Molly Moniere

ECHD 101

October 12, 2014

Observation

A Head Start
When you walk into any classroom you learn a lot about a teachers approach to learning.
When I was provided with the opportunity to enter a local classroom, I was ecstatic. As a student
in the field of early care and education, having this chance to observe in a classroom was a gift.
During my time at the Head Start in Potsdam I observed many things.
Potsdam Head Start is located within a local church. Upon entering the front door I had to
press a buzzer and present my student identification to enter the classroom. I found this to be a
great precaution on the Head Starts part. Inside the front door there were two classrooms
separated by a wall and a door. The classroom itself was small in size and only had one small
stained glass window, which provided very little natural light. However, the class room was well
lit. The walls were a pale cream color and the rug was beige which is good to hide spills, and is
easy to clean. The classroom boasted a jungle theme, complete with monkeys and vines on the
walls which I found inviting. I was greeted by a friendly teacher named Mrs. Sarah. She was
very welcoming despite the fact that I was intruding on her previously scheduled routines. I
found that her demeanor made me feel comfortable in the center.
Her day started ten minutes after I arrived. In came a small group of five, smiling
children led by a bus driver. They all greeted Mrs. Sarah and went about their routine. During my
observation I watched as they pulled off their coats, and plucked their name tags from their
cubbies. Every cubby had the childs name on it in clear writing, and every name tag had the
childs name and picture on it. I found that having this design was developmentally appropriate
because it promoted self-help skills. I watch as the children practiced their previously learned

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self-help skills by placing their name tags on attendance board that matched their secondary
theme of the month, fall. This theme is changed monthly and used in rotation to keep the
materials in the center new and interesting for the children. Instantly my education came into
play and I got down on a childs level. While I was down at their level I noticed that the board
was a felt material that would make placing the name tags accomplishable by all children.
Mrs. Sarah introduced me to Miss. Kitty. Miss. Kitty is the other teacher in the classroom.
Their schedule was split into two groups, morning students and afternoon students. The
classrooms adult-child ratio was two teachers to five children in the morning, and two teachers to
ten students in the afternoon. The child to teacher interactions were friendly and I often noticed
the teachers getting down on the childs level when talking. This falls into Maria Montessoris
hands on approach to learning. I also noticed that the teachers encouraged children to try to do
things on their own and only assisted when a student truly needed help which aided children's
learning. I think that this approach follows Friedrich Frobels approach of teaching to the head,
hand, and heart. I also enjoyed the conversations between the teachers and the students during
breakfast. I could tell that the students and teachers had a good relationship as the children told
them about their previous days afternoons.
I found the centers design to be cohesive in its set up despite its small size. The
breakfast and art tables were located in close proximity to a sink. The single four sided art easel
and science area were nearby as well. In the art center I found theme items such as leaf stamper
and traceable leaves for the children to use. I also found that the sand table was in close to the
sink, which is good for clean-up. The dramatic play area was located close to the dramatic
materials, the inclusion of these materials promoted creative thinking, and the ability to act out

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events. To the right of the tables the classroom had a tree-house reading area with comfy child
sized seating, which I loved because of its connection to Maria Montessoris child sized
approach. It provided the children in the space to have privacy, while still being in the sight of
the teachers at all times. However, just below the reading area I found a block area. This
particular part of the classrooms set-up was not cohesive. This particular set up placed a noisy
high-traffic area next to a quiet area. To correct this issue I would move the reading area to the
other side of the room near the cubbies. In the block area itself I found non-gender bias items
such as a female firefighter doll and a male nurse doll. The block area also had both large Legos
and solid wooden blocks. All of the furniture in the center was sturdy and in good condition.
These items show the level of care and thought that has been put into the center, as well as the
knowledge behind the placement. I found the whole observation to be very informative.