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Blog #8

It's hard to pick just one thing I learned during fieldwork observation.  The most obvious thing I learned is that if you want to have a successful classroom, you have to be organized.  The state of your classroom sets the tone for your students from the moment they walk in.  I feel like a disorganized classroom gives the impression that the teacher will accept disorganized and messy work.  It seems to me that most students will rise to meet the teacher's expectations, so the teacher needs to be the example of the work they are expecting their students to do.  I also think that being organized is a great way of showing your students and their parents that you really care about the education you are providing.

Another important lesson I learned was communication with parents is very important.  The teacher I observed told me that its almost like playing offense.  If the teacher is open and clear with the parents, many issues can be avoided.  For example, sending a weekly email with what the teacher is teaching that week and what the homework assignments will be is very helpful.  Then, parents can refer to the email if they are wondering about what is going on in the classroom.  This teacher made sure to point out that you will still have parents that need a little more hand holding and to make sure to have patience to spare.

I'm glad I had the opportunity to observe a classroom for this course, as opposed to volunteering in my own kids' class because I could see things from just the teacher's perspective.  It made me realize that a teacher does just about anything you can imagine on any given day. So, I guess if I had to summarize what I learned it would be that a teacher has to be prepared for anything.

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