Journal 4 - Assessment and Evaluation

At the beginning of my observation, I never thought I would become attached to the teacher and the school. I have greatly enjoyed each hour I have spent with my cooperating teacher. What was most fascinating was watching how 7th graders act. Before this experience, the thought of working with middle school children was intimidating. However, I have changed my opinion and would greatly enjoy a career working with this age group.
I have learned, through observation, that 7th graders are self-sufficient, but need direction and support. This age group loves attention, but at the same time are very self conscious. When children are in the spotlight, for example class presentations, they get shy and nervous. The majority of the students are very talkative and are concerned with looking “cool” and having the “coolest” friends. Personalities vary greatly among the children. There are several students who enjoy making their fellow classmates laugh and enjoy creating distractions. Yet there are still students who remain quiet and reserved.
Students’ progress is assessed by mid quarter and quarter progress reports. This results in a total of eight progress reports a year. My cooperating teacher has a policy about the envelopes the reports are in. If a student loses the envelope, they must pay a dollar for a new one. This creates responsibility and makes the children take care of the envelope. Also, if they lose it, their report cards are sent home directly through the mail, instead of through them.
She mentioned before, there are a total of eight progress reports sent out. Usually, the reports are given directly to the students. This allows her to be accessible for the students to ask questions about their grades and discuss strategies they can do to improve. If necessary, one on one attention and conferences are planned. Any work done in class, whether it be homework, quizzes, tests, is graded and returned back to the students. If needed, she will leave comments on how to improve or how great the work was completed. I think showing praise is just as important as suggesting improvement because it encourages the children and creates positive attitudes.
She is very supportive to her students. She praises achievements in and out of the classroom. If a student has a question, the students know to raise their hands and she will help. If the activity is more informal, the students are allowed to walk up to her desk to ask questions. When the students are working independently, she will float around the room to check progress and make herself accessible for any questions the students may have.
As well as with the students, she tries very hard to communicate progress with the parents. Personally, she will e-mail parents, make phone calls, send out progress reports, and set up conferences. The school has a school newsletter to tell the parents of the school’s overall progress. My opinion on being a student in her class or being a parent of a student still has not changed. If anything, it has improved. I greatly admire her and how she manages her classroom and career. She is greatly respected by both her colleagues and her students. I believe that my education would be brought to the greatest extent if I were one of her students. I have deeply enjoyed observing her and learning from her. I am saddened to no longer be observing her after this week and hope to keep in contact with her.