response to prompt #5

As you may know already, my schools population is made up of over 50% of Hispanics and throughout my visits at Windmill, I have seen many parents entering and exiting the building, as well as meeting with the principal and teachers. In passing, I have noticed that the principal, Mr. Lopes, talking in Spanish with a parent. I never thought about it up until now that it must help a whole lot for the student population and their family members within the community to have a spanish speaking principal in order to communicate better about their child's education and as well as making them feel welcome. For me, as a white teacher, and someone who doesn't speak anything other than English might find it hard to communicate with the families of my students because of the language barrier. However, if I was a teacher at this school I would feel better knowing that the person whom I go to with any problems and for support would be able to help with communication because of his background.

I aware that my future as an educator in the public school system will be a struggle if I do not have help with communication. So, I have intended on taking a spanish course to learn the basics of the language which would help me a great deal. If I feel confident enough I would consider taking the next course in Spanish.

response to prompt #1

Windmill Street School is a public elementary school that sits up on top of a big hill in the North End section of Providence, RI. The classrooms in the school are spacious as well as the hallways which makes it easy for students and staff to work. The bathrooms are clean and well supplied from my own personal visits. All staff seem to be working collaboratively and I have noticed that the teachers are most aware of who the students are and where they should be.

According to Informationworks, the schools principal, Eusibio Lopes, oversees approximately 395 students and 34 teachers in grades K-5. The schools performance was noted as making adequate yearly progress in which they met 20 out 20 targets which were evluated in the year 2008. Windmill serves a diverse population where 53% of the students are Hispanic, 24% are White, 20% are African-American, 2% Asian and 1% Native American. Interesting enough, only 17% of the population received special eduation services but with general education supports and a very low 3% of them were part of a self-contained classroom. Also, 20% of the students were bilingual but 1% of them was part of an ESL program. This school is madw up of mostly low-income families and 89% of the student population is eligible for free or reduced lunch.

Responding to Prompt #4

Happy to announce that I am seeking progress with my new buddie Sam. The next time I went, I walked towards the classroom and he was already sitting in the hallway waiting for someone to work with him on his reading. Perfect timing I thought. I walked up confidently to him, smiled and said, "Hello Sam", and he just stared at me. I laughed a little inside, mostly from nerves but then asked him if he remembered me and he nodded yes. That's when I knew that I had to pull some tricks out of the bag. I put my stuff away and walked right up to the teacher and asked if she would like me to work with Sam again and she thought that would be great. I received my instructions on what we should be doing, grabbed a chair and went back to the hallway. First, I told him my name once again and asked him to choose a book of his choice to read. Sam apeaks very clear English and from what I can tell he understands it just as well. As we read, the word 'hutch' used in a sentence was a stopper for Sam. I explained the word as it was used in the sentence and then pointed it out in the picture as well. I asked him if he ever heard of it and that was it, I was in. He started telling me a little bit about him and his uncle back in Puerto Rico. I used my boyfriend and his family as a crutch because they are from Pueto Rico as well and I think this made him start to trust me. After that, Sam whizzed right through his pre-primer and primer words and I excitedly gave him a thumbs up or told him great job. At the end I gave him a high five for doing an awesome job that day. It was time for Sam to go back his class and on his way out he smiled and waved at me. I felt that I connected with my student because I was able to bring in my own personel history which gives me and advantage with his cultural background. I think that I am very close to acheiving the goal of getting my student to trust me. I noticed that Sam is reading louder than he was the first visit and gets more excited when he does a good job. Some challenges as a future teacher will be trying to connect with your students on all different levels because they are unique individuals with very different family life. I have been exposed to many different cultural backgrounds growing up in Providence and although my expereinces are helpful in the classrooms, I still have a lot to learn.

I usually go to my school on the same days and at the same time so you can imagine that the students are typically doing the same thing when I get there ech time. I am usually found helping the teacher(s) with literacy. I will take anywhere from one to five studetns out to the hallyway and practiced primer and pre-primer words and then do some reding with them. The system that the classroom teacher(s) have is none like i have ever seen before and I like it very much. The week before vacation I was placed in the hallway to help out a boy who I was not formally introduced to. So there I sat just a foot between our knees, I couldn't help to think what his story was. He was much taller than the average second grader but he was reading on a first grade level. Trying to be sensitive to his needs, I minded my business and just did what was asked of me. By the end od the hour when we were done with his work, all through my head I kept thinking that there is no way that this boy is in the second grade he is just way to big, How do I ask without seeming nosy? I finally asked the boy if he was new to the school and he shook his head yes. So I asked him which state he came from. The boy looked at me puzzled and said, "I am from Puerto Rico." "OOHHHH" I said. Now I understood, he must be older and with spanish being his primary language he is delayed in the reading. We cleaned up and he was just about to go back to his classroom when I realized that I didn't know his name. I turned around quickly and luodly said, "Hey!", and the boy turned around and gave me a signal with his head and I asked, "what is your name?" and he answered, "Sam". I smiled at him and said, "It was nice to meet you Sam, my name is Amy". Sam looked at me with that puzzled look once again and waved goodbye. I thought about Sam a few times over the break and wondered if I would be able to work with him again. I knew by the look in Sam's eyes that there was a bit of untrust and definitely a bit of shyness and the sense of feeling embarassed as well. I have to find some ways to get Sam to feel comfortable with me because it will make it easier for us to work together.

So there i was walking up the same set of steps I walked up over twenty years ago. Couldn't tell if the pit in my stomach was out of nervousness or just plain excitement. I was placed at Windmill St. School which I attended K-6th grade. I carefully waked the hallways inspecting every inch to make sure that everything was still the same as I remember it, then I reached the girl's bathroom. Something was different. I seriously think they changed the doorway!! Although it could just be my memory going. Anyways, I continued down to room 106 and when I reached it I realized that this was my fourth grade classroom that I was about to enter. In all honesty, my fourth grade teacher was a favorite of mine and a lot of good memories come from here. I chuckled at the sight of little girls and boys trying to put their jackets in the closets outside of each classroom. Finally, I stepped into the room and was greeted by the teacher who was just as sweet and kind as my old teacher. The desks were actually tables that were in the shape of a hexagon but didn't sit more than four children together sort od reminded me of the structure of the classroom when I was there. When I was a kid we had individual desks and chairs which we would group together usually by fours. The teacher's desk was in the same spot near the windows and the chalk board still remained the same. The only difference was that there was a rug on the floor, a computer area and also a quiet area filled with beanbags and books. This goes to show that years ago we didn't seem to need all this extra areas like we do now. If a child was in need quiet time or a break, they went to the office. Reading groups were done right there in the classroom but at our desks, and never mind a computer! What was that? Today children with disibilities are able to be successful within their classroom because of the accomodations available to them at hand. Needless to say, the school hasn't changed it's concrete foundation a bit, but the way in which the curriculum is taught and learned has defintley changed.

Short Bio

Hello All,

My name is Amy and I am a Junior studying elem/sped and my concentration is severe/profound. I had a late start to the class due to an illness but feel confident that I can catch right up. Besides attending RIC full-time I am a single mom to a 3 yr old boy, Alexander. Besides my son and school I work as a nail technician at a salon in Warwick, I am a bartender/waitress and I also work one day a week at the senior center in Smithfield. During the little free time that I have I enjoy spending time with family and friends. Staying positive is the secret to happiness. :)