Kids and Violence

Over Spring Break I had to read a book for my Education class called Under Deadman's Skin by Jane Katch. The book was written by a kindergarten teacher with lots of experience. The book discusses why kids have become so violent and why kids even like violence. However, Katch makes this discussion very practical by using her own kindergarten class. She talks about several students in her class, and one boy in particular, who has an obsession with violence. One of the main reasons why this boy has an obsession with violence is because he watches so many violent movies and TV shows. Katch explains that kids do not understand the difference between fantasy and reality and so do not know how to deal with what they see. She wants to promote an environment in the classroom that does not support violence towards others. I thought it was cool that Katch cared so much about her students that she was willing to struggle to learn from them and and help them learn about violence. During class we discussed this book and talked about violence and our reactions to this book and violence itself. I found this book really interesting because I had never known how powerful violence is in a child's mind. This book will be an important reminder when I raise my own kids to be careful about what they watch.

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Celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss

I really enjoyed my visit to the kindergarten classroom today. Because it is Dr. Seuss' birthday, the class decided to celebrate by reading Dr. Seuss books and eating green eggs and ham. I remembered doing the same thing when I was in elementary school. While the teacher cooked the egges, I read The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham to the kids. They found the stories entertaining, especially those who had never read Dr. Seuss before. After we had read the books, the teacher passed out green eggs and ham to everyone. Every student decided to try it, although several students said they didn't like it. The food coloring made the food look very green, and I understood why the kids were hestitant to try them at first. Then the kids colored an egg green and put it on a poster the teacher had made. One side of the poster was for those who liked the food, the other side was for those who didn't. It turns out that there was actually more kids who didn't like it than did. However, I think all the kids enjoyed seeing green eggs and ham like those in the story. They wrote a sentence about what happened when they tried green eggs and ham and then drew a picture by their sentence. Most drew scenes from the book. I enjoyed spending time reading to the kids and helping the class, especially doing a lot of fun activities. I appreciated the change of routine and I know the kids did too.
The green eggs in the photo (found with permission to reuse) look the same as the ones the kids ate in class!

At my field study location

This past Tuesday I visited my field study location for the second time. I really enjoy spending time observing the teacher, her students, and the classroom. I visit the classroom in the morning for an hour and a half. During that time the teacher focuses on phonics and reading with the kids. They go over basic sounds and words. I like how the teacher incorporates songs and dances into the lessons. I notice that the kids participate more during these songs and dances. They also practice counting and go over the weather and the days of the week. Sitting in this classroom reminds me of doing these very same activities when I was in kindergarten.
The first time I met these kids, they seemed shy. A couple of them asked why I was here or what I was writing. I explained to them that I thought they are all so interesting that I wanted to learn from them. I think that surprised them, but I can already tell they are starting to get used to me visiting every Tuesday. Although I have ideas about who to pick for my child study, I still have not picked which child specifically. I can already see that each child is unique and interesting. I’m sure I can learn a lot from whichever child I choose. The children review rules every morning just like the children in this video. The classroom and the teacher remind me a lot of the classroom I visit:

Preparing for the Field Study

Over the past few classes in my education practicum, we have been preparing for our field study which begins next week. On Tuesday we wrote down our preferred field assignments. In other words, we picked the age range (preschool or kindergarten) and the school where we want to do our child study. The choices, Hawthorn, Wilson, and the Acorn School, are all unique environments to do the child study. Wilson and Hawthorn are a part of the San Antonio Independent School District and serve a more diverse and lower-income population. The Acorn School is an independent school with a play-based curriculum. This means that a lot of the learning done at this school happens through the children playing. I put down The Acorn School as my top choice, but I’m sure whichever school I get I will have an interesting field study experience. Next class we will find out what our actual field assignments are.
Today we also practiced how to take notes at our field study. These notes record what goes on during the class and any thoughts after the class is over. Notes allow for organization and later interpretation of all the observations. The field study combines observing what goes on in the classroom with participation in the class activities and interacting with the children. Field notes focus on describing the classroom and activities rather than judging them. Although we try to observe and record as much as possible, we will have to learn to judge what is note-worthy and what is not, because it is impossible to record everything. By looking back on our notes, we can see how the classroom functions, what the children are like, and what lessons we can learn as future teachers. Note taking is a key part of doing a field study and look forward to starting to take them in my field assignment.
The video shows a kind of learning we have discussed in my education class and that we will likely observe in our field study. Small groups allow teachers to get to know the children better, and also to let them learn, ask questions, and discover their own answers.

My First Class

Before I describe what we did today in my first class of my education practicum, I think I should say a few words about what a practicum is. A practicum is a course in which you do hands-on learning or study. In a practicum, the students take what they learn in the classroom and apply it or observe it in a real-life situation. This allows the students to better understand that area of study. In an education practicum, the students learn about education and then go to a school to teach or observe classes there. My education practicum is about early childhood education, so I will go to either a preschool or kindergarten classroom to observe a student there. I am going to describe my time spent in my education class and then my time in my field placement.
In today’s class we introduced ourselves and learned about the class. The professor, Dr. Pat Norman, made us partner up with someone we had never met and get to know them. We did this by drawing a portrait of them. At first I was worried because my drawing skills are practically nonexistent. However, by getting to know my partner I found I had an easier time drawing her. Then we showed our portraits and introduced our partner to the class. The activity really helped me get to know my partner and others in the class. We then looked at other aspects of the class, such as the field study. The homework assignment is to read They Don’t Like Me: Lessons on Bullying and Teasing from a Preschool Classroom by Jane Katch, shown in the above photo taken by me. The book looks like it will make for an interesting discussion about the social issues of young children.