FieldBlog: Millridge Elementary School: Observation 1

For my first independent observation trip, I went to Millridge Elementary.  Millridge Elementary is located in the east suburbs of Cleveland. Millridge elementary is located in Highland Heights. This city is not very ethnically diverse. Economic backgrounds also vary within the school. The standard of living for the area is very high compared to other area schools I have visited. The estimated household income for Highland Heights is approximately $99,000. This suggests that teachers at Millridge might not have to struggle so much with diversity of economic backgrounds within their class.

Pre-Observation Questions I had

1. How does the teacher seem to care deeply about their students?
2. What activities does the teacher use?
3. How does this experience differ from the one at Gearity Elementary in Shaker Heights

Classroom: Kindergarten
Number of students: 20
Teacher: Over 20 years of experience of teaching this level

First, the teacher awaited the young students at her desk. She spoke with them about their personal lives and asked them questions. She clearly engaged with students and seemed to want to know how they were. She even consoled one of the students when he began to tell her sad news about his family life. This was a true example of what a teacher can be in a student's life. She is not a teacher that is there for the money, the hours or anything else. I was in the presence of a teacher, and a person, who deeply cared for the well being of her students.

As students greeted the teacher at her desk, they picked up their first activity of the day. This involved a coloring exercise, The teacher explained to me that these types of activities get the student's minds right and help shake off the "tiredness" they may be feeling when they first arrive to school. Often times, the students will start the day off with vocal exercises as well. This helps get their attitude and brain in the right mindset for all academic challenges they may have for that given day.

The classroom was one that appeared to be very brightly colored. It looked like a fun place to go every day. If I were a child, I would want to go to a class like that to learn. I believe that creating a welcoming and fun environment is important in schools. Especially, elementary schools due to the creativity and attention spans of young children. The experiences students have at a young age, ultimately shape who they will become when they are older. The environment they learn in arguably plays a big role in that process.

Answers to my Pre-Observation questions

1. How does the teacher seem to care deeply about their students?

Nurturing when needed and asking thoughtful questions proves to me that this teacher cared deeply about her students. If I were sending my child to her classroom, I would feel very comfortable with him or her being taught by this student

2. What activities does the teacher use?

Creative activities to keep the minds of young children constantly thinking and having fun are used in this teachers class. It appears to be a small taste of what was offered in the SummerHill video that our class watched a month or so back. Rules and lesson plans are in place but students are not bound to academic material and lectures all day long.

3. How does this experience differ from the one at Gearity Elementary in Shaker Heights?

Millridge Elementary seems to be a much more inviting place for students to learn. Although, Gearity Elementary school had more innovative technology such as iPad's, Millridge had an overall, more organized classroom setup in my opinion.