Jocelyn Vazquez

Fieldwork Reflective Journal

April 2, 2014
As I walked into the classroom, I noticed there was a wall with stickers and
different names of students with different roles. The students all had different jobs such
as line leader, paper collector, class manager, etc. for the week. This is a great idea
because it teaches the children about responsibility.
The tables were arranged in groups of four with 2 boys and 2 girls. This seating
arrangement allows for the opposite sexes to interact with each other and terminate the
belief of cooties. Group seating also allows for the students to work with each other.
The teacher cannot be everywhere at once, so the students can rely on each other for
guidance when the teacher is busy.
White Marsh Elementary follows an extrinsic motivation program called
Dolphin Do-Ers. When a student is recognized for good behavior, theyre given a slip
that they must fill out, and put it in a bucket at the office. Every Friday there is a drawing
and if youre name is picked you get a small prize such as a pencil or free ice cream.
During the day a man named Coach Bob comes to class for character counts.
The kids got very excited when he walked into the room. Im not sure if it was because
they get to take a break from the lesson or actually enjoy the Character Counts segment.
He taught them a lesson called the turtle. Its when you take a moment to relax and take
a deep breath when youre upset. It is supposed to help with self-control.
The two students were separated into two groups during math. The first group was
assigned to work independently on a math work sheet. The other group was at a table in
the back with the teachers. This allows the teacher to give individualized attention to
those who needed extra help on the lesson. While working with Mrs. Weise they used a

Jocelyn Vazquez
Fieldwork Reflective Journal
small tools called kitty counters The kitty counters are appealing to visual and hands
on learners because they can visually and physically see the answer for a problem.
I noticed she was quick to nip something in the bud. A student was playing with
something in their desk and was not paying attention. She corrected the student by
saying, fix something before it becomes a problem and continued on with her lesson. In
other words, she quickly warned the student to put the item away before he got himself
into trouble. When the class was getting too "routy" or when she was about to give
instructions, she would raise her hand and say Eyes on Mrs. Weise. I thought this was
pretty creative since it incorporates her last name and she is the authority figure. She
effectively used different techniques in order to maintain classroom management.
During P.E. the teacher divided the class into two teams, boys vs. girls. I
personally did not think this was a good idea because it enforcing gender stereotypes. AA
student was told to sit out after she was caught misbehaving. I also dont think that was a
good idea for many reasons. First, P.E. should be a time where kids can let loose and
exert their energy. Unfortunately, she was not able to do that. Secondly, this particular
child may not care too much for P.E. and could have been misbehaving on purpose
because she knows that she would have to sit out. Thus, getting the expected reaction
from the teacher and allowing her to get what she wanted.
April 9, 2014
I noticed that the children were opening up to me and would approach me. They
would ask me questions and talk to me about random things. I didnt mind though
because I knew this meant that they were starting to feel comfortable. I wanted to return

Jocelyn Vazquez
Fieldwork Reflective Journal
the same feeling of interest, so I would ask them questions that I knew would make them
feel important.
They did a math activity that involved folding papers in order to learn about
fractions. The activity was a good idea because it appealed to students who enjoy hands
on activities. The final result of the project was extremely helpful to visual learners
because they were able to see the fractions through the boxes.
Mrs. Weise incorporated positive feelings in her classroom. If a child answered a
question correctly, she would encourage her students to give the other student a round of
applause. I could tell it made the child feel good about himself and showed that the class
is a team.
April 16, 2014
The students were extremely excited for their spring party. A few of them were
starting to misbehave as a result of their excitement. Mrs. Weise wrote on the board
SPRING PARTY, each time a student misbehaved a word would get erased. By the end
of the day, if the phrase was erased then they would not have the partly. Luckily, that did
not happen.
During language arts, they were learning a strategy called SQ3R. It stands for
Survey, Questions, Read, Recite, and Review. The students took a lot of interest when
they found out it can be used for studying. I saw a bit of intrinsic motivation because the
students were actually interested in the lesson when they learned that it could be applied
outside of the classroom and at home when studying.
In P.E. we were playing a game that I was not very good at. However, I was not
negative. Instead, I tried to be more encouraging and positive by saying little things like,

Jocelyn Vazquez
Fieldwork Reflective Journal
we got this! I noticed the kids got extremely pumped. This is much better than just
publicly doubting yourself because its almost as if youre being a Debby downer and
ruining everyones mood with your negativity.
April 23, 2014
Being a teacher requires more than just teaching a lesson and making sure your
students understand the lesson. Teachers are mentors who care about their students. They
are willing to guide students on more than just word problems but real life problems. A
student was confiding in Mrs. Weise on an issue she was having. She spoke privately to
Mrs. Weise about some issues she was having outside of schools. Mrs. Weise gave her
advice and they both hugged and the girl looked relieved and happy.
I thought this was very touching and inspiring. The student felt comfortable
enough to talk to her about something personal. Also, Mrs. Weise welcomed her to talk
with open arms; she didnt have a deal with it on your own I have enough problems
attitude. She was patient, understanding, and caring all qualities a teacher should have
towards her students.
April 30, 2014
They did a group activity where youre divided into groups and need to answer a
question. Once you have an answer the groups rotate while someone stays back and
explains how they got their answer. The others visit the different group and discuss how
they got their answer. This was something different because it involved a lot of
movement and discussion amongst the other students. I thought it was better than just
sitting at a desk talking to a teacher.

Jocelyn Vazquez
Fieldwork Reflective Journal
I must say I had a great experience with this class. This age group definitely appealed to
me more than the fifth grade class I worked with last semester. They are much more
affectionate and willing to open up. During lunch, we would have different discussions
like school, their crushes in the different classrooms, sports, T.V. shows, etc. Theyre
very willing to open up and by having that closeness you are able inspire students at a
young age.