Amy Alderman

Service learning from 09-28-07
start 9:00 end 12:05

This was my second time being in this classroom. I was remembered this time, and was even scheduled in the planning for the day. When I first came in, the students were preparing for their spelling test. After the spelling test I administered the spelling test one on one with "A" an autistic student. He had done some of the test with the other students, but needed extra attention to help him stay on task. When I was finished with "A", I graded all of the spelling tests, very much suprised with the results. Out of 17 students, 6 passed with a C or higher. Where are the parents? Do parents not help their kids the night before a test? This is considered a low end class. Students have either failed or just barely passed. After the spelling test it was time for reading. Students are grouped into 4 groups, and they branch off to centers. Center 1 is with the teacher, center 2 is with a reading coach working on fluency, center 3 is at computers doing remedial work, and center 4 was with me going to the library (this was their second time going to the library this school year, why?) I do not know what the students would normally do in center 4. The centers had a fifteen minute rotation til all centers were visited at least once. During the center time the teacher stopped class to call "A's" dad (autistic child). The teacher claimed he was disrupting the class, refusing to do what he was asked, and not staying on task. The truth be told he wasn't doing anything but sitting in his chair. Yes, he was not working, but did this warrant a call to his dad, disrupting his day, and stopping the progression of the work with the group that he is in. I personally think not. The bad thing was that she threatened to call dad for 5 min. before she did getting "A" in histerics, but he still did not do his work, because now he is crying. The rest of the day I sat with children one-on-one redoing 2 answers on their previous reading test. The students understood the story, but the question asked them to summarize the story and they retold the story. As the teacher I would have done a mini-lesson on summarizing, because apparently NONE of the students knew what it meant. The second question I had to re-work with them was what makes this story make-believe. All the students I worked with had 1 correct reason why, the teacher wanted 2. This was not part of the instructions and if that's what she wanted, why did she not state that on the test? This was an interesting day for me. I go back on Friday, and am doing my read-aloud. I am looking forward to this. I enjoy the students, I just do not always agree with the classroom management.