Contextual Features at Novice Teaching Placement

 

Independence Middle School is located in Palos Heights, IL.  The community is known to be safe and stable with many supportive parents.  Police officers often come to the school to talk to the students about the danger of drugs and violence near the city.  The recenter behind the school allows the kids to play outside and walk around the walking path for recess. The political stance of the community and school tends to lean left but it also has a group of republicans in the reformed churches.  However, I have not seen any discrimination or harsh talk over political matters at the school.  Overall, the school is very well integrated into the community.  There are currently 230 students enrolled.  Of these students, 14% come from low-income households.  There are no homeless students in attendance and even the low-income students have their needs met by the school and families working together.  The school is not very diverse.  About 80% of the students are white, while 20% are either Hispanic or African American.  The school has a very high attendance rate at 93%.  The student to teacher ratio is about 1:20 in my teacher’s classes.  Of her students, about 52% are proficient in ELA according to the IAR.  Of this 52%, I have observed the majority to be in ELA honors.  Most of the students in the regular 8th grade ELA course are struggling to meet grade level standards.  Overall, many of the students appear behind in academics, but the school seems like a healthy environment that is well supported by the community. 

The teacher’s English classroom is covered with posters and signs.  On one wall, there are words that help students transition from one idea to another.  Examples include therefore, because, in light of, and many more.  This wall also has the projector and white board.  The projector is the only technology in the classroom besides the student’s tablets.  It is connected to the teacher’s laptop, and she can display videos, worksheets, and assignments.  This wall also has some funny grammar jokes about commas changing the meaning of sentences.  On the right wall there are posters of famous authors and a short paragraph about their lives.  There are also definitions for the parts of speech such as verbs, adjectives, and adverbs.  On the back wall, there are reading charts for each period that keep track of how many books each child has read.  This is also where the classroom library resides.  There is a file cabinet full of the student’s portfolios where they place their work when they are done.  Finally, on the left wall, there is a poster with the parts of a story.  There is a sign that displays the vocabulary scores of the class.  The last wall space is devoted to the schedule of the day.  The desks are arranged in two Us facing the white board.  The teacher has planning in the morning and then 5 periods with a lunch at noon.  The students come in and sit for the whole time while she lectures.  Occasionally they will break out into small groups, but not very often.  Hands must be raised to speak, and students are not allowed to chit chat during class work time.  There is little to no parent involvement in the classroom. 

The students, while mostly white, are still diverse and that must be respected.  There are two main strategies I would use in respect to student characteristics in this class.  First, I would create an index card for each student.  This card would list their name, interests, friends, strengths, struggles, and any IEP or 504 information.  By using these cards, I would have easy access to the information on each student.  I would also be able to recommend books based on their preferences, remember their accommodations, and help them shine in the classroom.   Second, I would make sure my classroom library is diverse, both in authors and in book characters.  The classroom library is the heart of an ELA class.  Yes, students will read books for school, but they will also read for fun.  My library will be the main source of books for many of these children.  I want each student to find something that they can relate to or see themselves in.  To see oneself in a book is to be welcomed into the community of readers.  This experience helps students engage with literature and see themselves as people who like to read.  I want my students to be lifelong readers, and to do this, they must fall in love with books they relate to.  Examples of books I would include in my library are The Hate You Give, Interment, Ghost, Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, I am Malala, and Love Simon.  These books are written by, or feature, diverse characters that express themselves in many ways.  By having these books in the classroom library, the students will see that they are also welcomed to come as they are.

The students’ characteristics also impact the way I would create instructional lessons in this class.  First, I would remember that many of my students in the general ELA class are falling behind.  Their scores on state tests have been unsatisfactory.  As a first step to bridging this gap, I would pair each of my struggling students with a peer who is excelling.  They would work together twice a week during advisory on the lessons and paper due soon.  In this way, the student who needs some help receives it through a mentor, and the thriving student can lean through tutoring and leadership.  Second, I would highlight the student’s strengths and respect their weaknesses in the curriculum.  This means showing a child that they can succeed and that their specific skills are important.  To do this, I would work to form relationships with students, understand their backgrounds, and structure the classes to bring out the best in them.  I would highlight their cultures in the novels we read, lead them to roles where they could succeed, and be mindful of past struggles or traumas to avoid in the classroom.  These students do not need to be constantly comforted but showing them that they can thrive in school is a step to creating an engaged learner.  By respecting their individuality, I would strive to bring the class together as a community of learners. 

“Independence Jr High School: School Environment.” INDEPENDENCE JR HIGH SCHOOL | School Environment, https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/School.aspx?source=environment&Schoolid=070161280021003.