Observation Discussion Response

What types of observations did my peers make that were similar to mine? How and why are they similar? What types of observations did my peers make that were different to mine?  How and why are they different?

It was interesting to hear that most of my classmates are in schools that are also having major attendance issues, something that I'm sure picked up now that students are back in-person since their time virtual. Stories from very suburban schools to city schools did seem to differ, just from my experience in Lancaster and in the city the energy of the students and the behavior issues that come along with that were very different. There were a lot of mentions of vacancies (teachers and aides out), which constantly comes up at the two schools im observing as well. I think all of us are feeling much better now that we've finally been in person in a classroom, thats definitely the biggest similarity. 

Did you find the discussion with your peers of your observation experience helpful to you as a future art educator? I think the discussion was mostly helpful, there were some stories and comments that classmates made that made me realize how different some of us are even though we're all heading toward the same career. Schools that have huge vacancies end up just popping students into random classrooms because they dont have substitutes to help cover classrooms. And other schools will hand out much simpler assignments for students that are failing, and those students end up passing without having a great handle on the material (thats of course a very short version of how the process works, but students that are struggling end up in a sort of pas/fail scenario even though they haven't put the work in). It was interesting to hear how much certain classmates disagreed with or were upset by this pass/fail essay situation, or the students scattered into random classrooms when schools are overwhelmed, thinking students were being given an easy way out and not having to complete classwork, or missing out on learning if their class is being split and a gym teacher is taking the place of a Spanish teacher. In my head, these students are in a safe space and are being taken care of during a time when so many things in schools are uncertain or have been turned upside down. I could write an essay on it really, but if we're all going to preach for student-centered classrooms, these ideas ARE student-centered. Students are given every possible chance to pass a class and graduate, and classrooms with absent teachers dont simply send students to a giant study hall or back home, theyre in a classroom environment and with their peers and fed lunch. This is a rant now, and probably not completely coherent but thats the gist of it. 

In your next observation hours to complete (for this class or others), will you view things differently? If no, why? If yes, why? I dont know how much my peers experiences will change my ideas moving forward, hearing stories from someone elses perspective changing your own based on that is risky. I do think my OWN time in the classroom this semester has helped me decide where Id like to end up moving forward. My time at my suburban placement has been really great, but the energy level and spice that the urban students have is a better fit for me, and it was nice to be able to solidify that in person this semester.