Brianna DelSanto

April 27, 2015

Education 205
Dr McCarthy
Reflection Henri A. Yelle
Over spring break I had the opportunity to visit my old
elementary school, the Henri A. Yelle Upper Elementary School in
Norton, MA. Driving my old town brought back so many memories and
it was so nice to see that the school was still in great condition. When I
first pulled in I noticed the bulletin sign at the front that displayed a
welcome message. As I parked my car and started to walk into the
building I noticed posters in the windows that faced the parking lot.
This was a great use of space and seemed to be very effective
because I felt at ease and welcomed before even stepping foot through
the main doors. Another effective aspect was the signs on every door
around the outside of the building that told you where the main offices
were.
As I entered the main entrance I was greeted by the same
principal I had when I attended school there. She knew who I was right
away and I instantly felt at ease. I looked around at the walls and
noticed artwork everywhere. There was a big greeting letter on an
easel in the middle of the hall, and the walls had murals painted all
over them. There were different wooden benches and statues that

lined the halls and they were covered in signatures of previous

students. This was a very effective quality that the school had
because it showed that they want to inspire students with different
quotes and pictures painted all over. The only ineffective thing about
this was that I did not see any student artwork, only professional. The
principal, Mrs. Farrell, personally walked me to the 4th grade and 5th
grade classrooms I would be observing and throughout the day she
came to check on me and walk me to the other classrooms. She even
came to get me when the students had lunch so that I was not left to
fend for myself wandering the halls. This was a very effective thing to
do because it made me feel like I was important and that they wanted
me to like the school and the people who worked there. Walking to the
classroom I did notice the library. It seemed to be very empty, neither
students nor books. This was the most ineffective part about the
school as a whole because they focus on reading, all of the posters
have books, and they advertise how much they love to read but the
library seemed to be empty.
(Although I observed 4th, 5th, and 6th grade I will only be writing
about 5th grade because I spent the most time there.) Walking into the
5th grade classroom I was assigned to I realized that the teacher, Mrs.
Bruno, was my 5th grade teacher. She was the best elementary school
teacher I have ever had and I was so happy to be placed with her. She
instantly remembered me and introduced me to her students right

away. They all were excited to meet me and instantly started asking
me questions about when I was a 5th grader and what high school and
college were like. They seemed very mature for 5th graders. Their social
skills were very impressive and that definitely contributed to the
effective classroom environment. Since the students were so social,
during any free time they had or time they had to work together they
discussed the homework/lessons and even explained why they were
learning certain things to each other. One ineffective characteristic of
the classroom is that the desks were only in rows so it was hard to
collaborate with one another and worked against the social aspect in
the room. The student behavior was impeccable. They know when to
be quiet, when to collaborate, when to work on certain things, and they
strive to do well and earn 100s. The students seem to be intimidated
slightly by the teacher, because they tell each other to be quiet and
dont want to get in trouble. This could be either effective or
ineffective because it shows respect for the teacher but also
nervousness/fear of the teacher.
When the lesson started I noticed many effective qualities in the
way Mrs. Bruno taught. For example, she was very encouraging of the
students and gave them multiple chances to answer a question right.
She explained the lesson in different ways and clarified herself multiple
times so the students could fully understand what was being taught.
She also strongly believed that the students can handle their own

responsibilities and she trusted that they actually did their homework
by not checking them individually. After teaching the lesson she would
have a verbal quiz to help review and if a student got the answer
correct they got a ticket and these tickets were used for prizes.
Another great and effective quality she has is that she reassured the
class constantly that if they did not know an answer to a question
during the placement test for 6th grade math it was okay because they
will learn those lessons eventually. The only ineffective qualities I saw
while observing were during the homework review. She would give the
answers to the students in order to save time instead of having the
students answer them and explain how they got that answer. Also, one
student did not complete the homework and told Mrs. Bruno that she
was confused by it but Mrs. Bruno did not believe her and assumed
that she just did not want to try and was being lazy. If the student
really was confused this could be discouraging.
Observing Mrs. Bruno really taught a lot about they way I want to
teach, it gave me ideas that I can incorporate into my own classroom,
and it also helped me decide on the grade level I would want to teach. I
liked the 5th grade setting because the students have responsibilities,
they understand humor, and can think critically. I think I would strive as
a 5th grade or 6th grade teacher and now I am aware that I would like to
have an upward extension for my major.