I was blown away by the climate of Pike High School. Typically, larger schools do not have as much control over their students. However, Pike had it all together. Rick Mitchell mentioned that the climate at Pike has not always been this way. He emphasized that when working in a school environment, you learn to adapt to change and tailor your teaching to the students you are working with. Once that happens, everything else falls into place- always put the students first. As you can see in the picture to the right, Pike has a "We believe..." sign hanging on the wall directly as you walk into the building. My favorite part of this sign was the statement "our community is strengthened by diversity, multiple perspectives, and mutual respect." In the few short hours at Pike, I was exposed to their diverse climate. I truly felt that the staff teaching at Pike put their all into their students and welcomed diversity. One of the core COE values at Butler is "the appreciation of diversity and similarity." As you can see, Pike and Butler's values line up perfectly. This further proves that in order to have a strong, positive classroom climate, you need to encourage and appreciate diversity.
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While at Pike, I had the opportunity to observe a FACS class taught by Mrs. Bien and I absolutely loved it. FACS stands for Family and Consumer Sciences. In FAC courses, students learn life skills that will benefit them in the future such as cooking, sewing etc,. This particular day, the students were in groups of 3-4 and were cooking pancakes. A class such as FAC gives the students the opportunity to let their individuality shine and also diverts from the typical standards/curriculum. Due to this, the climate of an FAC class is unique compared to the climate standard, core classrooms- it tends to be more creative and fun. Preparation for real-world experiences is something that most schools lack, which is why I was so blessed to have observed this classroom. Students who take FAC classes have a particular interest in the subject and have a strong desire to learn, which in turn motivates everyone in the classroom to be more driven.
In the first picture to the left, you can see a group of girls at the "kitchen" station working together to gather the basic cooking supplies for the pancakes. Next, you see a typical cooking station that includes an oven, microwave and sink. When talking to Mrs. Bien, I gathered that each day has its own agenda. Not only do the students cook in this class, they also learn how to properly set a table, measure ingredients and clean dishes. I loved that the students were taught how to properly set a table, it brought a sense of community to the classroom that each group was able to eat their end product together. Mrs. Bien had such a fun spirit! Her classroom was chaotic 95% of the time that I was in there observing but she kept her calm, light-hearted spirit. She laid ground rules that she reinforced throughout the class period but also let the students have a great deal of freedom/fun while cooking! She was extremely organized, as you can see in the picture collage to the left, she wrote out the class schedule for that particular day on the board for the students to follow. In my opinion, one of the most important aspects of teaching is a love for learning yourself. Mrs. Bien had such a welcoming personality and showed true compassion to each and every one of her students- I could tell that she shared a bond with each of them. Mrs. Bien aligns perfectly with one of the COE core values at Butler, "the excitement of teaching, learning and mentoring." She truly exemplified an excitement for her job and her love for teaching encourages a love for learning in her classroom. |
Before traveling to Pike, we were all encouraged to find a staff member that spoke to us and fell in line with what we hope our future educator identity looks like. For me, Monte Tapplar's inspiration resonated most with me. He put emphasis on the fact that as educators, we will have a significant impact on our students so it is important that we get to know them. Having said that, Mr. Tapplar strives to connect with each of the students at Pike on a personal level, something that is very tough for an administrator. He drove this point home when he encouraged us to treat each future student fair, versus treating every student equal. This goes back to the point of knowing your students, knowing their needs, and knowing how to best teach them. Mr. Tapplar was able to further fuel my passion for teaching by reminding us all that we are producing the future. We are taking part in something bigger than ourselves, we are stewards of each and every child that we come in contact with and that is something that I am extremely passionate about. We have the chance as future educators to mend and heal what once was broken in our students, but also to continue to water what is still growing.
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