Asheville+Christian+Academy

What happened at your first vist?

Zoe Maya- For our first observation I was assigned to a 1st grade classroom. The students had just returned from gym class, and their teacher Mrs. Thomas continued reading them a story from a previous lesson for a few minutes to calm them down after gym, and then began with their math lesson. She had a student lead the beginning of the lesson and set up while the students played a math game with their hands. It seemed like she had her hands full with 22 students, but she handled it well and told me later that she seats the children who need help in specific places throughout the room so as not to draw attention to them when they need assistance. I was curious and observant of how the christian influence was intergrated into the lessons, and I look forward to see the differences between this classroom and the higher grades at the academy.

Taylor- I observed all male second grade gym class. Before the class began, the teacher led a prayer, asking god for the strength, courage, and endurance needed to have a good, enjoyable gym class. Interesting discipline tactics

Kaela- I observed a 1st grade class during their math lesson. The teacher used some interactive materials with the math lesson, such as pennies, but could have done more to make the lesson interactive. It was a larger class, 22 students, and it seemed hard for the teacher to keep the etire class engaged. She was warm and friendly towards the students, even when they would act up.

Heather- I observed a class of 4th graders, who stayed in their own classroom for about 10 minutes. The teacher taught me some effective ways to avoid disruptions in the classroom. Then the class went to computer class, where they just drew pictures of themselves in Paint. This teacher was less involved with what they were doing, but the kids seemed to enjoy working on the computers and I was impressed with their computer skills.

Katie- I observed a third grade class room, during my visit they finsihed art class, played, and took a spelling test. The teacher had the children well trained and had great transtions, they knew when it was time to line up and where to go. I found all the children to be very polite and orderly.

Hanna- I got to sit in on 2 biology classes for highschool. The teacher was AWESOME! She was super enthusiastic and talked with her entire body, she really moved her arms around a lot when she spoke. It helped the kids to get into what she was teaching. She used a lot of learning and then application in her teaching style.

Eriel- I observed a sophomore highschool class while they read Hamlet and a freshman highschool class that discussed logic and rhetoric. The logic and rhetoric class was more interesting because the teacher taught the students about the different theories of the beginning of the world/universe and didn't just concentrate on the christian belief. They also read a lot from C.S.Lewis who is one of my favorite authors, so of course I really enjoyed it. The teacher was just so wacky and open to whatever the students said. It was a great experience.

Emmalee- During our first visit to ACA I observed a third grade class. Upon arrival they were in the middle of a geography game to help them study for a test coming up. The teacher was very calm to their energy and roudieness. Everyone seemed to get their own attention during the game with notice of good try or behavior. The class was lined up for recess according to their behavior. One boy was sent back to the end of the line for bragging. I got to sit in on the art class for a few minautes where the teacher was very interactive and very helpful to the students using very age appropriate language, but not dumbing down the material for the kids. During the second visit to ACA I was put in a first grade class. They were in their math time. The instructor told me the importance of having your class 'trained' so that an orderlly class could be conducted. Doubles were the topic of the day (2 + 2 = 4) each child was responsible for their own marker, dry erase bored, sock, and linking or counting blocks. Everyone seemed verry well mannered. When a child got off topic or stopped paying attention the instructor would come and tap the student on the sholder or whisper in their ear and the attention would pop right back into place. My third visit was in a 5th grade class. When I entered the teacher was reading to them out of a book. Some students were working on spelling books, while others were playing chess. Everyone seemed to be listening although doing seperate things. After the chapter was finished the teacher lined everyone up for a spelling bee. At the entrance of the classroom there were peices of bamboo tied together to look like a house, during recess the teacher told me about how important he thought it was for students to have the ability to learn hands on his example was of latching these pieces of bamboo together. He had a lot of good things to say about his class.