Collaboration

There are several different forms of collaboration that I have observed and/or heard about during my time at G Elementary school. The first type of collaboration is teacher to teacher collaboration. The main teacher in my class, Mrs. M teaches alongside another teacher, Miss L. Mrs. M and Miss L are actually cousins, which I found rather interesting. They work very well together and are able to help each other out in order to make the classroom as best as it can be. Sometimes they split the students into two groups, such as when they get in their reading groups. Mrs. M takes one group of students, and Miss L takes the other. This way the students can be in smaller groups and work more directly with the teacher and a smaller group of students. Other times one teacher will work directly with the students while the other does the busy work, such as grading papers or running off copies. I think the system they have going on is very effective. Mrs. M and Miss L also work with other teachers in the school as well. They teach other teachers students for certain subjects in order to benefit the student. The general education teacher and Mrs. M work together to come up with the best possible way to teach each of their students. Another type of collaboration is parent and teacher collaboration. I have not actually observed this type of collaboration is person, but I have heard about it and seen some results of this collaboration. One way in which the teacher hopes to work together with their students parents is by having the parents sign their child's planner each night. This way the parent can see what their son or daughter did in school that day and what homework they might have as well. Another way parents and teachers collaborate is through parent-teacher conferences. I know that IEP meetings are another way collaboration of this form can take place. Lots of collaboration must be done in order to make a student's education the best it can be. The more minds working together effectively, the better off the students involved are.

Observations: 11/9

 Every Tuesday morning is a mix of emotions and thoughts for me. I always second guess changing my major. I have yet to feel a peace one way or the other. This morning the fifth grade boys began their day by filling in maps of the United States with the state names and coloring different sections of states different colors. Miss L, the teachers aid, asked one of the students, "do you know what color green is?" I thought she was serious at first and I felt a little bad for the boy and got offended for him. But then she made a joke about singing the color song for him, so I relaxed a little. A little later Miss L said, "maybe you should label Maine, because I don't want you to get docked off." Sometimes I think the teachers care too much about the grade rather than the information being taught. One thing I found interesting is that Mrs. M and Miss L care less about the work being turned in in their classroom but more about how their students do on the work that gets turned into their regular teachers. Maybe they don't want to look like they aren't doing their job and helping the students out. A little later on, one of the boys came in and said he couldn't hear Mrs. M. She said that is was because he wasn't using his FM system. The boy claimed he didn't need it, but it was obvious that he did. I was wondering if maybe he was embarrassed by the devise. The same boy, we'll came him S, was rather tense the rest of the lesson. M, the only girl in the classroom at the time was being very encouraging to S telling him to calm down and that it would be okay. It was very sweet. Apparently this was a very unusual behavior for her. The third graders eventually came in for reading. They have this new ticket system that the teachers put into place. I think the goal for these tickets was to get the third graders to start listening and following directions better. They can earn tickets daily by bringing their planner and AR book or getting their planner signed by a parent. Also, if they pay attention during reading and are good, they can earn tickets. They can get tickets taken away by poor behavior, etc. These tickets can then earn the students prizes. Larger ticket amounts, equals larger prizes. One girl was reading an AR book that was too advanced for her apparently. The level exceeded what level of book she was supposed to be reading. The teacher said next time she needed to get a book that was at her level. To me, that is very irritating. I hated when teachers said that to me back when I read AR books. I felt so restricted and probably pretty annoyed as well. Some things about the AR system are not my favorite. I graded assignments for quite awhile. I realized I'm not a fan of having to give out low grades. It just isn't fun and I feel bad. Another reason why maybe I wouldn't make the best teacher. Although I'm doubting that any teacher enjoys giving out low grades to their students. A teacher just has to remember that the student earned the grade that they receive.

Meaningful Inclusion for Students With Disabilities

The entire class of students I work in has some sort of disability. That is the reason that they come to this classroom throughout the day. Not all of the students struggle in the same areas. The teachers works with the class as a whole, but takes time to work with them individually if need be. Mrs. M and her teacher aid make sure that no student just sits and does nothing. The teacher makes sure her class knows what is expected of them, such as informing a student that he or she should be doing what the rest of the class is doing. A student gets congratulated for a job well done by Mrs. M if she thinks this is appropriate. Most of the students in this classroom seem to have either a learning disability, behavioral disability, or both. The teachers work to correct and mold the student's behavior each and every day. If a student seems to be lost in an assignment, the teacher gives this student extra attention. If a student is not paying attention during class, the teacher may call on them for the answer. By doing this, the teacher is doing her best to include everyone in group discussions and class work.