Running Head: FIELD OBSERVATION

Field Observation

Alexandria Whimtore
Introduction to Special Education 203
Field Observation
Thursday, December 3, 2015

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Doing observations for Introduction to Special Education was an exciting venture. The
school where I completed my observation was C.P. Squires Elementary School. I was able to
observe in three different classrooms with students of different ages and varying degrees of
abilities. Ms.Larsens first grade class was the place that I started out. Her general education
class showed me a baseline of what students are capable of. Then, I had the opportunity to spend
the day with Ms.Hansens early childhood special education class. After, I was able to sit in on
Ms.Moscosos first and second grade special education class.
C.P. Squires is a really great school. Since the school is Title I, there is a lot of support of
the students. They are a ZOOM school, which means that they enact a program that has a goal
of creating fluent readers by third grade. There is also a very vibrant after school program, run by
After School All Stars in which the kids are able to essentially take another class whether it be
sewing, sports, or even art. I had the chance to sit in on the Chefs Breakfast in which chefs
from around the valley come to the school to cook the children a nice hot, breakfast. Military
personnel were also there to get the kids excited and hand out chef hats, special beaded
necklaces, and Tropical Smoothie Caf Smoothies. The school is very helpful for the students,
and it is really nice that the teachers are exceptional as well.
Ms.Larsens class was the first class I sat in on. In Ms.Larsens class there are seventeen
students. Of the seventeen, sixteen speak Spanish at home. There is an even distribution of girls
and boys. Ms.Larsen explained that working with English Language Learners is very standard
across the school, due to the high Hispanic population in the area. This was very apparent when
one of the activities discussed jobs. The students were asked to list jobs of people they knew, and
many of them gave responses such as construction, maid, or farmer.

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On the day that I observed, the technology wasnt working well, but Ms.Larsen handled it
with grace and worked around the issue so that the students could learn effectively. It seemed
that she was very resilient to all of her learners needs. She would make small adjustments to
what they were doing for students who werent quite understanding.
The next day, I jumped down in age when I observed Ms.Hansens Early Childhood
Education for students with exceptionalities. Because of the student with exceptionalities, there
are two aides for only nine students at a time (because two students switch off). There are ten
students, three of which were absent. Of the seven, six are boys. Two of the seven, including the
only girl, do not have exceptionalities, but are in the class to serve as an example to the others,
and because of this, they only participate in the special education program for half a day, and
switch at lunch. The five students with exceptionalities were ages five, four, four, four and three.
The students were very mild mannered, and it seemed that they were only slightly learning
disabled for their age. Gilbert was the only one whose case seemed more severe than the others.
He has frequent outbursts, and has a lot of trouble focusing. Although that was a problem, he is
very enthusiastic when he wants to be. After they sang a song at circle time, they all clapped, and
Gilbert got out of his chair and started to jump, because he was so happy. They always have to
keep an eye on him, because he likes to put stuff in his mouth, and he doesnt play well with
others. When play time came, the teacher put him into a section of the room that was isolated, so
that he wouldnt end up fighting over toys. When she talks to the students, she always refers to
them as friends. It is a term that the students understand, so when she says You do not get to hit
my friends, they understand that being a friend means loving, and not hitting. This is a frequent
occurrence in her class, as the students try to hit all the time, usually with no bad intentions. A

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part of the day is dedicated to IEP goals, and the students will split into groups and work on
writing, fine motor skills, or even speech.
After spending time with the little ones, I got to move up to first and second grade special
education with Ms.Moscoso. The time I spent in her classroom was quite short, but I learned a
lot. For the sixteen students, there is one aide. The class was only operated using group work,
and the groups were determined by the level the students were at. There is one student who
seems a lot far ahead. Ms.Moscoso informed me that she is working on getting the student in an
appropriate classroom, but the process is long. To transition to a regular classroom, first she
would just go to a resource room for a part of the day and remain in the separate classroom, then
she would go to general education as well as the resource class, and she would spend ten minutes
in the separate classroom. After, if it is appropriate, she would only go to general education and
resource class, and if she advances even more, she would no longer need the resource class. It is
unclear what level she is at in regards to if she needs a resource room.
The students work very well, and are mostly on task. Ms.Moscoso knows the value of
instant gratification, so she gives them chances to earn money each day and lets them pick
prizes each Friday after they successfully count their money. In this classroom, just as in
Ms.Hansens class, friends is used openly because the students understand it.
I appreciate the opportunity I had to observe these classes. I believe my experience to see
different levels and styles will be invaluable in my further schooling.