1. What were your observations with reference to the following?

When I was observing Mrs. Doloisio’s kindergarten class, they played a game where the

learning wasn’t necessarily intended as it was naturally developed. This is also called an

invisible curriculum. They played a game where there were two teams, and each team

had a chance to win in a coin toss. Whoever won that round, had the chance to answer a

question and if they got it right, they got a point. Whichever team won the game; each

player got a piece of candy. They played this game on something called Smartboard.

Smartboard is an interactive whiteboard that is constructed for engaging students and

delivering unique presentations. Smartboard includes the whiteboard, a computer, a

projector and white boarding software. There were five student computers and one

computer for the teacher. There was also a program that hooks up to the computer, which

allows them to practice their material. When I was observing Mrs. Doloisio’s

kindergarten class, she was teaching the life cycle of a frog. Using Bloom’s Taxonomy,

Mrs. Doloisio asked simple questions like the five steps of the life cycle. Then she

proceeded to explanations of how exactly the frog changes and the transformations.

2. Was this experience helpful in teaching you the skills to be a successful teacher?

This was the best experience any aspiring teacher could wish to participate in. Before my

observations, I thought I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. Even half way through the

school year, the kindergarteners were having trouble following classroom rules and being

kind to one another. I spoke to Mrs. Doloisio’s and she said teaching kindergarten grade

is extremely time consuming, and it’s exhausting. Through this experience, I realized that

I wanted to be a first grade teacher. The kindergarteners just weren’t as receptive or

involved as the first graders. I was able to identify different multiple intelligences in

students in the second grade. Multiple intelligences capture the diverse nature of human

capability. I would say that half the students in Mrs. Tishers second grade were

interpersonal. They seemed to learn better through interaction with the other students.

There were lots of group activities and seminars. I think that the other half of the students

were intrapersonal. Some of the students didn’t speak a word and they would just sit at

their desks doing their work by themselves, or reading a book quietly. I noticed that the

intrapersonal students didn’t get into as much trouble as the interpersonal students. The

interpersonal students spoke out of term when they should have been raising their hands

and waiting for the teacher to call on them. Mrs. Tisher had to find a way to balance each

learner and find ways to teach them effectively and adequately. When I was visiting, she

would split the class into two groups. One group was reading silently and the other was

reading aloud to each other. I think this was an effective way to balance out each set of

learners.

3. What are the two main purpose of school?

There are two main purposes of why you go to school. First and foremost, you go to

school to enhance your mind. This is to prepare you for the real world and to prepare you

for the many challenges you will face. The second purpose of why you attend school is

because it helps you become who you want to be in life. You don’t know who you really

are until you figure out your strengths and your weaknesses. You don’t know who you

really are until you challenge yourself and better yourself. Based on my observations at

Shenandoah Elementary, their students learn that it’s okay to be free with themselves and

to never hide who you truly are as a person. This is a goal that every parent wishes for his

or her child. Second, Shenandoah provides a healthy and dependable school for the

hundreds of elementary school students. The last goal that I think Shenandoah

Elementary fulfilled is a happy and safe environment. As a parent, I would feel safe to

send my child to Shenandoah because I feel that the students are protected and are in

great hands. The three school goals that are important to me are safety while at school, a

decent education with devoted teachers, and organization. Its extremely important that

your school and teachers are organized because you want a formulated education.