RFE #3

RFE# 3: Classroom Community

During my time at my partnership school, Aversboro Elementary, I have seen all the signs of a caring and close nit community. The school has student safety patrol officers to greet you first thing in the morning when you arrive. The hallways are filled with student’s art work, banners and posters that have the schools mission and mascot on them. The school’s faculty and staff all greeted me with warm smiles and offered me help to show me where to go. I think that the school shows a since of community by starting each morning off with the principal greeting the school over the intercom and leading the school in the pledge of allegiance. The school is very diverse and the library displays books that have all different nationalities and ethnicities on the cover to express the schools openness and acceptance of all students from various backgrounds. The hallways are very quiet and the students respect other classrooms that are in session when they travel the hallways to different destinations. This shows that the students know the type of behavior that is expected of them and they show it outside of their class rooms. I had the opportunity to observe the students from all three of the fifth grade classrooms as they practiced for a school concert. I was told that students from all the different grade levels would participate in this concert and that parents would be coming to see their performances. I think that this creates a since of community by bringing the different grades together and allowing them to work together to put on this great production. The principal is always in the hallway and visible. I have seen him come into the classroom on several different occasions and walk around in the class and talk to students and just give students a pat on the back. I think that he really makes the school welcoming and makes the students feel like they can approach him and talk to him. He addressed some students by their name which made me feel like he cares about knowing his students on a one-on-one basis. Aversboro is a small school, but it shows that it has a big heart through the big smiles and warm hugs the students give when you get to know them.
In my SBTE’s , Mr. Mauro, fifth grade classroom the students start their day of by coming in and having soft classical music playing in the back ground and their morning work posted on the over head and instructions. Mr. Mauro greets his class and asks what the students want for lunch and briefs them of what their day will consist of. The class has a box where they can write down their personal issues and Mr. Mauro will address them with the student individually. The class also has class pet gerbils named, Thing 1 and Thing 2. They make the class feel more homely and give the class a firsthand experience with nature. I like how the teacher teaches his Social Studies lessons. He presents the information to the students as a story and discussion. He allows the students to give their ideas and opinions on the material they are covering. He tries to make it relate to the students and he connects the material to students who may have personal experiences with the topic. When the class goes to specials they have the opportunity to earn stickers that show what kind of behavior they have displayed. I think that this shows how the school and classroom work together to manage behavior issues. Students are held accountable for their behavior in their homerooms as well as in other special classrooms such as chorus, and art. The students also write down their own misbehavior in a behavior log when they are caught misbehaving. I think that this causes the students to own their bad behavior and gives them the chance to correct their behavior. It is encouraging independence and responsibility. Mr. Mauro along with his team members all incorporates group work and conversation amongst the students, which promotes community and cooperation between the students. The students work together to solve problems, begin their writing process, and share their ideas. The teachers encourage this and work well together and set the perfect example.
I think that Aversboro Elementary and Mr. Mauro’s fifth grade class does an exceptional job at creating a sense of community within the school. I enjoy visiting this school and working with my SBTE, he is a really laid back individual and is so welcoming. This schools environment is pouring with the sense of togetherness.

RFE 3-Amanda Jones

My school works really hard to create a sense of community and such within the classroom and school. When you walk into Aversboro, you are greeted by the car monitors, outside directing cars and students where to go. Once you enter the school, there are brightly colored walls, colorful tiles on the floor to direct which areas on which to walk, and posters and artwork lining your way down the hallways. I think it’s really neat that all the teachers make a point to decorate the area outside of their classrooms so there is constantly changing displays throughout the school. Once you reach the second floor, where the 5th grade is located, the décor changes somewhat, with more writing incorporated on the outside. One of the things I noticed that I really like about Aversboro is that every main corner and bathroom there is a white piece of paper matted on a yellow sheet of cardstock. The paper states all the teachers that are first aid and CPR certified within the school and what room they are in. I think that this is a great idea, and one that I have never noticed in another school before. I think this builds a great sense of community because it builds a sense of safety.
Our principal steps in almost every time we visit the classroom. I have seen him appear in all three teachers classrooms that I observe, and he is always there with a smile and a PDA. He takes “5-minute observations” on the teachers and records them for further discussion. I think this is neat because it shows how easily he fits in with the students, and having an incorporated principal is a very important thing.
Our teachers make it a very open and welcoming atmosphere at Aversboro. They incorporate their own style into their individual classrooms and when they are together, it shows how comfortable they are with one another. Together, they make up the three typical stereotypes of a teacher, but they work so well that it’s hardly noticeable. My teacher has a very colorful and decorated classroom, with the class rules posted where all can see them. Her desk is covered in artwork, pictures, and papers. She leaves her door open so that others may drop in and say hello, she can pop out to ask the other teachers questions, and to be more open to the school community as a whole. I think the school and our teachers all together do a great job of incorporating and creating a sense of classroom and school community.

Response to Latoria

I thought it was interesting to hear about the principal at your school coming to the classroom everyday. The principal at Fuller Elementary has never come into my SBTE's classroom when I have been there. I have seen him walk down the hall a few times and he has never spoken to me or really looked at me. I think that would create a sense of classroom and school community if the principal came into the classrooms and observed how the students were interacting and learning. I know that when I was in school I would always want the principal to know my name and who I was. I think if the principal is friendly and warm to the students then they will feel more welcome and comfortable at school. I think it is very weird that the principal has been to your classroom almost everytime you have been there and he still has not introduced himself. That makes the school seem to have less of a sense of school community.

Bailey's Reflection 3

This semester my partnership school is Fuller Elementary. Fuller is completely different from any school I have ever been to. Since Fuller has the magnet program it is full of all different races, socioeconomic statuses, and different cultures. There is not just one particular group of students at Fuller. Everyone at Fuller is treated equally and they have a good sense of school community. I have noticed just walking down the halls that all the students are good friends no matter what race or culture they are. I think this shows school community. There is a system of goals that the entire school is required to follow called the Fuller Four. The Fuller Four consists of four goals which are respect, responsibility, productivity, and safety. The students are supposed to embody these characteristics and represent Fuller in that way. Since Fuller uses positive reinforcements, teachers and supervisors can reward students and classrooms for good performance of the goals. The classrooms are rewarded by getting eggs that are given to classes that show good performance and represent Fuller well outside their specific classroom. While the students of Fuller show a lot of school community, I think the school itself shows community as well. When you walk into the school the halls are all different colors and there is artwork everywhere. It is a very welcoming and friendly learning environment. The faculty and students make you feel very welcome and show how important their sense of school community really is.
This semester I am in a third grade classroom at Fuller. My teacher is a young woman, Ms. Waite, who seems to really connect with her class. While I do not think her classroom is very inviting she has a warm and friendly personality which makes the community in her classroom evident. She reminds me of a “warm demander”. She cares a lot about all of her students but they know the rules and they follow the rules. She has a set routine that they follow and she sticks to it. By sticking to her schedule it helps the students learn organizational skills and keeps them on task throughout the day. The students in her classroom do not need much instruction from her on what to do. They are familiar with the schedule and they just know to go from one thing to the next. I am assuming at the beginning of the year she really expressed the importance of a routine and has taught them good time management skills. All the students in her classroom are treated with the same respect and loyalty. By treating everyone fairly I think Ms. Waite creates a great sense of community in her classroom. I can tell that my SBTE tries to get to know her students and make them feel like she cares for them. However, she still keeps her relationship with them more at a teacher level which I think is good. Another thing that I have noticed in the third grade at Fuller is that all of the teachers are very close. The four teachers in the third grade all get along and appear to be having a lot of fun. I think by showing that they love their job creates a lot of community in the classroom. Since my SBTE shows respect and gains respect from her students and from her colleagues, I think there is an evident sense of school and classroom community at Fuller Elementary.

Response to Margaret

I agree with what she said about how important it is to create a good school and classroom community.  She also stated that it is something that both teachers and students have to work at together to accomplish, but with a little help and effort it is not a hard thing to do.  Also, I saw that she said her teacher will sometimes greet the students with a hello or good morning which I really like! My teacher a Fuller always stands at the door as the students are coming in and gives high fives, smiles, etc, and I think that by doing this it is a great start to building community!

Reflection 3 Jalane

Reflection 3 Classroom Community

Building classroom community is more than just putting a few posters up here and there for decoration, it is something much more important.  At Fuller Elementary I have seen many factors that are a large part of their school and classroom community.  Having classroom community means creating an environment that gives students the feeling of belonging and safety.  Creating this environment is important because it allows students to engage their minds in learning and focusing on what you as a teacher are trying to express to them. From the first day that I entered Fuller I have felt like I belonged in the school, even when nobody knew who I was.  As I walked down the halls the first day one thing that really caught my eye was all the colors the schools had.  All the walls are painted with different colors, which I think is a great way to start building community.  As children walk down the halls like I did for the first time it is important that they feel safe and welcomed as well so they will have a better learning experience.  Another thing I noticed about the halls of Fuller was they are covered with student’s schoolwork.  Outside of every classroom the teachers have hung up work the students have completed so that parents, visitors, teachers, etc can see them.  This is a great way to create both classroom and school community because it its bringing what the students do in the classroom and sharing it with the rest of the school, therefore creating a connected community.  One thing that I noticed about Mr. Truemans individual classroom is that although it is not decorated as much as I would like it to be, he has done a great job building a warm, and welcoming environment for his students.  Ever since I stepped foot in his classroom I can tell that he cares about his students and wants them to have the best environment to learn in and that is why he has made such a great learning community for them.  Each day students walk in with smiles on their faces, giving high fives to each other and yelling “whats up Mr. T”.  This to me is so great to see because it is obvious that the students really trust him and have bonded with him because of the environment he has set up for them.  Being in Mr. Truemans classroom to me is the definition of classroom community.  It is warm and welcoming to all students not just his classroom.  Since being at Fuller I have seen students from upper grades, students from down the hall, etc. just stop in to say hey and see what is going on, which shows that he has not only opened his classroom up to his students but he has made it welcoming for all students at Fuller, therefore again connecting classroom community to the overall school community!  Before coming to Fuller elementary I had never seen block scheduling, which is where one teacher works with their “partner” teacher for subjects such as math, science, social studies and language arts.   My teacher teaches his class and the class next-door math and science while his partner teacher teaches the other subjects.  With all of this said I think that the block scheduling helps create a better school community because it connects teachers and students with not only their own classroom, but also with other classes.  Overall, I really like the community that Fuller has built for its students, teachers, visitors, etc. and I look forward to creating a welcoming classroom like they have.

Margaret's Reflection Three

This semester I have learned so much about the importance of creating a sense of community in the classroom. Although it may seem so, creating a positive and welcoming classroom is not the easiest to establish and can only happen with effort from both students and teacher. Listening to past and present teachers’ experiences it is so nice to hear how he or she established a sense of community within the classroom. A sense of community in the classroom can be created by involving students in a morning meeting or having a classroom meeting to discuss and ideas or concerns students may have. There are many different ways to do so and it is important to find the right fit for both teacher and students.

In the classroom I am in this semester I do not get a huge sense of community in the classroom, but there is some. Although I am surprised my SBTE does not greet the students as they walk into the classroom in the morning, once the tardy bell rings at 9:15 he will generally say “Good morning” to the class as well as say the Pledge of Allegiance with them before they head to electives. There is not a class carpet, which also surprises me. It may be because he thinks upper grade students are too old for a carpet, but, I love the idea of morning meetings and gathering the class together at the beginning of the day. I think morning meetings are great transitions for students coming from home or bus to the classroom, getting ready to take on the day.

My SBTE does talk with his class several times throughout the day if something needs to be addressed. If he thinks they need reminder of something, whether it is behavior or turning in fieldtrip forms, he will randomly let them know throughout the day. In my opinion I think these topics should be talked about during either a morning meeting or some sort of closing meeting at the end of the school day. By bringing the whole class together at one time and discussing new/events/reminders the students may be able to remember more easily what is discussed. One thing I really like in the classroom that my SBTE does is he talks to his students like adults. I think that is a great way to create a positive community classroom. He never talks down to them and always encourages them to do their best and reminds them how important their education is. I really like how he treats his students.

My partnership school does a nice job creating a school-wide community. All of the teachers are very kind and welcoming, they always say “hello” and “good morning” while walking down the hall. It is nice to be in a school where everyone is so friendly! I have also had the opportunity to sit in during elective courses throughout the school, which is really neat. I have been able to see how other teachers structure their electives and I quite enjoy it. One teacher in particular I observed three different times was the dance teacher. She is great to watch, she always treats the students with respect. She also has them gather as a group to watch each other perform and give compliments about their performance(s). I also really like the way she compliments her students, many times she will say, “(Student’s name), I really like how you did this…” or “Great job (student’s name)! Can you show the class your great idea?” She does a great job bringing the class together and encouraging them.

I have been fortunate to see several senses of both classroom and school communities at Underwood Elementary. Although there are some things I may do differently within the classroom to really create that sense of community, I still observe it when I am there. Learning and experiencing a sense of community in the school and classroom is so important and I have been able to pick up on some great ideas to create a sense of community in my future classroom.