For the first 4 times that I visited CCHS, I worked with Mrs. Johns in her English classroom form 9:15-10:30 on Friday mornings. Kids are not always present for various reasons, so I have worked with many different students during the last few weeks. Mrs. Johns' classroom is very efficient and is set up well. Her students know their daily routine, and are always sitting in their seats when class begins. Student sit at tables in the center of the room to hear lectures and work on physical worksheets, but many times they are working on quizzes and assignments on the computers that are in the room.
CCHS is like no environment that I have never experienced before. Students are allowed to have their phones out and are listening to music more often than not. For me, this can be a frustration because students are reluctant to put their phones away and turn their music off. I am currently working in a classroom that is in rural Georgia with students that qualify as gifted, so walking into CCHS has been a challenge for me. I am learning so much about how I can interact with these students in a way that engages them and makes them feel respected. There are a few students that I have been consistently working with. For two weeks, the students had been working on narratives about bullying. Mrs. Johns encouraged the students to include stories from their own lives, and I was able to read some of their stories, which was an eye opening experience. It has been very important that I respect their pasts and their present experiences as well.
The most formative experience I have had so far was with a female student at CCHS. Mrs. Johns was absent one of the days that I went to CCHS, and the students were working on their bullying papers. While I did help them, there was one student who was in the classroom with the sole purpose of spending time with Mrs. Johns. Instead, she and I spent time talking about her life and what her plans are for the future. She explained to me that she is living with her boyfriend and looking for a job that pays more than the one she currently holds. We also discussed her plans following graduation, and she expressed that she would like to go to college. I enjoyed getting to sit with her and talk about things that she likes and ways that she can pursue these interests in college. Since I am a native of the Athens area, I told her about some of the programs that I know in the area and about my friends who have completed the programs. I believe that building this relationship, though our conversation lasted only about half an hour, was extremely beneficial to my learning. Sitting with this student allowed me to relate to her, to "get on her level," to build a sense of understanding, and to convey that I really do care about her future. I have not seen this student since, but I'm really hoping she will be around soon. I made sure to tell her when I am in Mrs. Johns class and when she can come to see me.
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