On the morning of October 1st around 9:30, I walked through the bright green hallways of Mayfield Middle School. Everything from the friendly staff, to the amazing students proved that Mayfield was, according to one student, "a wonderful learning environment for kids grades six to eight." In the few hours I was able to spend at this school, I took the opportunity to observe an eighth grade History course, and a seventh grade Accelerated Math class. What I was interested in looking at was how teachers interacted with their students. In what visible ways had teachers already formed connections, and built bridges between themselves and their students? My observations and inferences yielded some perspective on such.
Eighth grade History, the first class I observed, was a co-taught course on American History. The concept of "co-taught" was new to me upon hearing this, so my conversation with one of the instructors allowed for a greater understanding. In this model, one teacher is paired with another in an attempt to integrate and involve students with special needs. I had the privilege of speaking with the special needs instructor for this course. What was interesting to see was not only the use of two teachers instead of one, but also the way in which each teacher treated the students. When students would have an issue, or a question that could perhaps be satisfied on a personal, versus class-wide, level, whichever teacher was not currently lecturing would help out. Due to this personal attention, the teacher to student rapports I observed were slightly more familiar than those of a usual classroom. Students felt free to be themselves, and to express thoughts while in class. Also, the students in this class were preparing to play a "Trade Game" to explore the concept of mercantilism. The use of game playing and student's interests in order to tie in with the course content was another connection. It was apparent to me that the teachers had done an effective job of understanding the person behind each of their students.
Seventh grade Accelerated Math presented some of the same situations, but in a different context. While I was observing this class, students were working on a review sheet in order to prepare for a quickly approaching test. The atmosphere of the classroom, as a result, was a little more lax. Students were grouped at tables to work together, while the teacher was up and walking around to check work. Students also traveled from table to table to discuss problems, and occasionally non-math items. What genuinely surprised me was the complete respect that each and every student had for the instructor. Despite the seemingly chaotic nature of the classroom at times, when asked to quiet down, or return to work students were more than responsive. There have obviously been connections and bridges built between these students and the teacher. Without some sort of attempt to be more than just a mouthpiece for math in front of the class, the teacher would not have the respect she has today. I truly enjoyed my time in this class. After the period ended, I was delighted to hear the teacher talking about how much she enjoys teaching children. She was sure to include in her comments that there is nothing like teaching an advanced group of kids. She claimed that because they are all so bright, it is easy to help them learn.
In my time at Mayfield Middle School, it was easy to see some physical ways in which teachers have connected with their students. The levels of respect, and the ways in which students and teachers interacted showed me that building bridges is very important. I am glad that I was able to see the day to day environment of a middle school classroom. Overall, Mayfield was a wonderful first Observation Field Trip.
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