Journal Entry #5

How doe Four Ways of Looking (Prompt posted to BB) a synthesis of what did you gain from you field work experience?

Looking backward... I've always loved the idea of teaching and in particular early childhood education.  I chose a different path, with pressure from my family, but as my husband and I now grow our family, I realize the importance of following a path that I am passionate about.  I think my upbringing overseas in Hong Kong at an International school has really given me a foundation to be accepting and inclusive of my peers and I realize, that is something that I greatly value in my classroom.  Having said that, my fieldwork experiences this year, has really opened my eyes to the true difference having resources can make in the educational career of a child.  What's sad is that it seems as if the US has forgotten about this investment.  I can't say that it has emboldened me for the fight, but more, deterred me further from including public school as a career option.

Looking inward... I really feel the two classes I took this semester really have better equipped me to put research, facts and theories to "hunches" and "gut feelings"I might have about teaching, curriculum and childhood development.  As a future parent, I can only imagine how many times parents as teachers for concrete evidence for the decisions they make in the classroom and I really feel that this semester has forced me to explore and identify what shapes my philosophy.  Additionally, I feel more empowered with the resources I have been introduced to this semester.

Looking outward... I am grateful for my peers in my classrooms.  They are supportive and graciously share their knowledge and experiences.  As someone who really has not had the opportunity to work full time in a classroom, it's hard for me to sometimes imagine applying everything I am learning and I get worried about feeling paralyzed, but it's comforting to hear feedback from my peers on how they worked their way through to discover what does work and does not work for them-- and it truly is varied!  I feel less pressure to get it right, right away.

Looking forward... I am hoping to find more opportunities to be in the classroom.  For a control freak like myself, I know the only thing that can really make me comfortable in the classroom is familiarity and practice makes perfect right?  I hope to further solidify my beliefs in the classroom and feeling more comfortable justifying my choices with solid research/evidence.

Journal Entry #4

How does the physical environment act as a "third teacher" in one of your field work sites?  Describe ways children use materials or environment factors to enrich their learning.

To be honest, this was first experience observing in a public school, and I won't lie, I felt sad.  The classrooms seem crowded and overstimulated.  The actual interior design of the rooms are so bleak that it seems like teachers go through great lengths to cover every inch of the classroom in materials purchased from Lakeshore Learning or other pre-made materials, making for a distracting and almost haphazard environment.  

Having said that, in comparing the Kindergarten classroom and the 2nd grade classroom, the Kindergarten teacher had 2 years of teaching experience and the 2nd grade teacher has been at School #2 for 20+ years -- I preferred the 2nd grade classroom.  While some of the materials were tired, it felt like the room was set up with better intentionality, whereas the Kindergarten classroom felt like an explosion of materials, many of which, when I asked the teacher what she used it for, said she used it once and they don't really use it anymore.  The 2nd grade classroom also had so many books available everywhere grouped by levels that were easily accessible to all the students.  Also the environment was well labeled and organized so that the students could be more autonomous with little interruption from their teacher.  I think the students felt more empowered and in control of their learning, with freedom and flexibility from their environment, whereas in the Kindergarten classroom, it felt like they were hold on for dear life on a ride.  Materials were not accessible or available for the children to access themselves and is always distributed by the teacher.  This made the transitions difficult as every 15-20 minutes, the activity would switch, but they would have to wait for the teacher to break down and set up again.

I think it isn't as necessary to have the newest/shiniest materials, but instead, things that you actually use and materials that your students really will use daily.  That intentionality in how your select those materials and build your space can really effect the daily flow of your classroom.  I don't know whether it's because I have a background in hospitality, but in my culinary training, the French phrase "mise en place" is always at the top of mind when I think of the set up in the classroom.  "Mise en place" means everything in its place, which allows you freedom to concentrate on cooking or being creative.  In the case of the classroom, "mise en place" frees your students to concentrate on the learning and exploring.

Journal Entry #3

Interview an EC education or care provider - what are this person's beliefs about early childhood care and education?  What curriculum or curricular scope/sequence do they follow?  What modifications do you make in your curriculum to meet the needs of all children?  Summarize your interview.

I interviewed a 1st grade teacher that I very much respect.  His control of the classroom makes his students feel autonomy, empowered and safe to make mistakes, learn at their own pace, explore freely within the structure he provides for a calm, inclusive and collaborative learning atmosphere.

His beliefs include keeping a balance between home and child care settings--parents should continue and attempt to provide intimate interactions that a child might not possibly be able to receive outside the home.  Socialization and the idea of being a student are especially important during this stage of education and believes that his role as an education is to create an environment early on that fosters the love of learning.

Teaching at a private school, he has the flexibility to follows his own curriculum (that is decided together with the school).  For reading and writing, they are influenced by Teacher College's reading and writing workshop.  Math follows Singapore math and finally, a "World Course" curriculum that is similar to social studies, but encompasses all subject areas.

Regarding modifications, they allow for differentiation daily in every subject matter.  They use a leveled reading system and guiding reading groups to support readers at every level.  There are also leveled groups in writing and math.  Depending on the ability of the student in a particular task, they will scaffold the subject matter to provide the best learning environment for that student.

Journal Entry #2

What aspects of the philosophy statement resonates with you?  Which aspects align with your own philosophy and teaching in early childhood education? 

Does the philosophy of the school align with Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP)?  Is there a mention, or are there references to DAP in the philosophy statement?

Does the philosophy of the school address diversity?  Is there a mention, or are there references to Anti-Bias Education in the philosophy statement?

If you could revise or rewrite the philosophy statement, what would you change?

Fort Lee School #2's philosophy statement starts with their commit to a "'children first' student-centered approach".  This is something that I believe in and am commited to in my future classroom.  I am also inspired by john Dewey and Vygotsky and they reference, in their math and science programs, a program that "includes an exploration for knowledge...and utiliz[ing] a constructivist approach to learning that enables students to experience concepts through a hands-on approach to learning."

Unfortunately, there is no reference to DAP or Anti-Bias education, but they do express the value of "cross-curricular learning opportunities [to] enhance daily practice by providing experiences that make connections to real life applications" and their offering of "art, music, physical education and technology [which] enrich and reinforce workplace readiness skills and personal wellness techniques."  Fort Lee is a very diverse community and in School #2's philosophy statement, they do list different ways they celebrate diversity which "enables [them] to cultivate an appreciate for individual differences and develop comfort in [their] commonalities as [they] network in their daily activities."

In my opinion, there could have been a greater emphasis put on social/emotional development.  Also, I didn't like that the first paragraph covered data, statistics and state testing heavily.  As a future parent, for my child's first introduction into education, I would not want such a huge emphasis on numbers.  Perhaps it's because it's a public school and it is necessary to acknowledge it, but I wouldn't open with it.  There was also no mention of play, granted, this is serves PreK-6, but I think they would've benefited from dividing their philosophy by age group rather than content area.  Finally, there were several typos that left me feeling like they perhaps did not put much thought into this philosophy.

Journal Entry #1

What are your plans for completing the field work?  What age groups will you be observing?  Why are you interested in learning more about these age groups? What are your expectations for field work?

I am always excited at the opportunity to get hands on experience because of how much of a perfectionist I am.  I forget that it's a journey, and that when I do eventually get a teacher role, I need to be okay with not being perfect on Day 1-- it makes it easier to remember that it's a journey and that to make decisions purposefully and with intentions is the goal, not everyone does things the same way.  Even though this is only 20 hours (a class I took last semester required 75, so this is far less!), I am excited to observe in a public school.  I did my hours at Avenues and while I truly do love the kids and do hope to land in a private school setting, I think it's important to observe a public school classroom.  I am also in the process of potentially transitioning from the bilingual extension degree to the gen ed. stream and thus far, I have only observed bilingual classrooms, so I am curious to see how teachers handle diversity in a setting that may or may not value ELLs.
I am lucky enough as my day job is still part time and understanding of my situation, allowing me flexibility.  Because of that, I hope to spread my 20 hours across all three age groups and really getting to see the differences in their development levels.  I think it's always easier to remember what I am learning when I can see it in action, it's more applicable, in that sense, I am sometimes envious of my peers that do have f/t teaching roles as they can immediate apply what they are learning.  Having said that, I am a blank slate and sometimes it's easier to effect change when you can mold someone from the get go.  Either way, field work is always a great opportunity to see theories learned applied in the classroom.