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Ethan Gouin
8/22/17
Student Teaching
Contextual Factors Analysis

Community
Kennebunk, Maine
Kennebunk is a suburban town located in York County. The population of Kennebunk is

10,798 (2010). In Kennebunk, 61.08% of the population is married and 10.41% are divorced

with the population consisting of 98.67% white people, .2% black, .38% Native American, and

.13% other (bestplaces.net). The median age in Kennebunk is 49.5 years old. The cost of living in

Kennebunk is quite high. If 100 was the U.S average cost of living than Kennebunk would be at

119.90. On a scale from 1-100 the violent crime rate for Kennebunk is a U.S. average 31. For

property crime rates Kennebunk scored a 32 and the U.S. average is 38.1. The estimated

household income for Kennebunk ($72,000) is substantially higher than the Maine average

($51,594). According to city-data.com, Kennebunk is composed of 53.2% females and 46.8%

males which is fairly even. The unemployment rate of Kennebunk is 3.2%, which is .5% lower

than the rest of Maine. Looking at the population of 25 year olds and older, 96.2% of them have

completed high school. Of that 96.2%, 50% went on to obtain a bachelors degree and 21.6%

went on to obtain a graduate or professional degree. Looking at figure 1, you can see that in

comparison with the rest of the Unites States, Kennebunks economy seems to be doing pretty

well. I think the two most notable statistics on this graph are the average household income in

Kennebunk, which is $19,007 higher than the state average, and the unemployment rate, which

is 2% lower than the rest of the United States.

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Employment Information Kennebunk, Maine United States

Income per cap. $39,571 $28,555
Household income $72,489 $53,482
Unemployment rate 3.20% 5.20%
Recent job growth -0.24% 1.59%
Future job growth 36.32% 37.98%
Figure 1

There are many attractions in Kennebunk. At Walkers point you can find where former

President George H.W. Bush lives. The ocean is a short drive away, which brings along many

tourist attractions ranging from trolley rides to lobster and clam shacks. Tourism during the

summer is a huge reason why the area is so wealthy.

After finding this information I realized that as a whole, kids in the school are usually

coming from middle to upper middle class homes with very little diversity. Knowing this, I could

include social studies lessons that educate the students on other cultures. I think lessons on

poverty and third world countries will also be important because it will show them just how

lucky they are to be at such a great school which is located in an equally admirable town. The

economic stability of the area also tells me that most of the kids will probably be coming into

school already having breakfast and a good nights sleep. This will help students concentrate in

class but there are always exceptions.

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School
Sea Road School
There are six schools in the district. Of the six schools, 4 are elementary schools, 1 is a

middle/Junior high school, and there is one high school. These schools include: Sea Road

School, Kennebunk High School, Middle School of the Kennebunks, Kennebunk Elementary

School, and Kennebunkport Consolidated Elementary school. These schools are attended by

students from Arundel, Kennebunk, and Kennebunkport.

Sea Road School is located on 29 Sea Rd, Kennebunk, ME 04043. There are 270 students

who attend Sea Road School with twelve teachers combined between the fourth and fifth

grade. The school population is composed of 6% Asian, 2% Black or African American, 2%

Hispanic or Latino, 90% white, and two English Language Learner students. In the special

education program there is a speech pathologist, physical therapist, guidance/ social worker,

psychological examiner, occupational therapist, and several special education teachers. Sea

Road school consists of only two grades, which are fourth and fifth. Sea Road School uses RTI

screenings to identify academic and behavioral needs. RTI staff members are included in

classrooms for the needs of tier 2 students and students who are tier 3 are pulled out. The

school does not have any steps to enter the first floor which makes it easily accessible to

anyone who has a disability. There are only two floors and there is an elevator so that stairs are

once again not a necessity. When entering the school you must check in at the front desk so it is
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a secure school. Sea Road School has recently received the Blue Ribbon award for excellence

which a very prestigious award and something to be very proud of.

The turnover rate during the 2014 school year was only 3% which is pretty good.

This means there arent a lot of kids coming to the school and then leaving which is a testament

to how great this school really is. There is a no bullying policy and when instances of this occur

they are put to a stop abruptly. This allows students to feel safe and like they are part of one

big community all working towards bettering themselves in the classroom and as young

citizens.

Dr.Marquis, the schools principal, shared with me that he does his absolute best to

make sure it is a needs based budget at Sea Road School. Teachers are encouraged to find

whatever they think they will need for the upcoming school year and Dr.Marquis will find the

funding to make it happen. This needs based budget gives the students at this school as many

resources as they need to grow. He does an outstanding job of making sure everyone who

enters the building leaves knowing Sea Road is a great place to be. The Staff at Sea Road School

are some of the most professional and friendly people you will ever meet. At the team

meetings that occur frequently teachers share lessons, adjust curriculum, and discuss behavior

and teaching strategies. This sharing is beneficial to everyone as it helps expand skills and also is

a good way to get rid of strategies or lessons that werent working so well. Teachers in this

school seem to get along very well. It seems like at every meeting there are plenty of laughs

which is a good sign that everyone is happy.

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School Year 2014-2015 2013-2014 2012-2013 2011-2012 2010-2011

Daily Student 95% 95% 96% 95% 95%

Attendance

Figure 2

As shown in figure 2, you can see that the attendance rates are quite high. This is

something every school strives before because as you know, students cant learn if theyre not

in school. This is another indication that students enjoy coming to school and that parents take

pride in their childs education. Student achievement levels rank within the top five percent of

all schools in the state of Maine (Dr. Marquis).

Students at Sea Road School take the NWEAs every fall and spring and they also

take the MEAs once a year. These standardized tests allow teachers to modify instruction to

best suit their students needs and also shows them how their students have or have not grown

throughout the year. Other assessments students are tested with are the New England

Common Assessment Program (NECAP), and the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium

(SBAC).

Classroom
Jan Gibsons fifth grade class
When you first walk into Jan Gibsons class you will notice how welcoming she is.

Greeting students with a warm smile on her face right as they walk into the room is a priority

that she and all of the teachers at Sea Road School share. This makes the community feeling of

the school that much more apparent. There are many educational posters hung up all around
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the room. Students walk in every morning to a nice greeting on the board with clear

instructions for what they should do after they get situated.

There are an abundant amount of resources in the classroom. Mrs. Gibson has a passion

for reading and strives to transfer the love of reading to her students. She does this through her

incredibly organized and vast selection of books in her library. She also chooses books that she

thinks students will enjoy for their reading group books. Another major resource in the

classroom is the students new Chrome Books. These provide the students with the opportunity

to be creative and also open the door to an endless informational resource.

Jan uses positive reinforcement for her students through ClassDojo. This is a website

that gives all of the students little monster characters and she can give them points for things

such as following instructions, being prepared, etc. It also gives her the ability to take away

points for unwanted behaviors and she can then add in specific comments that students

parents will be able to see at any point in the day. By keeping the page with their points up on

the projector throughout the day, students can see whenever Jan is giving or taking points. This

system keeps the communication between parents and Jan very clear and consistent which

helps alleviate any potential communication issues. Students can save their points and win

prizes like trading their desk with a classmate for the day, getting the teachers chair for the

day, no homework for the night, and much more. Students love this system and there are very

few issues in the classroom.

Jan is also willing to be creative to keep the students engaged. Her lessons are very

different each day and always does an exceptional job of keeping her students engaged. An
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example of this would be when Jan did a lesson using Breakout EDU. This lesson required

students to do a classroom version of a breakout room. Clues were placed in boxes and bags

and locked with a variety of different locks. Students appeared to love this lesson as they raced

around the room looking in the most creative places to find clues. This lesson provided Jan and

me with an opportunity to see how the students worked together and what each of the

students personalities were like when faced with adversity. It was a very educational lesson for

both students and teachers.

Students are regularly coming and going throughout the day which does not seem to

create any issues. Id actually argue that the short chunks of time keeps students engaged and

interacting. Students have one or two specials a day which include art, music, Spanish, PE,

STEM, and library. Jan does a great job of keeping a consistent schedule which includes reading

and writing in the morning, and science, math, and history in the afternoon. Jan teaches science

for both her class and Kelsey Gagnons class while Kelsey teaches both of their classes in social

studies.

Students Strengths/Needs

Since the first day of school I have been doing many different things to get to know the

students better. Many of the things I have learned have been included in figure 5, which is what

I will be referring to, and it is located at the end of this section. On step up day, which was at

the end of the last school year, I joined Jan on welcoming our new fifth graders. Jan gave the

students a Getting to Know You worksheet. On this worksheet there were questions about
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the students families, what their favorite TV show is, if they have any pets, what theyre good

at, who their fourth grade teacher was, and most importantly, what their favorite subjects are

down to their least favorite subjects. This worksheet gave us a lot of useful information about

our students personal lives and what they like and dont like. This information is key to finding

what motivates students and what doesnt. This also gives us a decent idea of which subjects

students need to work on seeing how the ones they dont like are probably the ones that give

them the most trouble.

Figures 3&4

Another source of information about the students was the ball game that I came up

with. On a rubber basketball I created 8 sections with a permanent marker and labeled each

section with the numbers 1-8. The game started with the teacher tossing the ball to a student
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and they could pick either number that their thumbs landed on. These numbers were all

assigned questions which included where theyd visit if they could visit anywhere, what three

adjectives someone would use to describe them, how they learn the best, some of their

favorite hobbies, how theyd describe their summer, possible future careers, what

characteristics define their ideal teacher, and then two truths and a lie. This game was a really

fun way to get to know the students better and it also allowed the students to learn more

about each other.

Lastly, looking a student files and seeing the students test scores on their NWEAs gave

me a lot of specific insight on students strengths and weaknesses. From this process, I learned

that five of our students either had an IEP, a 504, or both. I also got to see which students were

scoring high, low, or average on their NWEAs. This showed me how hard I am able to push

certain students without getting them too frustrated. This process was very helpful for

understanding why each student was put into their reading/writing groups. It makes sense to

pair students up with other students who are at the same level.

Initials of student Interests/ Strengths and weaknesses

A.A. Likes skiing
Favorite subject is social studies and least
favorite is math
Average NWEA scores, very organized
K.B. Athlete
Favorite subject is reading, least favorite is
math
Low writing NWEA, average in other subjects
Ka.B. Favorite subject is art and least favorite is
physical education
Attendance issues
Vomiting issues
Low reading/writing/math NWEA scores
IEP for math
M.B. Athlete
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likes technology
Favorite subject is math and least favorite is
S.S
Low grammar, 85 percentile for math
ADHD
G.D-P Likes riding horses and soccer
Favorite subject is reading and least favorite
is math
Struggles with multiplication
Average NWEA scores
S.F. Likes art
Favorite subject is science and least favorite
is math
Slightly below average writing NWEA
Social skills issues
Math RTI
504

J.G. Favorite subject is S.S. and least favorite is

writing
Low fluency and writing
Low math
Attendance and homework issues
Quiet but friendly
A.G. Likes to sing
Favorite subject is reading and least favorite
is typing
Low writing/math
IEP turned down by parents
Very quiet
B.J. Enjoys math and reading
Favorite subject is math and least favorite is
writing
Average NWEA scores
85 percentile for math
Very outgoing
M.M. Enjoys reading and math
Least favorite subject is science.
Above average NWEA scores
Avid reader
Quiet
T.M. Gamer
Favorite subject is writing and least favorite is
math.
Low reading, high in other subjects.
504 for hearing and vision.
Very outgoing
E.O. Enjoys horseback riding, soccer, and skiing
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Favorite subject is math and least favorite is

reading.
High scores in all NWEA subjects
Diligent
B.P. Athlete
Favorite subject is social studies and least
favorite is writing
Low writing, high math and reading
Outgoing
I.P. Athlete
Favorite subject is science and least favorite
is social studies.
Low social skills
RTI/Special Education
Rarely in class
C.P. Athlete
Favorite subject is reading and least favorite
is S.S
Low writing, high math/reading
Independence issues
outgoing

S.P. Athlete
Favorite subject is math and least favorite is
writing
Low speaking and language
Low social skills and work habits
High in math scores
Great attitude
M.R. Athlete
Needs motivation at times
Favorite subject is math and least favorite is
reading
Low writing but sky high in other subjects
Liked by peers
Me.R. Athlete
Favorite subject is science and least favorite
is math
Home life issues
Low writing and low reading
Quiet
M.S. Athlete
Favorite subject is art and least favorite is
Spanish
High math/reading NWEA
Shy
B.S. Athlete
Favorite subject is reading and least favorite
is science
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Average scores on NWEA

Outgoing
M.T. Athlete
Favorite subject is math and least favorite is
music
Sky high math and reading
Figure 5

Implications

Looking at the students individually, we found that one of the students in our class had a

court order for abuse. The details in this were not very specific but this did indicate to Jan and

me that we should avoid any books that could spark some sort of trigger. The IEPs and 504s are

another thing that I have to be mindful of. One student has to be specifically positioned in the

classroom according to his 504 so that he is able to see the class. Another thing in his 504 is that

teachers are required to wear a microphone for him to be able to hear us. Things like this are

extremely important because without this information, we may have placed this student in the

back of the room where he could not see or hear what was going on. I also keep this in mind

when lesson planning so that if need be, I could provide him with handouts so he doesnt have

to read from the board or really even hear what I am saying.

We have one student that has parents who turned down their IEP. This information is

really important because this student is really low in math and writing and would usually

require academic support in these areas. Seeing how this student does not, it is important for

me to keep this student in mind when planning any lesson so that I can be as clear as possible

while also varying instruction to meet their needs. Another thing for me to keep in mind are the
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students who have ADHD. Specifically, one student has an eye rolling trigger when she gets

angry or faces something in class that is difficult for her. Knowing this, I will not be offended by

the eye roll but it will also clue me in as to when she needs help and I can provide extra support

to keep her from getting too frustrated.

In class, we have one student who has severe behavioral issues so he is almost rarely in

class. This information is relevant because even though I will not be teaching him every day, I

think it is important to make sure the rest of the students are aware that he is part of our class

and that he should be welcomed whenever he is with us.

Knowing my students individually is something that is crucial when trying to relate to

them. It also helps me in realizing I have a wide range of learners and that accommodations will

need to be made for some students. I think knowing things like if they are athletes, if they like

singing, if they like technology, or if they like horseback riding will allow me to form those

bonds with each of the students. This goes a long way with respecting one another and creating

a classroom community. I also think this can be used as methods of motivation. There have

already been a few times in class where I used examples from one of the students personal

lives to demonstrate something. An example of this would be when I asked a football player in

the class if he ever took plays off in games like he tries to do with some subjects in class. His

answer was of course, No. This also helps me understand students grades while I am

assessing them. Knowing their tendencies and skill set, I will be able to recognize when a

student just didnt give it their all on a test, project, or worksheet. It helps form high

expectations for all of my students without overwhelming them.

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Low divorce rates and high household incomes will help students remain focused in

school. There wont be as many children witnessing a divorce or going hungry when they arent

at school. Because 96.2% of twenty-five year olds in Kennebunk have a high school diploma and

50% of that group went on to obtain further education, it is likely my students will have good

resources at home. Having parents that can help guide their childs learning is a very valuable

resource. For students who may need to ask questions throughout their homework, their

parents can help them out instead of the student getting overwhelmed and giving up on the

homework. The wealth in the area also provides each classroom with an abundance of

resources. The largest being google chrome books. Knowing that my students have these

creates so many lesson opportunities. I can have students research events and people, make

presentations, write papers that I can comment on as they go, do online work, spelling games,

and so much more. The needs based budget at Sea Road allows Jan to acquire many books.

Books are an essential part of learning. By having a lot of books, the possibility for transferring

the love of reading to students gets much higher because there may be a book that really

resonates with them.

Having a positive consequence system and getting to know my students cannot be

understated. By knowing my students, I know which students should be spoken to individually

and which students need to be addressed in front of the class. The positive reinforcement

system that our class has in place (ClassDojo) allows us to give points to other students who are

on task without having to tell off task students to get back to work. They hear other students

being rewarded and thats usually all it takes. This really helps with avoiding confrontations
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with students. Students rarely exhibit disruptive behavior or are upset in class. I think that is

really because they all get along and issues are addressed without hindering learning.

There is a chance that many of my students do not know each other coming into the

year because they may be coming from Kennebunk, Arundel, or Kennebunkport. Beginning of

the year activities like the ones Jan and I did are great for building a classroom community right

off the bat. Students need to build trust amongst each other and with the teacher in order to

take risks. Without trust, students may feel like they dont want to risk saying the wrong answer

in front of the class or doing something creative on a project.

With the fourth grade class size being roughly 140, there is a strong possibility of having

a wide range of learners. Knowing every student is different, I will keep this in mind as I prepare

for each lesson. Varying instruction is always important and it is something I will need to

continuously grow at so I can hit my students learning styles. With this being said, there are a

lot of students who require special education services. Having so many special education

teachers along with other support staff helps accommodate students. Without these teachers,

it would be very hard to give students who need extra academic support the help that they

need. Knowing that I can reach out and get help with certain students who I may be struggling

with is a very reassuring resource. The RTI screenings are equally as useful because it helps

inform teachers on their students needs and what they can do to accommodate them.

Being at a school that has just received a blue ribbon indicates that I am around some

extremely competent professionals. These teachers use standardized testing to guide their

teaching. By doing this, they are able to see where their students are at the beginning of year
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and how they have grown by the end of the year. Doing this shows teachers what can be

skipped because students already know it and which gaps there are that need to be filled. At

the morning meanings that take place every week, the sharing of strategies that work and dont

work will help me become a better educator. Collaboration amongst teachers is something that

is essential and will go a long way with using effective techniques in the classroom.

After taking all of this information into account, I think that I will be better prepared for

future lessons. I know which subjects students need to work on and which subjects they are

strong in. Knowing my students individually will help me with inspiring them every day in class

and will also help with managing classroom behaviors. Students are more likely to listen to

someone who has an invested interest in them and cares about them. I realize that being

placed at Sea Road School makes me a very lucky person. The teachers there all work very hard

to create an educational atmosphere that pushes students to be better. This is something that

cannot be understated as it creates a hard working culture throughout the school.

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Works Cited
Information:
(n.d.). Retrieved September 3, 2017, from http://www.bestplaces.net/city/maine/kennebunk

Kennebunk, Maine. (n.d.). Retrieved September 3, 2017, from http://www.city-

data.com/city/Kennebunk-Maine.html

Sea Road School. (n.d.). Retrieved September 3, 2017, from https://www.trulia.com/schools/ME-

kennebunk-sea_road_school-3318832

Marquis, S. (2017, September 23)

Images:
Figure 1: Self rendered with information coming from bestplaces.net
Figure 2: Self rendered with information provided by Dr.Marquis
Figures 3&4: Self rendered through student files and classroom observation
Figure 5: Self rendered through student files and classroom observation