Welcome Back To School

Throughout the course of this class I have been placed to volunteer in a first grade classroom at an elementary school in Providence. I have never worked in a classroom setting before with children so I knew that every experience here would be a new one, which made me very nervous.

Driving up to the school was in itself a process for me, as I am not very familiar with the area. I left very early so I wouldn't get lost, and also because I wasn't sure what the parking situation would be like and we were told that at some schools this can be an issue. After finding a parking lot that was near the school I quickly made my way toward where I thought the entrance was through the rain. With butterflies in my stomach I pressed the button on the wall to open and was very relieved when the door buzzed and I got in without a problem. I made my way into the office where the teacher I was working with already happened to be there on her way back from lunch. She told me that we would be picking up the kids from lunch and that they can be a little rowdy at this time. Because of the rain there was no outdoor recess, but she informed me that those students who had completed their math worksheets would be allowed to have a 10 minute indoor recess back in the classroom. When the kids lined up in front of us I found those butterflies returning to my stomach, and knew that every move I made was being watched by these 5 and 6 year olds. I had forgotten how quickly young children can lose their attention but was reminded when we had to stop every 20 feet to make sure the kids were still in line before we could "pass".

Finally back in the classroom the kids all sat on a mat and I was introduced to the class. At this time we also had to sort out some issues that had happened during lunchtime involving one boy crying and another girls lunch bag being ripped "on accident". I found it funny to watch these kids policing the others making sure that the correct story was being told, and after 10 minutes of "umms" and trailing off sentences it was decided that the young boy who had "accidentally" ripped the girls lunch bag would have to write her an apology. I was sent to help him write the letter while the rest of the class had their indoor recess time. This boy was not very on board with writing the letter and I could tell that he wasn't the most motivated student. After finishing the letter I was sent to work with him in the hallway where he was supposed to read to me from a pre-selected library of books that were on his "level". He was reading at a level way below the rest of the class and the teacher told me that reading at home might not be high on the priority list.

The classroom at the school was big enough to accomodate all the students (around 25) and the desks were set up in groups of 6. There were lots of decorations up around the room and charts with different tasks on them. Each student had their own mailbox which reminded me of my own first grade classroom. Each student also had their own reading bin with appropriate books in each based on their reading level. I could tell that each student felt their had their own identity in the classroom and the kids seemed to respond very well to the teacher.

I later did some research on the school using the website http://infoworks.ride.ri.gov and learned that this school had some not so great reports. The NECAP assesment scores were lower in every single category at this school compared to the rest of the state. They also have a 1:15 teacher/student ratio where as statewide that number is 1:11. In this school 71% of the students are eligable for subsidized lunch compared with only 43% statewide. Another depressing statistic was chronic absenteeism with this school reporting 27% compared to the statewide 18%. I have a hard time understanding how this number is so high in an elementary school, but it reflects what might be happening throughout the community this school is in. I am glad that I didn't look these numbers up before I went to the school for the first time, I am not sure if they would have biased my initial opinions which were for the most part all enjoyable.

I am looking forward to my next volunteer experience and am excited to see if the students remember me or how they might act as they start feeling more comfortable with me. Until then, I am keeping an open mind :)