Today was my final day at Cortland BOCES. I made sure to thank my host teacher at the end of the day. I was sad to go. A little part of me was sad at the finality of my observations at the school. I had learned so much. I enjoyed interacting with my host teacher and all the information that he gave me. I hope to be so gracious someday when I have a teaching position and can help a future teacher in their development.
On the final day we played "Capture the Nerf Football." This game was similar to capture the flag. I liked the creativity that it involved. The BOCES gymnasium is very small compared to the typical size you would have in most other schools. I was able to play during one of the classes. One student on my team was very athletic while there was another teammate who was not too far in his motor development. I made a concerted effort to involve him. This is what I learned through the Adaptive Program at SUNY Cortland. Inclusion is a very important aspect of Physical Education. Including students that typically get left behind can make a huge difference in the classroom. Not only are those students feeling good about themselves and learning, but it boosts the morale of the class. A comfort level for the student who is not necessarily a natural talent will only help other students feel like they can engage in the activity at hand.
I will miss going to Cortland BOCES and feel that I have gained valuable experience from participating and observing the past two months.
Monday, December 14, 2009
11-20 Cortland BOCES
Today was the last day of Pinball. At this point I could see that students were starting to get bored with the game. Some students were very aggressive with each other verbally and would even physically aim for each others heads. This just seemed to be a rowdy day. I noticed that my host teacher was not too thrilled about the behavior on this day.
I asked my host teacher if he thought the students were all riled up because they knew Thanksgiving was just around the corner. He partially agreed, but also noted the varying levels of maturity in all the classrooms. Some students I would ask him what their issue was seeing as this was a high needs school for students who couldn't handle the typical classroom setting. My host teacher explained to me how some kids sometimes have outbursts so even though I thought they were calm and well behaved, this was not always the case.
This was a valuable lesson to me because it showed that I cannot judge a book by its cover. Just because a student looks like they are well behaved doesn't necessarily mean they will be. There are always things to look out for in this regard.
I asked my host teacher if he thought the students were all riled up because they knew Thanksgiving was just around the corner. He partially agreed, but also noted the varying levels of maturity in all the classrooms. Some students I would ask him what their issue was seeing as this was a high needs school for students who couldn't handle the typical classroom setting. My host teacher explained to me how some kids sometimes have outbursts so even though I thought they were calm and well behaved, this was not always the case.
This was a valuable lesson to me because it showed that I cannot judge a book by its cover. Just because a student looks like they are well behaved doesn't necessarily mean they will be. There are always things to look out for in this regard.
11-13 Cortland BOCES
Today we continued our Pinball unit. At this point I noticed students who were starting to develop strategy with the game. Since week one many of the classes made strides in their proficiency. The games seemed to be more competitive. I was able to play in one game as well. I think it helped the motivation level when I was able to challenge some of the students on the other team. Livening up the competition can always help motivation levels.
I tried to motivate one student who was rather obese. He stood around the entire class. It was tough to watch him play the game with such little motivation. I did notice that he garnered plenty of respect from his classmates. I tried to tell him that if he played with more enthusiam teh other students would join in.
I also experienced a flashback to my days as a student. Another student in the classroom was made fun of because of how "fat" he was. Kids were giggling and mocking him. My host teacher intervened, but I could tell that this is probably something that student deals with all the time whether it be in the gymnasium, classroom, school bus, or cafeteria. I learned today that although political correctness is at an all time high in our society, kids in general are still very ruthless with one another. It reminded me of the social obstacles that students need to overcome in order to feel comfortable with themselves in order to participate in Physical Education.
While being made fun of is not something that ruins my day as an adult, it has a tremendous effect on the lives of younger students. Sadly, these memories can last a lifetime.
I tried to motivate one student who was rather obese. He stood around the entire class. It was tough to watch him play the game with such little motivation. I did notice that he garnered plenty of respect from his classmates. I tried to tell him that if he played with more enthusiam teh other students would join in.
I also experienced a flashback to my days as a student. Another student in the classroom was made fun of because of how "fat" he was. Kids were giggling and mocking him. My host teacher intervened, but I could tell that this is probably something that student deals with all the time whether it be in the gymnasium, classroom, school bus, or cafeteria. I learned today that although political correctness is at an all time high in our society, kids in general are still very ruthless with one another. It reminded me of the social obstacles that students need to overcome in order to feel comfortable with themselves in order to participate in Physical Education.
While being made fun of is not something that ruins my day as an adult, it has a tremendous effect on the lives of younger students. Sadly, these memories can last a lifetime.
11-6 Cortland BOCES
When I went to Cortland BOCES today I thought of all the things I might encounter while driving. I reflected before the day started. I did a hypothetical assessment of myself on what I could come across today. Just as I hadn't suspected such a quick outburst the previous week, I could only imagine what would happen today. It was such a quiet morning.
During one of the classes I was able to play because of the small amount of students participating. I had a lot of fun because I was really able to interact with my students. A positive part of the day was one of the classes there was a girl who was in a wheelchair. She was able to participate just like everyone else. There were some modifications made on her behalf. She was allowed to come closer to the pins to try and knock them over. She had a limited range of motion in her arms. Students of the opposing team would not defend the pins so as to allow her to throw the ball. I encouraged her to do her best because she was hesitant to try and knock over the pins. It made me feel so good as a future teacher because I knew she was happy simply because she was being included.
I learned today that Physical Education can be slowed down and modified in a variety of ways. I have learned how to do so in the college setting via lectures and labs. It was special to see concepts I've learned in action in a true classroom setting.
During one of the classes I was able to play because of the small amount of students participating. I had a lot of fun because I was really able to interact with my students. A positive part of the day was one of the classes there was a girl who was in a wheelchair. She was able to participate just like everyone else. There were some modifications made on her behalf. She was allowed to come closer to the pins to try and knock them over. She had a limited range of motion in her arms. Students of the opposing team would not defend the pins so as to allow her to throw the ball. I encouraged her to do her best because she was hesitant to try and knock over the pins. It made me feel so good as a future teacher because I knew she was happy simply because she was being included.
I learned today that Physical Education can be slowed down and modified in a variety of ways. I have learned how to do so in the college setting via lectures and labs. It was special to see concepts I've learned in action in a true classroom setting.
10/30-Cortland BOCES
Today was plenty of fun. The Pinball unit continued from the previous week. I noticed a lot of similarities to the previous week. The nice thing about my second day at Cortland BOCES was that I got to see a different set of students. There is an A and B day rotation.
Some disciplinary issues were abundant on this beautiful Friday morning. At one point two students were verbally harassing each other. The classroom teacher was on hand for this interaction. She told one boy to sit on the ground and cool off for five minutes. When the student refused she called him out and said, "You've been sliding all over the floor the past 40 minutes. Another 5 won't hurt you." The student knew she was right and quietly obliged.
I was able to have a conversation with my host teacher about how smart the classroom teacher was in dealing with the two students who were bickering. We then went over the dynamics that occur when students and people of every age get into a competitive mode. It was no different than any other cirumstance I have ever experienced in school, athletics, or even on the thruway. Aggression levels rise and sometimes cause participants to cross "the line" to violence or destruction. It was interesting to see how fast a situation could escalate. This is a reminder to me that I need to be ready at any moment for fun to turn into over-heated aggression.
This was also a great lesson in regards to human aggression and the negative effects it can have on society. These two young students mirrored many things that are wrong in our society today.
Some disciplinary issues were abundant on this beautiful Friday morning. At one point two students were verbally harassing each other. The classroom teacher was on hand for this interaction. She told one boy to sit on the ground and cool off for five minutes. When the student refused she called him out and said, "You've been sliding all over the floor the past 40 minutes. Another 5 won't hurt you." The student knew she was right and quietly obliged.
I was able to have a conversation with my host teacher about how smart the classroom teacher was in dealing with the two students who were bickering. We then went over the dynamics that occur when students and people of every age get into a competitive mode. It was no different than any other cirumstance I have ever experienced in school, athletics, or even on the thruway. Aggression levels rise and sometimes cause participants to cross "the line" to violence or destruction. It was interesting to see how fast a situation could escalate. This is a reminder to me that I need to be ready at any moment for fun to turn into over-heated aggression.
This was also a great lesson in regards to human aggression and the negative effects it can have on society. These two young students mirrored many things that are wrong in our society today.
10/23-Cortland BOCES
Today I was able to start my observation hours at Cortland School of BOCES. My host teacher was very gracious in welcoming me to the school. Some of the first things I noticed about the school was that the teachers were very active in their interaction with students. As I walked through the hallways I could tell that students who had any disciplinary problems were given one on one attention. There are many assistants throughout the school to help with students who engage in disruptive behavior.
The unit being covered for the day was a game called, "Pinball." This game is a variation of dodgeball. Instead of the students targeting each other the goal was to knock over three pins set up on the opposing side. The gymnasium was split in half like a typical dodgeball game. The idea behind this game was to allow students to get active and moving while taking out aggression in a positive way. Some problems that did arise every now and then was student motivation. Not all students wanted to play. These students would stand in front of the pins so as to defend the them from being knocked over. My host teacher told me that this bare minimal effort was better than them just sitting on the sidelines.
Other problems that did arise were students purposely missing the pins and targeting classmates of the opposing team. Some were friends horsing around with each other, but others were done with malicious intent. I was able to see my host teacher in action as he would quell any behavior that was out of line. Some classes were harder to keep track of than others due to the high number of students in the gymnasium. While I was there I made sure to do my best to practice having my eyes on everything at one time.
Overall, I enjoyed my first day at Cortland BOCES. It was a new environment at a school that has plenty of diversity.
The unit being covered for the day was a game called, "Pinball." This game is a variation of dodgeball. Instead of the students targeting each other the goal was to knock over three pins set up on the opposing side. The gymnasium was split in half like a typical dodgeball game. The idea behind this game was to allow students to get active and moving while taking out aggression in a positive way. Some problems that did arise every now and then was student motivation. Not all students wanted to play. These students would stand in front of the pins so as to defend the them from being knocked over. My host teacher told me that this bare minimal effort was better than them just sitting on the sidelines.
Other problems that did arise were students purposely missing the pins and targeting classmates of the opposing team. Some were friends horsing around with each other, but others were done with malicious intent. I was able to see my host teacher in action as he would quell any behavior that was out of line. Some classes were harder to keep track of than others due to the high number of students in the gymnasium. While I was there I made sure to do my best to practice having my eyes on everything at one time.
Overall, I enjoyed my first day at Cortland BOCES. It was a new environment at a school that has plenty of diversity.
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