Thursday, March 29th (4-6)
All staff and students have pseudonyms.
3:55pm
3:55pm
I walk into Mrs. Smith's classroom; there is no one else inside the room. The woman from the small Foothills sign-in room comes to the door. She tells me that there is no English teacher here yet so I am in charge since I'm the only one. I tell her, from my inquiries two days ago, that Dr. Meyer said she would be here. The woman says okay and leaves the room. From my position at the table I'm sitting at, she stops another teacher in the hallway. The woman asks her if she is working Foothills this evening; the teacher replies that she is not but if they are short-staffed she would. They both head back down the hallway out of my sight and hearing.
4pm
Dr. Meyer comes in the room with Chromebooks and a rolling bag. She puts everything on the table she uses sits at. Two students come in the room and sit down at desktop computers. Dr. Meyer gets out her own laptop as another student comes in.
A teacher I've never met comes in. He places his things on the teacher computer and goes around the room turning on the computers that are not occupied. He says hello to the students that are already working and asks the names of he's never met before. There are 5 students here. The teacher reminds the students of the no cellphone policy and gets the IEP binder out of the filing cabinet. He asks for my name. I tell him and he says, "I'm Mr. Jackson."
He sits down at the teacher desktop computer that Ms. Mills used on Tuesday. Some students ask for passwords and resets. Dr. Meyer tries to help them after she logs onto her laptop. There are now 6 students; one student goes to the table with supplies and gets a pencil.
Dr. Meyer tells a student that wants a reset that she wants to look over the test to see if there's an area she can help her with. There's a couple of students talking, and Mr. Jackson tells them to "keep the talking to a minimum and get to work."
Another student needs help looking onto the website, and Mr. Jackson advises him to try the same password he's been using. It doesn't work; Mr. Jackson tries to figure it out. Dr. Meyer goes over to the student that needed a reset; she talks about supporting details. Another student needs a password for a test. I see one student writing notes from the lesson he's working on. Three African American students using the computers in the far right corner of the room talk to each other quietly. Dr. Meyer is having trouble giving a student access to a quiz.
The student that needs a reset on a test comes over to the table with Dr. Meyer so that they can go over it together. Mr. Jackson gives a student a reset on a quiz; he then opens up the lessons for him to retake and refer back to. The student tells him that Ms. Mills gave him a printout of the lessons to look at the other day. He is still trying to figure out the problem with the student's account.
Another student comes in and sits at the table with me and Dr. Meyer. The student takes out a Chromebook and logs on. There are now 7 students in the room. Dr. Meyer is still helping the student who needs to go over the test. Another two students come in the classroom. One of them forgot his notebook, and Dr. Meyer tells him that he can use loose-leaf paper instead of taking notes in a notebook. Mr. Jackson is trying to help a student on his computer.
Mr. Jackson reminds the classroom that they "should not have phones out" and to "cut the chatter" currently going on. Dr. Meyer goes over to a student that is continuously talking even after Mr. Jackson's warning.
4:30pm
Another student comes in as the student working at the table I'm sitting at walks out talking on the phone. There are currently 9 students in the room. Dr. Meyer and Mr. Jackson are working on their computers. The student who doesn't have his notes, Frank, comes to Dr. Meyer and tells her that he's about to take a quiz but he doesn't have the notes he took in his notebook for it. She tells him that he can take the quiz with her; she sits beside him at this computer.
Mr. Jackson leaves the room to find someone for help with the student's account that won't give him or the student access to his English class. He comes back in with someone; the new person looks at the computer. Another student comes in the room and sits at a desktop computer. The computer technician gives the student an exemption for the Unit he's on for the moment; Mr. Jackson is going to email technical support to help with the problem.
Dr. Meyer is working on a handout that she asks Mr. Jackson to print; she also asks his opinion as she gives it him to look over. It is a handout on annotating in which the students annotate their notes so that they can learn how to annotate a text. She pulls a chair beside him at his computer so they can talk about it.
There are 10 students in the room. The student from my table that left to talk on the phone hasn't come back yet. The students are all silently working, except for the couple of students in the corner talking quietly. The teachers talk about some of the students that they see are on their phones. They continue to talk about Dr. Meyer's handout. They talk about the "importance of asking the students questions like, 'what are the key terms?'" Mr. Jackson says that the only thing that keeps students from using handouts like this one is that "most kids wants to get done with a module [online] as fast as possible and this may be time consuming." Dr. Meyer says that it really isn't though. She emails the handout to him and, as he suggests a different formatting, he tells her that he will work on it. They talk about making a couple of different handouts on how to take notes, whether that is from a middle-level note-taker to a high-level note-taker.
The students are still working without any issues or need of assistance. The couple of students in the corner are still having a quiet conversation.
5pm
Mr. Jackson gets a call and leaves the room to take it. Two students come in and sit at computers. They both start writing on a piece of paper and then leave the room. There are currently 10 students working in the room; Dr. Meyer is back at her computer working on something. Mr. Jackson comes back in the room and says that he "got an offer on a job."
He asks me if I am going to be a teacher; I tell him yes and he replies that "it's exciting stuff."
The teachers are now both on their computers and Mr. Jackson reminds the students that they should not be on their phones and to put them away if they are. Mr. Jackson says he's going to take care of the email that he needs to send for the student to technical support. The sounds of his typing fills the room. One of the students puts his head down on the desk.
From what I can see of the students' computer screens from my position in the classroom, the two students that have been talking have not changed their screens in a while, as the same slide shows. The room is quiet; someone walks out into the hall. Frank walks over to Dr. Meyer and says that he's ready for another quiz. Dr. Meyer sits in a chair beside his computer to help. One of the students logs off, collects his things, and leaves.
A student asks for a password; Mr. Jackson says that he will give him access from his computer in a minute. Mr. Jackson reminds the students again to put up their cellphones and get back to work. Dr. Meyer is still helping the student with the quiz. There are 9 students in the classroom; some students have started joking off more and laughing.
5:30pm
Two students leave. Mr. Jackson leaves for a few minutes and comes back in; he tells them to put away their phones. He asks a student if he is okay and another student raises her hand with a question. He sits beside the student and she asks about plot. After they discuss it and find a problem with the question, Mr. Jackson goes to his computer and looks it up. He asks the student to come over to his computer too. He tells her that since the lesson was misleading and the question was confusing and not clear that he is going to give her credit for the question on her quiz. Dr. Meyer is still helping Frank on his quiz.
A teacher that I do not know comes in and asks a student if she can talk to him for a minute; they leave the room together. Mr. Jackson walks around the room and asks a student to put his phone away. He also tells a student that he needs to take notes for the quizzes. He walks back to his computer and sits down. A student comes in and asks Mr. Jackson if he can go over his essay. The student who was out in the hall with the other teacher comes back in. Dr. Meyer comes back to the table after finishing helping Frank. There are 8 students in the classroom.
As Mr. Jackson calls for the break, I decide this is another good time for me to leave for the day.
Reflection
One of things that today made me think about was the usefulness of this program for students. How much are they actually learning? Are they retaining anything by taking notes and then using them on their quizzes and tests? I understand that the teachers go over the questions with them if they don't make the cutoff but, are the students actually learning the material? But then, another thought comes up: does it really matter? I suppose for the students who want to go to college, it certainly does. But what about the ones that only want a high school diploma so that they can go into the work force right after?
Something else that I wonder about is funding. From what I can tell by being there, this program is completely free, just like traditional school. This is good for students that would rather go to this non-traditional, night school than traditional school. I don't think that funding, or in this case the lack-thereof, could get in the way of students choosing this method of school.
Dr. Meyer comes in the room with Chromebooks and a rolling bag. She puts everything on the table she uses sits at. Two students come in the room and sit down at desktop computers. Dr. Meyer gets out her own laptop as another student comes in.
A teacher I've never met comes in. He places his things on the teacher computer and goes around the room turning on the computers that are not occupied. He says hello to the students that are already working and asks the names of he's never met before. There are 5 students here. The teacher reminds the students of the no cellphone policy and gets the IEP binder out of the filing cabinet. He asks for my name. I tell him and he says, "I'm Mr. Jackson."
He sits down at the teacher desktop computer that Ms. Mills used on Tuesday. Some students ask for passwords and resets. Dr. Meyer tries to help them after she logs onto her laptop. There are now 6 students; one student goes to the table with supplies and gets a pencil.
Dr. Meyer tells a student that wants a reset that she wants to look over the test to see if there's an area she can help her with. There's a couple of students talking, and Mr. Jackson tells them to "keep the talking to a minimum and get to work."
Another student needs help looking onto the website, and Mr. Jackson advises him to try the same password he's been using. It doesn't work; Mr. Jackson tries to figure it out. Dr. Meyer goes over to the student that needed a reset; she talks about supporting details. Another student needs a password for a test. I see one student writing notes from the lesson he's working on. Three African American students using the computers in the far right corner of the room talk to each other quietly. Dr. Meyer is having trouble giving a student access to a quiz.
The student that needs a reset on a test comes over to the table with Dr. Meyer so that they can go over it together. Mr. Jackson gives a student a reset on a quiz; he then opens up the lessons for him to retake and refer back to. The student tells him that Ms. Mills gave him a printout of the lessons to look at the other day. He is still trying to figure out the problem with the student's account.
Another student comes in and sits at the table with me and Dr. Meyer. The student takes out a Chromebook and logs on. There are now 7 students in the room. Dr. Meyer is still helping the student who needs to go over the test. Another two students come in the classroom. One of them forgot his notebook, and Dr. Meyer tells him that he can use loose-leaf paper instead of taking notes in a notebook. Mr. Jackson is trying to help a student on his computer.
Mr. Jackson reminds the classroom that they "should not have phones out" and to "cut the chatter" currently going on. Dr. Meyer goes over to a student that is continuously talking even after Mr. Jackson's warning.
4:30pm
Another student comes in as the student working at the table I'm sitting at walks out talking on the phone. There are currently 9 students in the room. Dr. Meyer and Mr. Jackson are working on their computers. The student who doesn't have his notes, Frank, comes to Dr. Meyer and tells her that he's about to take a quiz but he doesn't have the notes he took in his notebook for it. She tells him that he can take the quiz with her; she sits beside him at this computer.
Mr. Jackson leaves the room to find someone for help with the student's account that won't give him or the student access to his English class. He comes back in with someone; the new person looks at the computer. Another student comes in the room and sits at a desktop computer. The computer technician gives the student an exemption for the Unit he's on for the moment; Mr. Jackson is going to email technical support to help with the problem.
Dr. Meyer is working on a handout that she asks Mr. Jackson to print; she also asks his opinion as she gives it him to look over. It is a handout on annotating in which the students annotate their notes so that they can learn how to annotate a text. She pulls a chair beside him at his computer so they can talk about it.
There are 10 students in the room. The student from my table that left to talk on the phone hasn't come back yet. The students are all silently working, except for the couple of students in the corner talking quietly. The teachers talk about some of the students that they see are on their phones. They continue to talk about Dr. Meyer's handout. They talk about the "importance of asking the students questions like, 'what are the key terms?'" Mr. Jackson says that the only thing that keeps students from using handouts like this one is that "most kids wants to get done with a module [online] as fast as possible and this may be time consuming." Dr. Meyer says that it really isn't though. She emails the handout to him and, as he suggests a different formatting, he tells her that he will work on it. They talk about making a couple of different handouts on how to take notes, whether that is from a middle-level note-taker to a high-level note-taker.
The students are still working without any issues or need of assistance. The couple of students in the corner are still having a quiet conversation.
5pm
Mr. Jackson gets a call and leaves the room to take it. Two students come in and sit at computers. They both start writing on a piece of paper and then leave the room. There are currently 10 students working in the room; Dr. Meyer is back at her computer working on something. Mr. Jackson comes back in the room and says that he "got an offer on a job."
He asks me if I am going to be a teacher; I tell him yes and he replies that "it's exciting stuff."
The teachers are now both on their computers and Mr. Jackson reminds the students that they should not be on their phones and to put them away if they are. Mr. Jackson says he's going to take care of the email that he needs to send for the student to technical support. The sounds of his typing fills the room. One of the students puts his head down on the desk.
From what I can see of the students' computer screens from my position in the classroom, the two students that have been talking have not changed their screens in a while, as the same slide shows. The room is quiet; someone walks out into the hall. Frank walks over to Dr. Meyer and says that he's ready for another quiz. Dr. Meyer sits in a chair beside his computer to help. One of the students logs off, collects his things, and leaves.
A student asks for a password; Mr. Jackson says that he will give him access from his computer in a minute. Mr. Jackson reminds the students again to put up their cellphones and get back to work. Dr. Meyer is still helping the student with the quiz. There are 9 students in the classroom; some students have started joking off more and laughing.
5:30pm
Two students leave. Mr. Jackson leaves for a few minutes and comes back in; he tells them to put away their phones. He asks a student if he is okay and another student raises her hand with a question. He sits beside the student and she asks about plot. After they discuss it and find a problem with the question, Mr. Jackson goes to his computer and looks it up. He asks the student to come over to his computer too. He tells her that since the lesson was misleading and the question was confusing and not clear that he is going to give her credit for the question on her quiz. Dr. Meyer is still helping Frank on his quiz.
A teacher that I do not know comes in and asks a student if she can talk to him for a minute; they leave the room together. Mr. Jackson walks around the room and asks a student to put his phone away. He also tells a student that he needs to take notes for the quizzes. He walks back to his computer and sits down. A student comes in and asks Mr. Jackson if he can go over his essay. The student who was out in the hall with the other teacher comes back in. Dr. Meyer comes back to the table after finishing helping Frank. There are 8 students in the classroom.
As Mr. Jackson calls for the break, I decide this is another good time for me to leave for the day.
Reflection
One of things that today made me think about was the usefulness of this program for students. How much are they actually learning? Are they retaining anything by taking notes and then using them on their quizzes and tests? I understand that the teachers go over the questions with them if they don't make the cutoff but, are the students actually learning the material? But then, another thought comes up: does it really matter? I suppose for the students who want to go to college, it certainly does. But what about the ones that only want a high school diploma so that they can go into the work force right after?
Something else that I wonder about is funding. From what I can tell by being there, this program is completely free, just like traditional school. This is good for students that would rather go to this non-traditional, night school than traditional school. I don't think that funding, or in this case the lack-thereof, could get in the way of students choosing this method of school.
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