FCAT in an Urban Setting

I had an interesting conversation with an administrator today. The school had been questioned due to FCAT scores being raised. Why not celebrate you ask, well it was in an urban area. How could the children at this particular school be successful? How could the teachers have taught content in small-groups through hands on learning? It saddened me others were challenging scores and "outsiders" actually came in to rescore the tests. I was glad to see the teachers not giving up and moving ahead, continuing to believe in the students the teach! (and administration)

Getting to Know Your Students

I have been in multiple socioeconomic challenged classrooms this week. I would not classify them as urban, however the youth the pre-service teachers are serving are under privileged in multiple ways. A main question my students are asking is: How do I keep my students on-task? Through many discussions and readings over the week, I commend all the pre-service teachers for trying. Trying to make the connections with the young learners who are often unable to trust. Trying to meet the needs of the students in their classrooms through differentiation of instruction. Trying to develop relationships with children who know you will be gone at the end of your Internship. The discussions had this week have been about actively engaging your students, not controlling your students. Waking up everyday to say, I can do this. Having a positive attitude and finding the good in every child. Teaching is not an easy career and I commend the teachers who are trying to successfully teach in a socioeconomic disadvantaged school setting. The teachers who continue to ask how? The teachers who are not giving up.

2/7/12

As I was out in the field these past few weeks, I observed an educator in the role of control-oriented. Students were seated in rows, with little room for side conversations and no collaboration. I was saddened when a child spoke out during an assessment and immediately her card was changed. The child proceeded to become upset and the teacher just became louder. As an outsider, I had the view of how the child was able to provoke the teacher. Throughout the test, the child would drop pencils, do anything to look off task ... when really, the child had completed the assessment before the other children and had nothing to occupy her time. She was probably six.