Blog number 2

• Tell about an opportunity you had to work one-on-one with a student:

So far, a lot of my responsibilities have included reading with the children one-on-one. I love seeing how each student, whatever race or ethnicity they happen to be, are all trying their very best to learn and do their best in school. It doesn't matter to them what race their friends are. Most likely, they won't even realize they are very different at all.
The outlook children have on one another is such a good example to us, as adults. It is so important to judge someone based on their character, and not on the color of their skin, or the type of clothes they may wear. Even though, as a society, we are far from perfect when it comes to racism, it is so comforting to watch these young children in class so fully accept each other.

Blog number 1

• What developmental differences do you see in the children in the classroom?

When I first started observing the teacher, she decided to have most of my responsibilities include tutoring and reading with the children one-on-one. Immediately, it was made obvious to me, that as far as reading goes, the students were on opposite sides of the spectrum. Some students could fly through a book without having to stop and blend the letter sounds, while other students had a hard time remembering what sounds some letters even made. 

Even though the class is so diverse with their development, I love the way the teacher handles each situation. She modifies the spelling tests for the children who are struggling, by giving them lower-level words they can sound out on their own. For the students who are more advanced, she gives challenge words. Even though this takes extra effort on her part, I believe it will help students feel important as she shows them she cares enough to try and teach them each on levels they will understand.