Observation

University City United Church Preschool is located in San Diego, California and serves children ages 2-5 that are toilet trained. I chose to do my observation with this preschool, because my mother has been a teacher at this school since 1992. I attended this preschool when I was young, along with a multitude of my friends and families I know. UCUC Preschool is NAEYC accredited, and is highly regarded within the community.

Setting:

I arrived to the preschool on October 7th, at 10:00 AM. I pulled up into the parking lot that is shared with the church. The school is in a residential area with many houses surrounding it. Once I park in the parking lot, I walk down a large walkway to enter in the preschool. The doors to the parking lot remain locked while school is in session. Once I walk inside, I see a large room with different centers and areas to play in. Directly ahead of me are two small tables for the children to sit and eat snack at. They are child sized and so are the chairs. Each table sits 15 children and 1 adult. Behind that is the kitchen, which has a door and a bar level area so that it is not entirely blocked off, but children are unable to walk into the kitchen. The door next to that goes to the director’s office and the secretary. Children come into the director’s office if they need to be removed from severe situations and need to calm down away from the other children. This typically only occurs in few circumstances in which the children are unable to calm down. All around the large room the walls are lined with cubbies for each child. They are given a slot for their school bags, jackets, arts and crafts projects, and anything else they need to put away. Each child has a nametag on their cubby, so they know how to...

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... children in the class. When she just motions for them to help clean up the balls, the children, for the most part, are responsive and understanding of what it is she wants and are receptive to obeying. They want praise and respect for her, which is evident in the common use of the phrase, “watch me” and “look at me.” The children are genuinely interested in captivating the teacher and the other children. They want to be admired and applauded. Watching the children throughout the few hours I was at the center was very educational and allowed me to view the interactions and play of children in a much more scientific study of development. Children at this stage are very exploratory of their surroundings and truly envelop the whole environment. I am honored to have been able to observe such a fun loving classroom and center, and thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity.