Diversity and Learning: My Time at Oak Park Elementary

My experience at Oak Park Elementary was an experience I will not forget. Oak Park is a school that has a great amount of diversity within their system. While there was a vast measure of diversity there was some similarities within the student body. Majority of the student body is the same race, with a few other that are a different ethnicity. I was in the library for my observation hours and at the beginning of my time I was first disappointed I was not assigned to a class room, but I was very grateful for my opportunity in the library. The teacher I observed was a lady that had a beautiful heart for children and passionate about her subject she taught. The students I observed ranged from various backgrounds. I attended to Mrs. Lee who is

When I walked into the school, I was greeted by the receptionist who kindly showed me where to sign in and then directed me to the teacher I would be observing for the day. The staff was dressed very appropriate for the day and on Friday they were able to wear pink because it was October. Although I did not see much interaction with factuality with each other, I was able to witness when the teachers of a certain grade would come to pick up their students. I saw how the teachers interacted with Mrs. Lee and they were very respectful. The student’s behavior varied from class to class. Most of the classes were well behaved with only a few students causing disruption. Mrs. Lee had warned me that the kindergarten class is normally noisier than other classes, but to her surprise the students were very quiet and did their work independently with no interruptions. Mrs. Lee did a wonderful job at keeping the students disciplined within the classroom. She would give positive re-enforcement and correct students when they would do something incorrectly. She worked really well with the students and they students responded in a respectful manner to Mrs.

My mind has been opened to different ideas in the school, such as, where I would prefer to teach, or different discipline and learning ideas for students. I am very thankful for the opportunity I had to observe Mrs. Lee and spend time at Oak Park Elementary. This observation has made me see that my main goal to be a teacher is to educate children and to love of them. As I looked at the different faces of some of the students and the way Mrs. Lee interacted with compassion and care towards them was something that I want to strive for when I become a teacher. I do still plan to be a teacher if the Lord continues to lead me in that path. If I did not become a teacher, I would still want to somehow be involved with the school system or with helping children through life