The Unexpected Expectations

My adventures in volunteering in Providence schools began over a month ago and it has been different that what I had walked into it expecting. The elementary school I am tutoring at is in an okay neighborhood, I'm sure it's not the best but it seems as though there are signs that the community is working to improve it. The elementary school is a lot bigger than the one I attended when I was younger. I was a little surprised to find out that there are four or five classrooms for each grade compared to the two per grade that was part of my experience. I guess I walked into this experience with a faint idea that most elementary schools were the same. The experience I had in elementary school was great and is part of the reason why I am working toward being an elementary school teacher now. The school is structured so that the upper grades are on the second floor and the lower grades are on the first floor. I would say that the space is used and distributed pretty well considering the size of the school and the amount of children that go there. The school feels a little chaotic to me. Maybe because my distant memories of elementary school do not consist of the same noise level and structure of this elementary school, but it definitely seems like a challenging environment. When the students are in there classrooms and the hallways are quiet is seems as though everything is under control; however walking past a few classes all heading for a bathroom break at the same time and the chaos ensues once again. Of course with all little kids getting them to be quiet and pay attention is a task within itself, but I think that the size of the school and the amount of kids that attend it make that task a little more difficult. I was placed as a reading buddy in two classrooms, for the first hour I am in a kindergarten class and for the last half hour I am in a first grade classroom. Both of these classrooms provide two different environments for the students in them. In my kindergarten class the teacher for the majority of the time has control of the classroom. To get every student to pay attention at the same time seems to be almost an impossible task. I'm sure that this holds true with most five year old when they are placed in a room together not just this particular classroom or school. The main focus in the kindergarten classroom is on the basics of phonics, counting, months, and weather. Normal kindergarten activities- I only viewed the morning exercises because I am not there all day. I think what is most valued in this classroom is paying attention, being quiet, and being a good participant. I can see this because the children that do these things are the ones chosen to count the number of straws or pennies for how many days they have been in school, and activities similar to that. The environment in the classroom seems to be pretty under control for a kindergarten classroom. The first grade classroom I am in is a different kind of environment. The teacher is new to the school and it is obvious that it is a difficult adjustment. The children in the classroom are a little bit out of control - more so than the kindergarten class. They do not listen very well and it seems that the teacher has to resort to yelling very loudly to quiet the class. The yelling works but it does not change the problems that this teacher faces everyday. I am not exactly sure what is valued strongly in this classroom because I do not have any observation time by the time I get there it is straight to reading buddies. Altogether I like the school I am volunteering at, it is a different experience that I had assumed based on my past experience - but a valuable one none-the-less.