Day One

For my first experience at Lakeshore Middle School I was placed in Mrs. R's class, consisting of sixth, seventh, and eighth grade children.  I really enjoyed her positive demeanor and outlook for her students. Mrs. R definitely displayed positive behavior supports while working with her students.  I was surprised at the limited space she was given for her classroom.  I walked through the front door of a building to see a huge classroom, but was then led to a draped off back room.  During the class session that I observed, Mrs. R’s students were working on manipulative exercises that focused mainly on hand-eye coordination skills.  After meeting the students I turned my attention to the specifics of the exercises they were completing and realized that none of them were having trouble completing the tasks.  It almost seemed as if they had worked on these exercises numerous times before.  I asked three students if they liked the exercises and all of them said they were “easy”.  This seems troubling considering it is only the beginning of the school year.  Therefore, I don’t believe Mrs. R was utilizing developmentally and chronologically age appropriate practices.  I was also shocked by a safety hazard involved with these activities.  One of the students was assembling small lights, but by doing so he was required to handle eroded batteries.  A paraprofessional came to check on this student’s progress, saw the batteries, and told him to carry on.  I was definitely distressed by this incident. 

Overall, my experience was very productive and enjoyable.  I am excited to learn more about the students, Mrs. R's teaching strategies and experiences, and to develop my own ideas about teaching students with moderate to severe disabilities.