Running head: PART II

PART II
SED 322: Classroom Leadership
Arizona State University
April 25, 2016
Nancy Avelar

PART II

I am currently interning at Central High School and the dynamic of the school is one that
I am very familiar with because I graduated from a neighborhood high school that is in the same
district, Metro Tech. Being able to observe and analyze a classroom from a teachers perspective
is eye opening. As a student I was mainly focused on my own academics but now as a teacher
candidate try and help each student become successful, but it becomes difficult when you have
the majority of the class at different academic levels. Being able to conduct these interviews and
talk with a couple students, I realized how the system is unfair to many. I have a great mentor
that always provides me with good feedback, but sometimes it feels as though he is also tired of
the system. There are areas in which he can improve his class and also make certain
accommodations to have students learning more, but it becomes difficult to do so, especially
with all the other work in our lives.
Currently I am in an algebra II setting with mostly freshman. The class is geared towards
a freshman math class, but there are sophomores and juniors also since they were unable to pass
the class early on. There are three sections of algebra II and also two other sections of online
senior math which will not be discussed in the paper. All classes have at least three ELL students,
but there are no students with disabilities or IEPs in any of the classes. The classroom is bare
with little math content on the walls and the students keep to themselves. From this information I
was able to interview my mentor and gain insight on what is important about running a
classroom. For him, it seems as though tends to focus on helping those students who are
struggling the most. He is a strong believer in having a reward system for student with little
opportunities vs always rewarding the good students. He has a clear perspective on what this
means on a personal level because his family comes from a line of educators and even his
brother is a teacher but in the Chandler area. He talks about how to him, it seems as though his

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brother isnt able to impact the kids as greatly because they are self driven and have multiple
opportunities to succeed and although I agree with him on some factor, I also feel as though we
need teachers to teach advanced students and push them higher. He mentioned to me a metaphor,
. if there is a tennis team at a privileged school and their coach was sick for a month when he
comes back the tennis team will most likely be on the same level. But if you have a tennis team
in a low socioeconomic school and the coach is gone for a month, by the time he comes back
there will not be a tennis team. See the kids at the privileged school are able to practice on their
own, have home equipment to use, and possibly even a personal trainer, but kids in low
economic areas dont have these opportunities. So really are you needed at the privileged
school? This is something that I continue to think about, only because some of my peers will
not work at Title I schools and I see no problem with it. I believe eventually both kids will need
mentors and without them they are unable to push past their limits, so I believe all teachers are
needed no matter which school you are attending, but I do feel as though resources are spread
unfairly.
From my mentor, he also focuses on knowing who you are as a teacher so that your
teaching can reflect that. You want to surround yourself with articles and information regarding
the news on local educational change. You also want to know the history of the school that you
are working at, how it was founded, what the diversity was when it initially started. Although it
seems as though it is irrelevant information, it plays a part into the decision that school
administrators make. He was able to talk to me about a lot of the history of Central High School
and how initially it started off as a top school, he also let me know of a couple politicians who
attended Central in the past, but how now it is not viewed the same. He feels as though they want
to make it like Central was in the old days and in why alumni make contributions and why they

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have great programs which try and help students academics at central, such as the SUNS
partnership. Overall he mentioned how you want to know what you value and what information
you will focus on to make your teaching great, and also take action and be knowledgeable in
information concerning educational politics to voice your own opinion.
For the student side of this interview, I was able to talk with three students and each
displayed a different attitude towards their academics by the end of our talk. What the three
students had in common was the fact that they lacked motivation. All three students were
currently failing Algebra II, and my mentor had talked with one of parent for one of the students
but it did not seem like it had make a difference in their academic standing. When talking with
the students about their motivation, they seemed as though they were discouraged with school
overall. It was not they they could not do the math, because one of the students was a second
year Algebra student but it was that they choose not to because it made no difference. Although
my mentor tries to focus his attention on the students that need help the most they are unable to
connect with him because they feel as though most of their teachers do not share their same
struggles. They also were surprised to hear some of the information I shared with them, because
they assumed I was a rich girl. But in reality I graduated from a neighborhood high school,
Metro Tech, and was able to attend college because of scholarships. My parents are both
Mexican immigrants, with my mom remaining undocumented, and my father continually
working in construction for many years. I am the oldest and first to attend college or even
graduate high school. Although not all the students could relate directly with my story, they were
able to understand that I did not come from a background with direct opportunities and that was
something they understood and respected, and aspects they typically do not hear from teachers.

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The students were also able to share with me how they felt as though it was difficult to
learn because of the fast pace. Although I am understanding of this, it is difficult to teach at a
slower pace without having the fast learning students get bored. Learning a common ground for
teaching is difficult and sometimes I feel as though us teachers should share with students some
of the reasons as to why we teach one way or another, so they are understanding and respectful
and also mindful of their peers.
The students were able to connect with me because I shared some of their struggles and
also because they said I kept in mind how they are students and I am still a current student. I
hope to keep all of these areas of improvement in mind when I begin to student teach because I
would dread having to be that teacher who does not listen to classroom feedback about moving at
a slower pace or helping out students that need the assistance. First year teaching is really
difficult and I know I will be busy trying to survive but I hope to remember to take the time to
connect with my students and their parents and actually ask for feedback and truly take it to heart
and improve upon it. I hope to be a great teacher in the future because I had great teachers who
were able to influence who I am today. And even though I do not come from a house of money
or opportunities, I was still able to achieve my dreams through hard work and dedication and
great mentors along the way.