Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Valley High School - Week One Observation

January 27, 2012

Observation Report
I arrived at Valley High School in Escondido at approximately 8:00 A.M. on Friday, January 27, 2012. Upon arriving at the school I signed in at the front office where I also met the other member of my school team. After the first bell at approximately 8:15 A.M. we were introduced to the school’s vice principal and on-site liaison, Mr. Barajas. Mr. Barajas gave us an introduction to the school which included the schedule, connections, PLATO program and the mission of Valley High School. Upon the conclusion of first period at approximately 9:15 A.M. Mr. Barajas gave us a tour of the school campus, which includes seventeen classrooms and a gym. It was during this time that we met with our university supervisor, Jannis Brandenburg. After the conclusion of the tour, my school team and Jannis met and discussed our upcoming experience at Valley High School. After the conclusion of second period, we were introduced to a number of the certified teachers that work at Valley High School including my cooperating teachers for Clinical Practice II. I spent third period with one of my cooperating teachers, Mr. Flynt, where I observed one of the three classes I will eventually be taking over. The class is a U.S. History class made up of eighteen students, most of which will not be in the class when I take over the class in mid-March. Much of the class time was dedicated to a Civil Rights Test. During my observation I noticed that some of the students failed to get started on the assessment and in a discussion with Mr. Flynt discovered that some students don’t do the work at first but in the future will come in to make it up. After the conclusion of third period I observed my other cooperating teacher, Mr. Palacios, and other class I will be taking over. The class is a U.S. Government class. In a discussion with Mr. Palacios he informed me that he has a clear structure to his course in that Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are dedicated to instruction, Thursday is set for review and tests are administered on Fridays. During this particular period the students work on make-up work.

Reflection
Throughout my initial observation of Valley High School I have had both excitement and nervousness. I am excited to work in a school where I have the opportunity to connect with students and help them succeed. I am also excited that I am teaching at a school that promotes experimentation. I am also excited about the two cooperating teachers I have been assigned as they differ in styles. I am nervous about working in a school where I am expected to push sixteen weeks of content into twelve weeks. I am also nervous about working in a non-traditional school because I am unsure of what to expect. I truly love the content I will be teaching and I am unsure if I can give my students the opportunity to find a similar joy due to the lack of time.

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