Scott

Name: Caroline Scott

Guiding Question: What would it be like to be a preschool teacher in a private school?

(optional) Use this space to list possible activities, tasks, experiences. Remember everything you do should help you answer your Guiding Question.

(Required) This plan is a “best guess” as to what you and your mentor think you will be doing. It is not meant to be a hard and fast schedule for your Exploration. The plan should illustrate how you intend to complete a minimum of 80 hours.

classroom/ planning lessons ||= 10 ||
 * = Date ||= Location/Activity ||= Number of Hours ||
 * = May 9-13 ||= WFS LS: Observing Classroom ||= 20 ||
 * = May 16-31 ||= WFS LS: Guiding Activities ||= 10 ||
 * = May 16-31 ||= WFS LS: Playing with Kids ||= 40 ||
 * = May 16-31 ||= WFS LS: Helping with organization of
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||
 * =  ||> Total Number of Hours ||= 80 ||

Journal: May 20, 2010: So far my Exploration in Adrienne Meade's Pre-K class at the Lower School has been an awesome learning experience. My role in the classroom so far has mostly consisted of observing classroom activities, and how Adrienne and Robin (the associate teacher) run their classroom. I have gotten used to the schedule: Morning Activities as the kids arrive, which consists of anything from drawing to playing with blocks, then "Morning Meeting," where the group meets and discusses the plan for the day, sings songs, and talks about the "Query of the Day" (something like "Can our food be alive?"). After that the schedule changes each day, but the kids always have 1-3 specials like P.E, Library, Art, or Español, "Small Groups," "Centers," and Recess in the morning. "Small Groups" is the teacher-led instruction for the day. Right now the unit that the class is focusing on is butterflies. Each teacher takes about half of the class and does some sort of activity to teach the kids something new about butterflies, that usually also involves another skill like math or writing. The other day Adrienne was playing a matching game with the kids that explained the difference between "warning" and "hiding" butterflies: those with bright colors __warn__ predators not to eat them because they are poisonous, whereas hiding butterflies camouflage themselves into the environment so that predators can't see them as well. After the game, the kids got to draw either a warning or hiding butterfly, using the colors they had learned about. Then Adrienne and I helped the kids write a sentence or two about their butterfly. While Adrienne was doing this activity with the kids (and I was helping,) Robin was teaching the kids about symmetry by having each child paint half of a butterfly on one side of a piece of paper, then folding the paper and seeing that the other side looked the same. In my meeting with Adrienne, she told me that later in the experience I may be able to plan and carry out my own Small Group activity, which I'm so excited for! Another activity that occurs in the morning is "Centers." This is what Adrienne calls "Student-led" learning time. Throughout the classroom there are different "Centers"- building center, math center, writing center, book center, dramatic play center, etc. The kids are allowed to play in whichever center they choose. I really like to watch the kids during this time because it's fun to see what they'll do on their own, and also which kids tend to go to which centers. After the morning we have lunch, then rest time, when I usually do some cutting/hole punching/ etc. for Adrienne. Then comes blue box time. Since some of the kids leave at 12, Adrienne told me that everything that happens in the afternoon is supplemental, since she doesn't want the kids who only come for the morning to miss any learning. Adrienne and Robin set up "Blue Boxes" individual to each child. Each of the blue boxes focuses on a specific skill like math, writing, shapes, etc. The teachers individualize these blue boxes on what they think the child in question needs to focus on. I have been helping the kids with blue boxes, which I really love because it allows me to have one-on-one time with the kids. I think this also really helps the kids, because it allows them to focus better. At the end of the day the classroom has another meeting, similar to morning meeting, where the teacher leads a game, they share silence, and they read a story. Then, the kids go to ASP or home.

So far I have completed 37 hours. I think I have a good handle on my guiding question, I already feel like I'm part of the classroom. However, so far I've really only been observing and playing with the kids, and helping the teachers out with activities. I think that when I am able to take a more active role in teaching the kids, I will be better able to answer my Guiding Question, "What would it be like to be a Pre-K teacher in a private school?" I've really enjoyed my Exploration so far. I love being around the kids, and getting to know each one. I think that Friends is doing a great job with their Pre-K curriculum, but a question that has been in the back of my head is "Should 5 year-olds really be __taught__?" I know that there is some literature regarding early childhood that states that kids at this age learn much better from play, not traditional instruction. This an interesting idea, and it's something that has been in the back of my mind. Journal #2:

I am almost at the end of my experience at the Lower School. As I look back over the past few weeks, what stands out are my favorite moments with the kids. Although I didn't get to do the "Guiding Activities" aspect of my Plan of Action as much as I would have liked, I did guide Closing Circle the last week, where a teacher plays a game with the kids, reads a book, poses a query, has a moment of silence, lets the kids share, sings a song, and then dismisses them for the end of the day. The Unit that the Pre-K class is focusing on now is "Families." I brought in one of my favorite childhood books to read to the class for Closing Circle, "The Piggy in the Puddle." I really enjoyed reading it to the kids because it's a silly and fun book, but it also includes a "Family" focus. The query that I posed after reading the book was "How do you have fun with your family?" Although sometimes the kids don't really understand the idea of directly answering the query, I got some good responses like "I have fun with my family when we go out for Ice Cream." I had a lot of fun guiding Closing Circle, and I think that the kids enjoyed it too.

Journal #3:

At the end of my exploration, I leave with a much greater knowledge of what it's like to be a Pre- K teacher in a Private school, a better ability to work with kids, and a deeper feeling of embracing my inner child. I ended up completing about 90 hours throughout the exploration. I think that although I loved working with the kids and I definitely want to work with young children in the future, I don't think I'm cut out for Pre-K teaching as a career. I think that this exploration definitely guided me on my future journey in terms of knowing what age groups I may like to teach. I think that now I'm looking more toward High School ages, but who knows what could happen!