Day One: Mrs. Noble's Kindergarten Class

Today was my first day in my second field experience at CofC. I have been assigned to Harbor View Elementary School on James Island in Mrs. Noble's kindergarten class. I was very excited for today and very relieved that the school is located so close to downtown, where I live. This school is quite different in many ways from CDA. It is culturally very different because the majority of all students are white, whereas CDA was almost entirely African American students. In both cases, though, neither of the schools have much exposure to cultural diversity to offer its students.
The first thing I noticed about the classroom as I entered was how large the room is. There is room for tables, centers, carpet space, and desks, and plenty of room to move. There is also a lot of wall space, which someone the teacher has found ways to cover with images and words to support her students' learning. In the room that I am assigned to with Sam, there is one lead teacher, an asssistant teacher, and a student teacher (a senior from CofC). When we arrives the students were working on morning daily work that was working on writing letters and coloring corresponding picutres on an assignment sheet.
As the teacher got organized she called all the children to the carpet. They sang a song I have heard before called, "Rise and Shine," which is a song they sing every morning as part of their routine. Then the morning announcements were read over the loudspeaker and the class said the pledge of allegance and sang the national athem. The students also recited Harbor View's Creed, similar to what the students at CDA did when I observed the 3rd grade class. I was very impressed with the kindergarteners knowing all the words and being able to memorize such a long Creed as well as know some more difficult words. When they were done they read a story with the teacher and then sang another song becuase the teacher thought they were having trouble sitting still. They use a sticker system in the class, where they lose their sticker for the day if they are misbehaving, but if, by the end of they day, they still have their sticker then the teacher adds a sticker to their chart. Each student has their own chart and when they reach 5, 10, and then fill the whole chart with stickers, each time they get to choose a prize from the class "treasure chest". I like the idea of having a treasure chest as long as the prizes are something educationally related. It actually reminds me of the dentist's office when i was little.
The student teacher sent through a daily cander center with them as well, where they document the day, and do "a-bead-a-day" and the 100 day count. Each day one student gets to be a special helper with the calender which I think is helpful in assessing students through observation while still being able to teach a lesson. It makes sure each child is getting some individualized help and assesses what they know related to the calendar and math. The students then were sent to PE in a different room with a different teacher, whom did not wish for Sam and I to observe (strange?). I hope that we will have the opportunity to observe at least one day of PE. When the students returned to the room the student teacher ready to the students and then they were placed into special centers, which included, a listening center, a book center (not very popular), a computer center, a games and puzzle center, a house center, blocks center, and puppet center. I was ver entertained by some of the girls, who decided to put on a puppet show. At this time the teachers also selected a group fo students to do math with the assistant, and a group to work on English with Mrs. Noble.
The students then proceeded to lunch, where the "hot lunch" meal options were PB&J and Pizza (Pizza by far was the most popular). At this school the teachers and assistant teachers are required to sit with their class and eat lunch with them in the cafeteria, which for me is strange, because I have never had that in my own schooling.
Overall, I enjoyed my first day. The class seemed organized and almost as though they got through more than the class I observed at CDA. I think the teacher may be a little bit better organized and by bringing the students to the carpet they are less likely to be sitting facing eachother in groups where they would be more likely to talk to one another. I was ver impressed with the things I have seen so far, in regards to what they are learning. I am especially amazed what kindergarteners know about computers! And the behavior of the class was also rather controlled, so I hope to observe how this teacher handles classroom management and hopefully pick up some ideas that I can use in my own class someday. I had a great morning in Kindergarten and look forward to learning more next Wednesday, when it won't be a half day!