Observation #4 Giovanna Todd 1

Thursday, October 31, I observed two schools. The first school I observed was Watkins

Elementary. The diversity of the school was majority black at 67%, white 16%, hispanic 8% with

other at 9% (greatschools.org). The classes overall were well behaved with few distractions

made by students. The grades I was able to observe were fourth and fifth grade. The environment

was calm and the classroom was organized and decentely spaced. The second school I observed

for the day was Olde Orchard Elementary. I have observed Olde Orchard before, but the age

group I had was different. I observed a kindergarten class rather than older elementary kids. The

demographic make-up of the school is 75% black, 10% white, 7% hispanic, 7% two or more

races, and 1% other (greatschools.org). My cooperating teacher also told me the demographics of

his class when we first met . He stated that his students were diverse with black being the

majority. There are also white kids and students from Nepal, Mexico, Puerto Rico and other

various backgrounds.

I observed on one of the best holidays of the year, Halloween. I was pleasantly surprised

to see some of the students dressed up. The third student that came into the room was one of the

select few that dressed up to celebrate halloween. I recognized Mckenzie, as a kitten by the face

paint she had on. I watched her as Mr. Sidders gave directions to the class and noticed she was

very quiet and respectful. I found that it took her 8 minutes into the class for her to engage in

conversation with her peers. To begin the project, student helpers passed out materials required.

As soon as she received what was needed, she began to work on her project but was suddenly

interrupted by a drill over the loudspeakers. Quickly students rose from their chairs to leave the

room assuming the alarm was fire related. The students all rushed out into the hall only to be

hurried straight back into the classroom. This was no fire drill, it was a lockdown.
Observation #4 Giovanna Todd 2

Students took their hiding places, lights were turned off and I armed myself with a curtain

rod.. Yes I know, very dangerous weapon of choice but it was unknown whether the lockdown

was real or not. The students failed to be cooperative even though they were instructed by Mr.

Sidders to be extremely quiet. I would have watched Mckenzie but the lights were turned off and

she had chosen a hiding spot where I could not see her. I was also distracted by the lack of

silence and care from the students while Mr. Sidders and I attempted to bar the door with stool

because the door failed to have a lock. After the initial 5 minutes, I realized there was no

immediate danger but was still shocked by the carelessness of the students.

After the scare, Mr. Sidders explained to the students they were too loud and if the

lockdown was real, we would have been in danger because of the noise coming from our room.

Once the students calmed down, I found Mckenzie at her desk focusing on finishing her artwork.

I went over to chat with her about her project and costume. I asked what she was working on

with her project and realized she was nearly finished painting her flowers and doodles. I also

asked if she was a kitten for halloween and she responded yes, but continued to explain that she

wanted to be a haunted bride instead but her mom wouldn’t allow it. She went with her second

choice of being a kitten.

This observation was very different than the last three, but I value the various scenarios

and situations I have been exposed to. I think the lockdown was a great learning experience even

though it was frustrating. I wonder what could have been done differently to control the students

volume and behavior. I also think focusing my attention on Mckenzie was beneficial to my

learning because I realized the very different types of students. This Halloween experience was

one to remember and reflect on going forward.