. The classroom environment is very warm and active. The classroom is covered with posters in

Spanish and work from students. On one wall was a giant poster of the Incredibles cartoon.

2. The students in the class are multi-cultural and multi- gender. There was sixteen boys and

twenty- three girls. The dominant race was white, but not by much.

3.There were a few rules posted in the class room. No cell phones, was posted on a large poster

in the front of the class. The dress code was also posted on a large poster. The dress code

explained in words and pictures that shoes with soles must be worn, straps must be three inches

or larger, shorts must be longer than the finger tips, no holes are allowed in the jeans above the

thigh, and shirts should not show the stomach.

4. As I observed, I saw multiple infractions of the dress code. The teacher did not take the time to

punish these students, or attempt to enforce the rule. Many girls had holes in there jeans high up

on the leg, and the teacher ignored it.

Assignment 2

1. The work flow is tight and reserved for the areas nearest to the walls. Students can move most

freely in the front, back, and one side of the room. With so many students and desks in the

classroom the space is used as well as possible. With little open areas, I think the room is set up

adequately.
2. I do not see any improvements possible to the room. If there were less students in class then

desks could be removed, and this would open up space to use. However, there are just too many

desk and students filling these desks to do that.

Assignment 3

1. The posted schedule reads as this: Today- Español 2 H: Saber y Conocer

Español 3 H: El Preterito (I to Y)

2. The instruction was given in whole groups. After the lecture was given, kids were allowed to

break off and work on work alone or in groups of their choice.

3. My cooperating teachers style is captivating. He speaks well and clearly, and he can focus an

entire class on any subject being addressed. He is a great speaker. He is friendly and warm to his

students.

4. To appeal to varying learning styles my teacher used the spoken word, a projector, and work

sheets. These three things were all used together to help students who hear and learn, see and

learn, and those who use their hands to learn.

5.Most students on any given day are engaged in the lesson. The teacher required that all

students verbally answer the questions asked to the class. This helped students stay engaged. He

also asked questions randomly so that students stayed on their toes. In the end, there are always a

few students who are less engaged in the class.

6. There are no students separated from the rest of the class. All of the students sit in rows

together.
7. The teacher, during transitions allowed for a few minutes for students to move and let the

getters out. These transitions were not long and again the student’s attention was directed to the

task at hand. He was very good and transitioning.

8. The most common attention getter that the teacher used was a soft whistle. He also would say

SHHH, for as long as it took for the noise to quiet. The students usually responded quickly to

these commands.

9. The only real issue that the teach had to deal with was speaking. In one instance the students

were testing, all but one student was done with their tests. The students started talking when they

should have been quiet. As so often kids do they talk when they are not supposed to. They

responded well to the teacher’s command to let the student finish the test in silence.

10. The teacher has a policy where he collects willing students cell phones at the beginning of

class, then at the end of class he passes them back out. If students do not surrender their cell

phones and are caught using them during class, then they are written up for using a phone during

class. It takes a little bit of time, but I think in the end it helps the students not feel tempted to use

their phones. In my time observing, one student decided not to turn in his phone and was caught

using it. That student lost his phone and was written up.

Assignment 4

1. The school building was a brown brick color. The metal was all painted in red or blue. There

were many painted signs that said things like pride and, “our students are the best.” The school’s

mascot is the patriot. They use the architecture to push the students to have school and country

pride.
2. The inside of the school is plain except for the bulletin boards that have announcements on

them. In the hallways and in the classrooms, there are student’s assignments posted and covering

the walls, giving color and life to the walls.

1. I searched for a mission statement at school and on the school’s website, but I could not find

one. As for the motto it is “Liberty Pride.” The mascot of the school is the Patriot.

2. The main office was nice and inviting. Students waited in line to speak with the administrators

or helpers, and the administrators spoke to them with respect. The office was a nice place to be.

When students were found speaking to the administrators outside of the office, in the courtyard it

was less warm, however. The students were usually late for class and questioned harshly why

they were roaming the halls. The difference between the office and the courtyard was quite large.

3. During lunch, the students congregated in large groups in the courtyard. Some students,

however, chose my cooperating teachers classroom, rather than the courtyard. When it was time

for changing classrooms it seemed like a giant swarm of students with little gathering, only

walking and talking.

4. The school is organized with the office in the middle. The office is reached first when walking

in the main doors. In a 3 shape and a backwards 3 shape on two levels are most of the

classrooms. The library is located on the second floor, directly over the office. The gymnasium

and lunch rooms are on opposite ends of the school from the class rooms.

5. The school has a rich tradition in athletics, especially football. The school also does a ROTC

program that brings pride to the students of the school. In the athletic office there are trophies.

The gymnasium is also filled with accomplishments in sports. On the school’s website, the

principal takes pride in the AP exam scores of the school. I also saw a CCSD trustee meeting
where a student of the school advocated the use of a new drug program, to cut down drug use in

the school.

1. The teacher expects students to be up to date on their work and learning in all classes. If they

are behind on work, they must come after school to get help from the teacher. The teacher is

available after school for helping any student catch up or master things that they are struggling

on.

2. In the higher Spanish three honors class, most students participate. They enjoy the class and

that is why they took it. In the lower, Spanish two honors class, the participation is less. Them

more extroverted students tend to participate more in the class discussion. All students are asked

to participate. They must all answer questions in unison when the teacher asks questions on the

previous homework.

3. The teacher’s interactions with the students are very casual. The students respect the teacher

and the teacher respects the students. They talk as friends, but they understand who is in charge.

They know that they must obey the teacher’s commands, or they will get in trouble.

Assignment 5

1. He became a teacher because he wanted a job that he would enjoy, he liked having summers

off, and he knew that he worked well with kids.

2. The main challenge he said was, keeping kids interested. He says, kids are different and

keeping them focused is a hard task, one of the most difficult thing to learn how to do. He also

said that trying to implement the CCSD’s directives can be difficult sometimes.

3. He said that the best part about teaching is when students say, thank you. He meant students

from the past come by and tell him how thankful they are for all that he has done.
4. He says that he doesn’t really do anything to determine the seating. He said that he tried

grouping the students in strategic groups, but that didn’t work as well as he hoped. Now, he just

lets the computer randomly arrange the students and then make changes if the need is apparent.

5. He tried groups, but now he doesn’t believe that they work well enough to use.

6. He, as a teacher, has very few face to face interactions with parents. If it does happen, it is

because the parents request it. The one time that he sees parents is during open house when any

parent can come in.

7. When I brought up the subject of grading his eyes rolled. He said that grading was a constant

thing. He is always grading homework. He said that if there is a test, he tries and grade it in a

day, but that homework takes more time to grade. He said the trick to not staying after hours and

hours working on grading is to assign homework that students can self-grade in class.

8. He says that the first year of teaching can be quite difficult because you have to come up with

all of the lesson plans. The following years are much easier, because you can reuse the lesson

from the years before with only slight adjustments to them.

9. He says that in order to maximize instructional time, students must be kept busy. He also says

that the first class is super important to set a routine and a standard of expectance. If the first few

classes go right, the rest of the year the students know what to expect and follow what is

required.

10. He says that he does not have many behavioral problems. The first step is to establish a good

report with the students. The next step is to be honest and strict. Establish rules and follow them.

When the students respect you, and know what to expect, then they are very well behaved.

11. He does not have any special teachers available to him.

12. He said that he is rarely observed now, maybe a couple times a year. He highlighted that the

first years of teaching that they are observed more often. After that, teachers are only observed

more often if the observer disapproves of the teacher’s tactics.

13. When a teacher is given an unfavorable review, the teacher must apply the suggestions of the

administration in order to get back in good standing with the school. Firing doesn’t happen

unless they do something bad. It takes a lot of bad teaching to get fired.

14. He said that the thing that surprised him most about being a teacher was the energy that was

required daily. He said that you must be excited in the front of the room and must show that you

care about what you are teaching. If a teacher doesn’t show energy in the front of the class, then

a teacher cannot expect the students to be excited to learn.

Assignment 6

I observed one student during an instruction where the teacher went over the homework

assignment that the students were supposed to have finished before class. They were supposed to

fix the answers and then turn the whole sheet in.

The lesson was to change the word “decir” in the past, to fit the situation on the

worksheet. The worksheet had sixteen questions. The student that I observed answered ten out of

the sixteen questions. During many of these questions, the student I observed was the only

student that answered, or one of two or three that answered. Other times, the whole class new the

answer and answered. When he had the wrong answer on his paper he quickly wrote the right

answer on the worksheet.

I discovered that this student is taking his learning of the Spanish language very

seriously. Most of his answers were correct. He seems to have a real interest in learning. Often,
he was the only person answering the questions. This student is doing very well in his class and

the teacher has taken notice to his participation in the class. He is doing very well in his class.

Assignment 7

I realized that the school environment is very active. What I mean by that is that the

teacher is always busy. He is always speaking, keeping the students on task, or grading. The

students have so much energy that they never slow down. Being a teacher is a very taxing job

that requires a lot of effort.

The observation has better prepared me by making me more aware of what I will be

facing. I now know that a teacher must be on top of managing the classroom. He also must be

constantly grading homework or tests. I think the observation has given me a good look on what

to expect as a teacher. Teachers must have a plan of action for many situations and when these

situations arise, they must execute their plans.

The observation makes the textbook come alive. I think that the observation matches up

well with what I have learned in the textbook and the class. This class has helped me learn that I

must be prepared for as many situations as possible. If I have a plan of action before hand, it will

be easier to respond to the problem because I will already have an idea on what to say. This class

has taught me that, and the observation reinforced that idea to me.

The main thing I learned from my cooperating teacher that I will take away from this

process is that if I respect the students then they will respect me. He dealt with inappropriate

behavior very well. The students knew what he required of them. If they broke the rules, he

followed the laws that he had put in place and the students respected them, because they were

made well aware of them.

 I enjoyed being in a classroom. I enjoyed the opportunity to learn from a teacher that

does a fantastic job. This observation was a wonderful experience for me. I am grateful for the

chance to learn about the work I plan on doing.