Observation 1

My First Observation at WBHS*

Walking into WBHS, I was not sure what I was going to experience during my first visit. Even though my high school had roughly the same amount of students, this building was a lot larger and very intimidating. A nice lady helped direct me in the general range of where the classroom I would be observing was and after walking around aimlessly even after her help. The school is massive. Everyone seems to know where they are going, except for me. I am not a fan of the business that comes with the changes of the classes and I am glad to find the room. The hallways were full of students getting out of their first period class and finding their way to their next class. It certainly was weird being back in a social situation where everyone knew everyone.

The classroom where I would be observing was inviting to the English student in me because of the bookshelves that lined the back wall. These were the first things that caught my attention. The next was all of the informational posters that the teacher had hung up on the walls. One side was windows, and the other side was filled with whiteboards and educational posters. Every time I went to this classroom, I was always drawn to these posters. These posters include examples of common literary devices such as imagery, oxymoron, hyperbole, ways to give examples, ways to emphasize, traditions, and much more. The desks were lined up in the traditional sense of facing the front of the class where the teacher was patiently waiting for the students to arrive and sit down. I feel more comfortable here in the classroom than I do in the hallways. There is so much commotion outside that I find the serenity of the classroom welcoming.

As the students shuffled in, the topic of race jumped right into my head. There were two Caucasian students in this class. Everything that my professors told me was right! The classroom diversity is changing drastically and there is a greater presence of minorities in this inner city classroom. To finally see this information in person was enlightening and it reaffirmed everything that I was learning in my textbooks.

Ms.J starts off the class by reviewing the few things that the students would be doing during the period. A mock trial would be occurring for some of the characters in the book that they were reading. Today was their practice day before the real trial the following week so that they could make sure all of the group members had their scripts ready. The students respond to the teacher in a respectful manner. This was something that I would expect from the class, as they are AP Literature students. Yet, the students are still timid when receiving feedback from the teacher. They accept what she is saying about their presentation, but they are still shy when being addressed by the teacher. I cannot help but wonder why this class is so quiet today when the teacher is helping them for their final presentation. Maybe Ms. J is more intimidating than I had first thought.

I am surprisingly pleased to see most of the students participating in their groups when figuring out what their opening and concluding statements are going to be in the real trial. The student to student interaction is where I see more students talking and being more receptive to helpful hints. There are a few students who do not seem to want to do anything with this project. All I can think about is maybe they are not at the right level for English, and maybe this is way outside of their Zone of Proximal Development for them to understand what is going on. CEP and SED are rubbing off on me, and that’s a great thing!

The class time zoomed by and the bell rings as the second group is finishing up their practice presentation. The students pack up their books and notes with lots of helpful hints for their future presentation. The students file out of the class and head to their next period. I sit and reflect on how my first observation went and I am glad. Glad to have chosen such a rewarding and awesome career choice. I look forward to the next observations that I have scheduled and hope they are just as rewarding as this was!

*Names have been changed for privacy reasons.