Newark field experience...part 2

here is a few things I observed during my field experience......

-Started going over work in book and grammar review, at the beginning of the block a few students had to leave to take a biology test, this was a small disruption, but class stayed on task.
-On one side of the room two girls shared a book, they dressed similarly jeans, sneakers, sweatshirts...had little side conversation, but for the most part payed attention to the lesson.
- A few students came up to me at the end of class, shook my hand and said thanks for coming. They were very respectful and I was surprised that they did this.
- The teacher I observed was a younger man, maybe in his early thirties, Spanish, wearing a shirt and tie with dark hair.


I wrote down some random things I heard said throughout the day as well:
"If I go to hell I'm taking you right with me."
"How can you do work with no textbooks?"
"If you wanna hold my hand it's OK, you don't have to try and take my pen."
"I don't wanna go to Spanish, it's so boring."
"What would I do without technology?"
"Siempre, uso la computadora. (I always use the computer.)"

Community Service

For my community service work I went back to my high school and helped the Advanced Improv class with their rehearsal for their fall production of the musical, Godspell. I previosly blogged about this experience and how it made me realize how much I missed being part of a theatre program. It made me realize just how important the arts and additional programs are and how much they mean to the students who participate in them.
For my service in Newark I went to St. Johns Church and helped with the soup kitchen there. They serve food five days a week, twice a day and you could tell this was very helpful to those who came. My cousin goes to school in Newark and when I asked him about community service oppurtunities he told me that he had helped at St. John's and they appreiciate any help they can get. I never thought that there would be so many people there just needing a meal, but it was a good feeling to be able to help.

Community Meetings

For my community meetings I attended two events at my old high school.
The first event I attended was the fall musical production of Godspell. During my community service time I came to a full day rehearsal and practice for the show and helped the students and director. Because I got to have this time with the cast I was very excited to see everything put together. I have never seen Godspell before and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. The students, who were all members of the Advanced Improv. class had to not only act, like they did in class, but sing and dance as well. Some people may see Godspell as a religious play, but the simple message it portrays is to love and help those around you and that in itself is an imprtant message to give to not only students, but the whole school community.
I also attended a high school football game. When I was in high school our team was never that good. We used to go to the games, not to watch, but to socialize and go figure, not much has changed. I spent most of the game people watching. Sometimes I wonder if I was that annoying at that age. Some kids were sitting with parents, others had rows of friends and some spent the whole game under the bleachers fooling around. There was a group of 5 guys with R A M S ! painted on their stomachs. they had to be freezing, but they were having a great time cheering their friends and school on. Southern ended up winning by 6 and even I was excited. As i walked out I heard talk about weekend plans, crushes and boyfriends, bad teachers and the classes they taught and opinions on who the cutest guy on the team was. It was definitely a learning experience to just sit back and watch the students and how they acted, not in school, but in a school function.

Field Observation

So, I went and did my observation at Arts High School and who would have guessed...it wasn't what I expected. I observed Mr. Freire's Spanish I classes. What I witnessed was a teacher who kept his students interested and used his class time well and students who were well behaved and for the most part attentive. Mr. Freire is also a big believer in using technology in the classroom and this was great to see because our inquiry project is on exactly that. He used a smart board that hooks up his computer to a dry erase board and can be used as a touch screen. Although I have seen these sitting in classrooms before I have never actually seen them used and I'll admit, it was quite interesting. He also used AlphaSmart 3000. I have never seen these before, but they are small personal computers that consist of a keyboard and a very small screen that he can upload quizzes to. I think my experience at Arts was a great learning experience because it helped me realize that my conceptions and assumptions were wrong and since I attended a suburban high school, I had to challenge what I thought I knew about urban schools.

NCLB

While I think that it is great that America wants to set standards for its students and strives to provide the same education for all students i think that the standards in NCLB are not realistic. I think that it is a mistake to say that by the year 2014 100% of students will meet the benchmark because in all things there will always be those who are below and above the average. I think the amount of energy put into standardized tests is a waste and that they do nothing to show the intelligence of individuals. The focus should be on having teachers who not only know their subject matter, but who know and understand their students and how to pass on the knowledge they have.

When I think about the best teachers I've ever had they weren't always the brightest or smartest in their area, but they had a passion for teaching and for students which is what made them people who touched lives and made my education valuable.

Arts High Orientation

In high school I loved theatre and being a part of the theatre company and being in Arts High School I loved being around students who have the same passion I have for the Arts. Seeing the Advanced Choir before the meeting started was awesome and the tour was even better. I thought the overview we recieved about the school was helpful for our observations and I thought it was great that all the speakers took the time to answer our questions about Arts High and education in general.

I didn't know how much I missed it

On Friday, I did my first five hours of community service back at my high school, where I helped with the fall musical production. When I was in high school I took an Improv class all four years and participated in many productions.Being back there and watching the performers made me really miss being involved in theatre. It was great to be a part of something I have a passion for.

As far as the inquiry project goes I know that Arts High deals with the arts. Even more then that my community service also involves the arts and this weekend I will be attending Southern Regional High School's production of "Godspell" for one of my community events. I would like to have an inquiry question that deals with theatre or maybe extra curricular activities in general, but I am having a hard time pinpointing a good question. If any one has any ideas they are greatly appreciated.