Leo+Neufeld

My first visit was with Claire to the 5th-6th grade class at Rainbow Mountain. The usual teacher was away and the assistant was teaching the class, which we didn't find out until afterward. I don't think we really got a precise view of what that classroom was like but there were some distinct difference that I noticed right off the bat between Rainbow Mountain and the normal school experience. The kids were performing a science experiment in groups where they counted how many times a pen swung back and forth on a piece of string, while including certain variables. While the teacher explained the instructions the class seemed to listen intently, which I thought was a good sign. Afterwards, however, I realized they were only being so patient because they knew the next portion of class would be a free-for-all. Nonetheless, they did seem relatively happy to be at school, which is not to be overlooked. When talking to the assistant teacher, after school, the main thing he expressed was a frustration with the lack of, for example, knowledge of basic math skills. It was hard to tell whether the fault lied in his ability to connect with the class or with the amount of discipline imposed on the students on a regular basis. - The aesthetic of the classroom seemed pretty normal. I noticed there were not as many corny motivational posters as what I usually see in classrooms. - Nothing in the room focused on diversity issues, despite the fact it was black history month.
 * Rainbow Mountain (2/19)**

Instead of visiting the 5th grade, I sat in with Elanore to observe the littlest guys in the place. It just so happened that it was wacky day, so many of them were wearing tye-dye shirts or had their shorts on backwards. They spent most of the time we observed them sitting in a big circle on the floor, and I assume they spent most of the inside portion of their day that way. The teacher spoke softly the whole time, having them indentify different colors and patterns on the oriental rug they sat on. The last part of class was spent at the desks drawing with crayons and markers and colored pencils. The teacher took two boys aside, who apparently earlier in the day had been playing a game with eachother when they were supposed to be doing something else. She asked them questions about what they were doing, and why they were doing it, and let them know they were not to be playing their own private games during class time. She proceeded to give them a nice smile and seat them at different ends of the classroom. Calmly, they accepted their fate and mingled with the other kids at their tables while they colored. When class ended, the best behaved kids got to leave first, the two punished boys being the last ones out of the room. One of them gave the teacher a hug like the rest of the students had, but the other child had a bit of a frown on his face and tried to walk out without a hug. I didn't see what happened after that because at that point it was past time for us to leave and I had to get my shoes on and run out. - The classroom had everything a little kid could possibly want in a room, play-wise.
 * Rainbow Mountain (2/21)**

Leo, I like the softness of the environment you described. I remember sitting in kindergarten circles as a kid listening to stories and being enveloped by the world the teacher mediated. Calm voices make it difficult to get upset at the teacher, it helps get a message across without the little ones getting too offended. I can tell that the teacher tried to stay closely connected with her students and the hugs show that attempt. What kind of play equiptment did they have beside art supplies? Were there destinct boy and girl toys, or were there props for imaginative play? ~Laura

4/16 LT

I spent part of my junior year in high school at an alternative school similar to this one, so I was at least semi-prepared for what I would be seeing in BCE English class. The teacher, whose name I don't think I ever knew, was showing a "An Inconvenient Truth". Right away I respected the guy for his interest in making his students aware of real issues. However, his method was dull and especially since it was the last class of the day the students were generally disinterested. Mr. Noname would stop the movie every few minutes and repeat the stuff that Al Gore just said, and he would tell the students exactly what to write down. At that point I was surprised at how readily they complied with his instructions; I later realized that he collected and graded their notes. He never said anything mean to any student, and I wouldn't say he was condescending, but he seemed rather ignorant to the ineffectiveness of his current teaching method. Over and over they would ask him to repeat things he said, word for word, obviously mocking him, and he would keep repeating himself. At least ten minutes of the class must have been wasted in this way. The class itself was tiny-- seven out of nine kids were there, but it felt like a thirty kid class, the way kids were constantly shaking their feet around all restless and with all the heads down on desks. The room had nothing much to it; the basic conduct rules were written on the chalkboard in front of class. The rules were about the same ones you'd see in a third grade classroom. No arguments. No food. Etc.
 * Buncombe Community East**

Do you think this was his own method of teaching or a method used by other teachers through out the school? Do you think the notes taken were graded for English purposes? I feel I have experienced this same kind of teaching method through out my high school experience. -Marie Bourgeois Comment # 3 cite C

I can't really tell you why I visited the same English class again. i guess I expected to see something slightly different, and I supposed I still like the idea of teaching environmental conscientiousness to these students. I guess I had hoped to see something more hands on. Instead, they were watching another movie about the same thing, the teacher doing the same pausing of the movie and telling of what to write down. The students seemed a little more with it today-- they were at least in a good enough mood to laugh at their teacher instead of keeping their heads down looking terribly depressed. Next time I will check out another class. I know this alternative school thing can work, and this guy has good intentions, but there just wasn't enough going on. There was no creativity in this classroom.
 * Buncome Community East (again)**

I have to admit, it was strange to be back at high school so soon. It was quite a surreal feeling knowing I'm not so far removed from that whole mess... My classroom experience was the best one I've had as of yet as an observer. I sat through all 45 minutes of Mr. Will Smith's tenth grade English class. (The short class periods at Asheville High seem to work well, keeping the kids alert and interested.) I took my seat in a back corner of the room, and I watched as Mr. Smith explained to the class to definition of the word "sophomoric". One female student, unsatisfied with the given definition, offered her opinion: "That's pretty gay", she said, which got a good laugh out of most of the room. Mr. Smith, calmly, not too seriously, paused from the lesson for a minute to explain why we should all try a little harder to keep from saying things that could be perceived offensively. Proceeding to further define the word sophomoric, he said that it can be also understood to mean "immature". Score: Mr. Smith: 1 Smart ass student: 0 Rigid rules were written on the white board in the class. For example: "All work for this English class must be completed in black ink." No corny posters, nothing too decorative; a pretty standard classroom. The next and final part of the class was a student-led discussion on the book "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe. More than half the class was voluntarily and actively participating. At one point, a quiet student in the back of the class made a comment, faintly, at the same time as a few other students. Mr. Smith was able to point out the quiet student's voice and ask him to repeat what he said. After this, the student becomes significantly more involved in the discussion, making insightful points and speaking louder. Overall, I was very impressed with Mr. Smith's ability to manage a high school class. His fast-paced style combined with his awareness of the individuals in his classroom seemed to earn him respect from the entire class.
 * Asheville High (4/23)**

LEO!!! hey friend! its really great to read your detailed entry about will smiths class....and im jelous you got to meet will smith. It is interesting that you think this is the best experience you have had at a school so far, i feel as though i would have hated to be in this school as a highschooler. The classrooms are so bear. Was Will Smith teaching htem the meaning of sophomoric for a vocab test or something? I like that he had a student lead discoussion, alot of what i observed at that school was teachers leading lectures, and i think an important part of education is getting the students involved in their own education, and having them lead discussions is a great way to do that. I am also happy to hear that he helped the quite voice in the class be heard, that is something that some teachers ignore, but its really important so that every kid feels like they have a voice that matters in the class, which leads to higher self esteem over all i beleive. Sara Rubin


 * //Leo-I have been visiting only elementary schools as that is my field of interest, so it was interesting to read about your experience in a high school setting. I graduated high school 5 years ago, but I still remember my high school 10th grade teacher and they were no where near as engaging as the teacher you observed. I liked hearing about how they handled that situation with the smart ass student. I also liked his method of including everyone in the discussion and how he was paying enough attention to his students to be able to help the quiet student into the conversation while remaining discreet. I think that more teachers need to learn to be subtle in that way. ~Megan Cornett//

Leo- Both classes that I observed at Asheville High had teacher that sound similar to Mr. Smith. The first teacher (ceramics) seemed like somewhat of a mother to the students in that they could joke with her and vise versa. She was very respectful, strict, and encouraged the students to care enough about the studio to take care of it and keep it clean. The other teacher (art history) I saw was pretty high spirited. He treated the class like adults and all of the students answered questions that he asked during the lecture. I like how you wrote the score. -Elenore Vena**

//Good job making some headway on catching up on these, Leo. LT 5/15//