Fieldwork Observations

This semester I have been assigned to conduct my fieldwork at Back of the Yards College Prep High School (BOYCP). It is a brand new school located in the neighborhood for which it is named after. This August marks the grand opening for the school; they welcomed over 270 freshmen. They will be the school’s first graduating class in 2017. At full capacity the school can house 1,200 students. The majority of the current student population is Hispanic; there were only a handful of other minorities in the classrooms I observed. Also, I think it is important to note that the vast majority of the student population (96.8%) comes from low income households. This, however, was not apparent to me until I read the statistics online largely because the students wore uniforms. Overall the staff and the students seem very warm and welcoming.

My mentor teacher has been extremely helpful. As a pre-service teacher, I expressed to her my concerns about student teaching to which she offered words of wisdom, encouragement and advice. Much of her advice seemed to echo what I’ve learned in my methodology courses. I asked her many questions about lesson planning, which is one of my areas of concern. The main piece of advice she gave me was to be flexible and to not be afraid of “failure.” She told me that as a beginning teacher she often limited herself to what the anthology/ standard curriculum offered because she was afraid of taking risks in fear of an unsuccessful outcome. After a few years of teaching under her belt she felt confident enough to branch out and try new strategies. This reminded me of our fish bowl discussion on Smagorinsky. We discussed how teachers should take risks but reflect on their practices and adjust accordingly. She told me that at BOYCP the administration was lenient and gave the department a lot of leeway in structuring their units. In looking over her lesson plans it became obvious that she follows a constructivist theory because much of her lessons were centered on student inquiry. Right now the students are studying mythology. While observing, I noticed how my mentor teacher encouraged the students to interpret the myths and to make meaning of the text. She used both small group and whole group discussions, both of which are crucial student comprehension. Using a variety of small group and whole group discussion allows for the students to work with their peers and to share their ideas and interpretations thus allowing for the students to broaden their perspectives. In observing both discussion forms I found it interesting that some students were actively engaged in the smaller, more intimate groups and opted not to participate in the whole group discussion. This reminded me of something I read in chapter three of Smagorinsky’s Teaching English by Design. Smagorinsky gave several examples of alternatives to teacher-led-discussion and stressed the importance of both small and whole group discussion. This is because some students, like myself, feel more inclined to participate in smaller groups than in whole-group discussions.

During my free periods I met other instructors from the English department and was amazed to see the strong relationships that have already formed. It was great to see educators coming together to construct lessons; There is a great sense of community. I hope to have similar support systems when I am teaching! Overall I have had a great experience despite the fact that I’ve only observed for a few class periods. I look forward to the new experiences this semester will hold!!!