February 21, 2000 Elementary Observation As I approach Arp Elementary School, many different thoughts go through my mind. I gaze at the surrounding area and notice the appearance of the building. It looks like a cozy building set away from the busy streets. I watch some children playing outside during their recess and memories flow through my mind. The energy the kid’s posses is reviving to my inner child. I had a strong feeling to go play on the playground with them. The boys were running around yelling, playing, and screaming. The girls, on the other hand, seemed more relaxed and calm.
I almost felt out of place, over towering all of the children. I felt nervous but excited as I walked through the front door. The atmosphere had a familiar aura that I missed. The smell of the school caught my nose and brought back more memories of the past.
The school is made of two hallways in the shape of a “V”. The halls are decorated with experiments and pictures of the students. I walked into the office and got my instructions from the secretaries. They were very nice and helpful. I didn’t have to sign in as a visitor. I found my way to the room, sweating bullets. As I enter Mr.
classroom, I’m nervous but confident. I introduce myself to the teacher as the children finish an auction for prizes given to them for good behavior. The children give me quick glances. My presence didn’t cause too much chaos, so far so good. The children give me looks as if to ask, “What is he doing here?” The classroom is lively and I immediately notice how the bright and cheery it is. It has lots of pictures, artwork, posters, and quotes hanging on the walls and there are many different plants and flowers on the windowsill.
It is a fairly small classroom and everything is scrunched together. The desks are put together in long lines across the room. The teacher’s desk is in the middle-front of the room, facing the children, with a chair on the side of the desk for him to lecture on. Coat racks are placed at the back of the room.
Everything seems to be placed at easy access for the children. (I have included a diagram of the room’s setup.) The boy/girl ratio was even in numbers. I focused on how Mr. O’Toole delivered his teaching across to the students.
He had a calm easy to listen to voice that help calm the students. He sat in his chair calmly when he talked to the children. The children were well behaved; they raised their hands and waited until they were called upon. When they were done with their auction they were allowed to ask some questions. I told them why I was there and what I planned to teach.
They were very interested in agriculture. Many of the students didn’t know what agriculture was. When “20 Questions” were over, they reviewed over their assigned reading. They were reading the book “Number The Stars.” The teacher asked them questions over the reading so that the students could better understand the reading.
One of the questions was, “What didn’t the Nazi’s let the people have.” The students answered on by one. Some of the answers were butter, sugar, and books. They seemed to understand what they were reading. The class was very well behaved.
Only one student talked out of turn and was reprimanded by a quiet but direct “SSHHHHH.” The student didn’t speak out again during my visit. Mr.
O’Toole seemed to have a relaxed, calm, but strict teaching style. It seemed to be effective on his students. I do not feel this is the grade level of teaching I will choose.
There is no strong place for agriculture at this age. I also do not feel comfortable at this level. I do not posses the patience that is needed for younger children. From this observation I would be comfortable with the public school in which I observed. It had a nice atmosphere to it. The teacher and the office staff were very friendly and open.
This class observation was a good experience for me to recall the great memories of elementary school and increase my faith in the public schools. Word Count: 719
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