Alyssa Berger's Placement

This year, I am placed at Henry North Elementary School in Lansing. The school is the main elementary school for ESL students in the northern part of Lansing. It is a very large school where there is always something going on and you learn shortcuts to get through the maze of classrooms. It is a relaxed environment, with many visits from principles and other school professionals regularly. Adding to the relaxed environment is the relaxed dress code for both the students and teachers. I am placed in one of the four 4th grade classrooms in the school.

In my placement classroom specifically, there are nine different spoken languages other than English and one student speaks four languages himself. Out of the 24 students, only a handful are from the United States or Michigan. Even with all of these differences, the students tend to get along very well. There are many different reading levels in the classroom, as well as some different struggles. A couple students leave for ESL support, as they have been in the country for less than a year; some students leave to receive reading and writing support; and a few students have been diagnosed with ADHD, but do not do anything in the classroom differently as a result. My mentor teacher mentions often how lucky she is to have gotten such a "good group" this year because they work together and they help each other constantly. For the majority of the time I have observed the classroom, it is one of acceptance for all students. I have had a blast with the students this year, have been lucky to receive respect from them, and look forward to finishing the year in this classroom.

As far as routines and activities in my placement go, I feel as though the students are not independent enough. They are fourth graders, but they are still sitting in pods and they still sit in a group on a carpet in the room to do their read aloud time. A lot of the work done in this classroom is group work, which is good since the students work well together, but it is not helping their independence. For consequences, by mentor teacher uses warnings and checks, and it has been relatively effective for most students. My mentor teacher also does math lessons throughout the week, but once a week lets the students work in math centers, and she also gives them daily literacy center time. This is the biggest opportunity for students to work independently, but many of them choose not to.