Eastside Elementary - Kindergarten 

On September the 7th I went to Eastside Elementary to do field work with Mrs. Kirkland's kindergarten class. There were children of various backgrounds and personalities in this class. There were children that were sassy, and then there were some that were completely sweet. In a nut shell, I encountered the most interesting kindergarten class in all of Douglas, GA. 

The classroom itself was decorated in the most inviting way possible. There were colorful posters, a huge rug with shapes all over it for the students to sit on, and there were even little stations set up throughout the classroom. For example, there was a reading station where there was a chair and a shelf of books. The children didn't have their own desks they shared tables and each had there own area of the table and their own chair. The student's work was displayed all over the walls in the classroom and on the outside of the classroom for people walking in the hall to see.  There were posters with the alphabet lining the ceilings and there were two dry erase boards and an active board. There was a computer at the teachers desk and there was also a paraprofessional in the classroom that had a desk but there was no computer at hers, just a lot of paperwork. 

    

When I arrived in class I got there an hour before the children. Mrs. Kirkland was sitting at her desk and preparing for the day ahead. She greeted me with a smile and informed me that she arranged for two flex groups for me. I had a math and a reading flex group to do. The math flex group that I lead was about symmetry and basic mathematics. I got about four students in my math flex groups and I lead two of those. Each flex group was extremely different in terms of their intelligence levels. Mrs. Kirkland explained this to me before I started the groups. She wanted me to get a taste of dealing with low performing students and high performing students. I thought that was a bit odd because there are only kindergarteners but boy, I was surprised. After the math flex group the students went to lunch and I went with them. They had to walk in a straight line and Mrs. Kirkland had to get onto a few students for not staying in line or for falling behind. After lunch it was time for reading. The reading flex group that I did was with the entire class. They each sat on their assigned spot on the huge rug I described and I sat adjacent to the rug with a book in my hand entitled "Arthur's Pet Business". I would read a page and then ask questions about the setting, the tone, and different elements to reading. 

After the flex groups the students went to recess. While the classroom's paraprofessional took them to recess Mrs. Kirkland and I stayed in the classroom and cleaned up after the flex groups and started preparing for their science lesson. When the students came back from recess they watched a video on their classroom TV that was projected from the library. Their science lesson was over life, it was a video about life cycles. It was made kid friendly though and it wasn't graphic at all. The video focused on animals, mostly puppies. While they watched their video Mrs. Kirkland and I passed out goldfish snacks and milks and juices that were sent from the cafeteria.  There were a few students that wanted to help pass out snacks and Mrs. Kirkland informed me that they were normal helpers so I let them help me. 

Overall the classroom behavior was great. There were a few disruptions but Mrs. Kirkland told me that they were actually on very good behavior and that made me proud of them. I learned that the students

that were more disruptive actually had problems such as ADHD and OCD so that explained there behavior. A lot of the students told me how much they enjoyed their class and how much fun their class was.  After their science lesson it was time for students to pack up and go home. I helped get their things together and walk them to the pick up areas and to the bus stops.  After all the students left I stayed to help them straighten up the room and speak with them some more about the education field. I completed my needed hours by getting their early and staying after, but after this experience I was reminded just how much I loved education and school. 

Overall it was a wonderful experience and I wish I could share my enthusiasm in more than just words. I never thought I would fall in love with a class the way that I did Mrs. Kirkland's class. I almost wished I could have went everyday for the rest of the semester, and if I could do this all over again that's exactly the place I would go. Mrs. Kirkland talked to me a lot about the profession and she really proved to me just how much she cares for her students and their education, I think if there were more teachers like her then the world of education would be a much better place.