FIELD OBSERVATION

Tiffany Schmidt

Field Observation

EDU203- Professor Warby

6 March 2018
FIELD OBSERVATION

Soar to Success! I had the pleasure of completing my observation hours at Betsy Rhodes

Elementary School. Home of the Rockets! This school is located in the Northwest Area and is currently

celebrating their 20th Birthday. “It is the mission of the Betsy Rhodes community to provide a safe,

nurturing atmosphere of mutual respect. We will inspire students to achieve their full academic

potential as life-long learners in a positive social learning environment.” The atmosphere of the school

was awesome and so welcoming.

Upon arrival, the office staff greeted me and showed me such a warm welcome. I observed the

office staff, and they closely monitored visitors to make sure they were all checking in. This was

comforting knowing the safety of faculty and a student was imperative. While checking in, one parent

was observed speaking with an office specialist and had requested to speak with the principle. She

appeared extremely mad. The office specialist in a professional manner indicated that the principle was

currently in a meeting; however, she would send the principle an email regarding the matter. The parent

appeared frustrated but agreed to patiently wait to speak with the principle.

With excitement, I arrived at Mrs. Siciliano’s 3rd grade classroom. She was located in a portable

outside of the school building. It was extremely small; however, the space was effectively used. She

utilized her entire floor plan, maximizing her classroom space. The classroom setting appeared safe,

clean, comfortable and attractive. The classroom was well organized and it appeared as a comfortable

learning environment for her 26 students. The arrangements of the desks were in groups of 4 with 7

students individually set to the side. There were motivational and inspirational posters and bulletin

boards with student work displayed around the room. The classroom management/rules were located

on one of her filing cabinets on an 8x10 paper.

Mrs. Siciliano’s classroom was a diverse set of students. She indicated that because students are

multiculturally diverse, she often pairs ESL students up with other peers who can help translate. There
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were a few more males than females who varied in ethnicity. Mrs. Siciliano has 9 (GATE) Gifted and

Talented Individuals. One boy, was diagnosed with Autism. Immediately, I observed the student and

could identify his challenges. Mrs. Sicilian indicated that the young boy does best in the least restrictive

environment and she does not feel he requires much accommodation. She also indicated that the

special education teacher and team agreed. Mrs. Siciliano had 7 students who were secluded due to

behavioral concerns. After observation, I understood why these boys were individually seated. Students

that exhibit a challenge were easily identified, as they were pulled out of the classroom by specialized

teachers several times when completing my observation hours. Mrs. Siciliano indicated that these

students are pulled by several service providers for interventions based on Response to Intervention

(RTI) or specialized instruction based on their learning needs.

The 9 Gifted and Talented students would attend GATE Mondays and Wednesdays in an hour

increment. There were 2 kiddos who had speech impairment and worked with The Speech Language

Pathologist. Mrs. Siciliano indicated that one little girl whom has a lisp, is often embarrassed to speak

aloud. She reported that she respects and understands the girls concerns of her peers saying mean

comments. I observed the boy who is Autistic, and he often became frustrated and would shut down at

times. He had a limited attention span and became easily distracted. Mrs. Siciliano indicated that he is

very smart overall and with patience she has no concerns regarding his education. Mrs. Siciliano

indicated that she knows his limits.

Mrs. Siciliano was very professional and it appeared she implemented different learning

techniques for the diversity in the classroom. Mrs. Siciliano often allowed the students to work in groups

or pairs and feels teamwork is imperative to success. Her students were very engaged in the lessons

presented. She has the students speak aloud often. She uses visuals and lots of hand on material to keep

the students actively engaged. Instructional time is managed efficiently and Mrs. Siciliano spends limited
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time on all subjects through the school day. The transition from one subject to another is smooth. All

students have organized folders by subject. This allows the students to be organized and prepared to

transition from subject to subject. She manages her day very well. If she does not complete an

assignment or activity she will revisit it the following day to ensure she does not interfere with other

timing for another subject. Mrs. Siciliano has several effective “attention getting” comments she uses in

the classroom. “5..4..3..2..1..SALAMI” (Stop and Look at Me Immediately),“Zero Voice”, “Eyes While You

Work” Mrs. Sicilano enforced the posted rules. I witnessed her reward students with praise and candy.

For noncompliance, she made students owe her their recess. Her classroom management is excellent.

From a teacher’s prospective, there are so many questions I would love to ask. Mrs. Siciliano

indicated that the main challenge she faces is the paperwork. That it is daunting and never ending. Mrs.

Siciliano stated that even after 22years of teaching she continues to make improvements. Mrs. Siciliano

indicated that the school has their own Professional Learning Community (PLC) that meets regularly to

collaborate. She indicated that she regularly completes independent assessments and grade level

summative. Mrs. Siciliano states, that parent lack of support/don’t value education has been the biggest

surprise in her teaching profession.

Having the honor to observe Mrs. Siciliano classroom was rather interesting. I obtained a better

understanding for students with special educational needs and the methods and techniques I will need

to obtain to aid these individuals. After completing my observation hours, I am reassured that special

education is not for me and I prefer the general classroom. Teachers are committed to educating our

children, but I am positive there are so many obstacles they must overcome in their career. I am so

motivated and cannot wait to be that educator that openly invites future teachers into my own

classroom!