Who are the students that misbehave the most? What can teachers do to help these children focus in class and control their manner and approach? How the can teachers work to change a child's negative self-concept?
I cannot make any conclusions based on what little information I have but when you seek an "at risk" child when do you rationalize between your empathetic feelings and being realistic about the situation? Wouldn't you b e compelled to ensure a student received your special attention if you knew her social and cognitive development were slower and that she was the only minority student in the class?
Some questions that get raised by doing this experience are what are the best methods to go about teaching students how to write? Another one is are we forcing education onto students earlier than reasonable expectations? What are some ways that we can challenge the students who excel without having them act out due to boredom?
Yet another question that was raised, with how fair it was to have one student who was able to do sentences well, but another one who had a hard time with their letters and how effective are the education of both of those students?
I wonder what or why was he not able to do this before? And if he was, shy was the extra help needed? Why are most students able to learn in the class while others need additional help?
Why does he consider me his "reading buddy"? Several of the children in Ms. XXX’s first grade class are very anxious to work with me separately, away from the other students, with their reading, spelling, and even math. Why is this so? Is there a reward in the eyes of each child when he or she receives personal attention with his or her development in these subject areas?
So again, I ask what am I to do in this situation? To take it further, what do I do in a school setting in which I am the teacher and my students ask about this? How do I handle it without offending the children's parents? What if I already know very well that the school itself does not approve of me schooling the children about such a topic? If the children bring it up themselves, should I just throw the school's warning out the window?
Is it fair to "not expect a lot" from a class? Is it better to be "realistic" and not push the children, or is it more fruitful to challenge them? What are some good ways to approach this subject when faced with a classroom so diverse? Is it fair to initiate a conversation about religion in a classroom with young children? Is it appropriate to discuss religion at all in a public elementary school? Should a teacher discuss such things as "after-life" with a group if impressionable children? Did Mrs. YYY answer the girl's question in an acceptable way? If not, what are some other ways in which she could have answered the question? How can we, as teachers avoid treating lower-income students differently and how do we learn their special needs? Finally, what expectations should I have, if any, about my fieldwork experience?
I am curious, what is the most effective and proper discipline for students in the classroom? Are there any social consequences of time-out in the classroom? How should discipline change as students grow older? How can teachers be consistent with parents' discipline so that the students understand that certain behaviors are expected or unacceptable in any environment? How do rewards balance out with discipline?
If it were true, why would those 5th grade kids listen to me instead of their actual teacher? Could I have a little bit to do with the lack of male teachers in the younger grades and I'm the anomaly so that's why the kids will listen more? Or was Mrs. ZZZ just paying me a compliment and I'm looking too deeply into it?
Do separating students into different levels at school help the students? Is it just the advanced students who are benefiting from levels? And if there are separations, how can you encourage lower level students to try their hardest? Is motivation more difficult at these levels? Why? How important is it to keep students engaged in class? Is it different at different levels?
How does a teacher help their students to be more interested in their education? Does denying a student's participation in an activity with his or her classmates hinder his or her motivation to learn or even self-concept? Is there a better approach to No Child Left Behind without hurting anyone? How can study hall be more effective for both the teacher and students if the school takes this approach?
How can teachers provide encouragement and support for individual students without disrupting the entire class? What causes some children to become unmotivated and angry when they don't understand a concept right away and how can we as teachers prevent this from happening as much as possible? Is it okay for teachers to let an identified misunderstanding or problem in the classroom slide with the assumption that is will be rectified by a parent at a later time?
Finally with the next thirty seconds I continued walking and heard a Caucasian boy ask me what color he should use for the face. This was interesting enough to me to bring about some questions. Should questions such as these be answered by teachers? Perhaps it would not happen at a higher grade level, but what happens when little kids ask you such a question?
First, how can a teacher best avoid confusion as to when a student is being punished? Second, if a student should become confused as to whether or not they are being punished, how does one resolve the situation quickly while being certain that the confusion is fully dealt with? Finally, is it most effective to have a single location designated for punishment? In other words, given the possibility of confusion, is it better to have a location formally designated for punishment?