Monica Fowlkes

Inquiry Project

Professor Trinidad

A white male who is approximately thirty- eight years old obtained the job as the

agriculture teacher/ FFA advisor at Windsor High School. Mr. Jarrod Bessire obtained an

associates degree from Northeaster Junior College in Sterling, Colorado and a bachelors degree

from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado. Mr. Bessire is in his sixteenth year

teaching and has been at Windsor High School for the past three years. Growing up Mr. Bessire

went to an extremely small school. The building he went to school in was a Kindergarten through

twelfth grade school where his father was the high school agriculture teacher. Windsor, the

school he currently resides at, is strictly a high school. Mr. Bessire said growing up there was

never much diversity within the classroom, but being at Windsor he has seen a little more growth

in the diversity of the agriculture program. Schooling is meant to bring out the best of a students

potential while teaching importance and value in life.

After interviewing Mr. Bessire and asking what he thinks the primary purpose of public

schools is he stated Not only to educate students but to teach the importance and value within

the curriculum that will later apply to real life situations. Through agricultural education there

are a variety of different life lessons taught. As I was speaking to Mr. Bessire he told me about

the different classes he has taught over the course of the semester. They ranged from wildlife

management, welding, woodworking, and even horticulture. Each of these classes consist of

mostly hands on projects. Within a large majority of agriculture programs the main type of

teaching is found to use hands on learning. Although there are multiple ways to go about

accommodating each type of learner, however within agricultural education the learner who
benefits the most is usually a kinesthetic learner. While observing I got to sit in on the wildlife

management class where the students were building bird houses. With these bird houses they

would learn how to build one that would attract a common bird within the geographical area. The

bird houses were all built the same and the students chose how to decorate them once they were

put together.

Within the classroom there were eight male and six female students within the classroom.

There was no ethnic diversity within the classroom due to every person within the room being

Caucasian including the teacher. The agriculture classroom is set up differently than the typical

K-12 required classes. Within the agriculture classroom students are expected to be able to be

self-sufficient to a point. Coming from an agriculture background it is understood the initial

instruction is within the first day of the project being started especially with something as simple

as the birdhouse. While in the shop, Mr. Bessire would walk around looking at each students

project. While he was walking around he would help the student to improve their bird house.

There were only four students who were still putting their bird houses together and the rest were

painting them. There was one male student who was struggling significantly more than the others

within the class. This student received a large majority of Mr. Bessires attention during the class

period I was there.

Mr. Bessire did a great job of making sure one student wasnt left out from being talked

to. I believe Mr. Bessire is truly present within his classroom. According to Kessler If we keep

our hearts open we can see the unique needs of students. (Kessler, 2000). Mr. Bessire

understands that not every student will be the same and understands that some will struggle

while some succeed within his class. The hard part about those that struggle is they usually get

picked on by those who are excelling within the classroom.

 While observing I noticed a situation dealing with bullying for the one male who was

struggling. The one group of boys was making fun of the young male who was struggling with

his bird house. The young male who was struggling, became frustrated with the group and

walked out. Mr. Bessire attempted to stop the young man from walking out after watching the

situation take place. The young man walked out and Mr. Bessire went and had a conversation

with the group of males making fun of the struggling male. Student education effort is designed

to make sure students understands that behaviors that hurt others will not be tolerated

(Gevelinger, 2002). These young males were making the struggling individual feel like he

wasnt good enough to be in that class. They called him names such as a wimp, sissy, and said he

wasnt meant to be in this class. There is one question that always starts a fight and that is

Whos a sissy around here? (Kimmel). The group of young males were downgrading the

struggling boy on his ability to build a bird house. This opened my eyes as to how mean high

school aged students truly are to those who are different than the individual themselves.

I spoke with Mr. Bessire about the situation and what he thought about the males who

were making fun of the struggling male. This was a large pet peeve of his as he believes the

agriculture shop keeps a large majority of students from hating school and dropping out. Mr.

Bessire stated he loves seeing students struggle as it shows growth within the student, but

absolutely hates when others make the one struggling feel like they arent worth anything in that

area of education. This leads back to his primary purpose to educate students while teaching the

importance and value of life skills. Once this student came back Mr. Bessire went and spoke

with the frustrated student explaining he is doing just fine. Explained how taking his time and

struggling is what is helping him grow and understand the process of the project. I believe for

this group of Caucasian students the school is adapted well. While observing I never had the
opportunity to see a teacher work with those of a different race. Mr. Bessire did a great job

implementing the student education effort in this primarily white middle class school.

Windsor is a high school of upper to middle class students. As I pulled into the parking

lot I couldnt help but notice majority of the vehicles in the lot were in good shape, almost brand

new. There were roughly five diesel trucks that sat in the same parking lot. I got the impression

of a well off school before I walked into the front doors. As I walked through the front doors

everything looked new and highly developed. Majority of the equipment in the front office was

technologically advanced. To check in the visitor uses a computer which then prints off a sticker

for the visitor to wear. This was a well built and well kept up school. The demographics show a

low minority population with an extremely high Caucasian population. There are roughly 1200

students and approximately 800 of them are Caucasian. According to Startclass statistics the

demographics are as follows:

Windsor High School Demographics

90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
Percentage 10
0

Ethnicity

Windsor Demographics

http://public-schools.startclass.com/l/17267/Windsor-High-School
 Due to the numbers being extremely low within some ethnic groups I have provided the

numbers that are within the graph. Caucasian is approximately 80.9%, African American is .2%,

Pacific Islander is .1%, Hispanic is 14.2%, Two Races contains 3.1%, Asian is roughly .8%, and

American Indian consists of .7% of Windsor High School population.

While I was observing I noticed few students that are considered a different ethnicity

between the two agriculture classrooms. The classroom Mr. Bessire teaches was a 100%

Caucasian class while the class next door had two students who were ethnically diverse. Out of

the 1200 students within the school roughly 200 of them are within the agriculture program

where majority of them identify Caucasian. Mr. Bessires room was filled with quotes from FFA

conventions, banners from where he went to school, and posters involving agriculture. There

wasnt a poster that I personally felt was downgrading other cultures. Each poster consisted of

some species of livestock rather than people. The agriculture classrooms were in a completely

different building and were the only classrooms within the building. I believe due to the amount

of room needed for the shop and the amount of extra funding (government and a little extra from

the community) the agriculture department was able to get the adequate space needed to provide

the optimum experience for the students.

While walking through the courtyard of Windsor High School I noticed that many of the

students did not socialize outside of their ethnic group. While waiting for the bell to ring the

students from the other agriculture classroom came to socialize with Mr. Bessires class. The

two students who were of a different ethnicity stood in the back of the room and did not speak to

anyone. As a part of the agriculture department it is seen that those who dont look like an ag

kid will be left out of the group. They use the unearned privilege to decide who would stand out

in the classroom. These are white students who believe they are the only ones who should truly
be involved in the agriculture program. It is said privilege is rooted in groups as much as it is in

personalities (Johnson). Due to the students having the better in the agriculture classroom

attitude they have taken away the privilege of the minority group (non-ag) thinking they could be

successful within the shop.

Mr. Bressire said his initial expectations within his class was all students would excel, but

once being there for a while he realized some students are high achieving within the classroom

and other students could care less about attending school. He believes with the agriculture

classroom it helps the students dodge the classes they dont want to take and still earn credit

where needed. He believes having a place that keeps the students interests in mind help keep

them in school. In a middle class school it was stated in one of the readings, There is little

excitement in schoolwork for the children, and the assignments are perceived as having little to

do with their interests and feelings. (Stevens, 2002). By implementing hands on classrooms

this helps expand the excitement of schooling for the students.

As Mr. Bessire has been teaching for many years there are still concerns he has within the

school system. The major concern Mr. Bessire has is, as teachers how do we continue to train

these students with the new technology provided to become successful for life? Also through

the variety of classes he has, there has been a significant decrease in work ethic and desire to

learn. He is concerned that the individuals will end up failing once they are put into the real life

situations. When I looked around Mr. Bessires classroom I was able to see a wide variety of

technology from the smart boards, to brand new welders, and brand new sanders. An individual

can see Mr. Bessire is trying to keep modern technology within his classroom so the students will

know how to use the equipment when they graduate high school.
 Although I personally have not been out of high school very long I realized that my

perception has changed after doing the observation. I never truly looked into the heart of

teaching and what goes behind becoming a successful teacher. While teaching you learn to deal

with disruptive students, disrespectful students, and people I wouldnt think I would have to deal

with before becoming a teacher. While in Windsor High School I noticed a variety of different

things compared to the small high school I came from. While there was little ethnic diversity at

Windsor there was still a larger population of different ethnic diversity from the school I came

from. Within Windsor High School there are many more options for classes and extracurricular

activities. The students are able to choose from a variety of classes which in turn helps them stay

in school. Within the small community I came from we were required to take classes without an

option of a different teacher. Through the many differences between schools, as a teacher I

would need to learn how to accommodate to the different atmospheres. I am extremely grateful

to have had the opportunity to observe at Windsor High School. I got to watch Mr. Bessire go

through a variety of struggles I will have to face in the future. Mr. Bessire also proved to me that

anyone is willing to help as long as the help is asked for.

TIME # of Description of the Activity CODE
Minutes (M, R,
I)
9:35 1 Takes attendance by looking at computer screen M
9:36 Asks students to put everything away M
9:37 3 Announcements about State CDE and Officer Application M
9:40 7 Giant Pictionary Video to start off the class I
9:48 70 Head out to shop to work on bird houses I
-students work on projects all are in different spots of the
project
- Have music in the background
-everyone has safety glasses on
9:48- 157 Helps students that need help R
11:05
Walks around and helps students with what could be
right/wrong
Spends equal amount of time talking to each student
10:27 Safety Glasses Check M
10:53 8 Students begin cleaning up the shop M
11:07 1 Pledge of Allegiance over intercom M

Total Total
Time Minutes
9:35- 173
11:08
*Due to the difference in the classroom atmosphere it was difficult to get a large amount of
logging entries.
 Bibliography

Gevelinger, M. E., & Zimmerman, L. (2002). How Catholic Schools Are Creating a Safe
Climate for Gay and Lesbian Students.
Johnson, A. G. (n.d.). Privilege, Power, and Difference.
Kessler, R. (2000). The Soul of Education.
Kimmel, M. S. (n.d.). Masculinity as Homophobia.
Stevens, E., Jr., Wood, G. H., & Sheehan, J. J. (2002). Justice, Ideology, and Education. (4).
Windsor High School Demographics. (2016). Retrieved April 24, 2016, from http://public-
schools.startclass.com/l/17267/Windsor-High-School