Case 17, Question 5 Response

First Question 5: Why do you think Cassandra decided to move Cory rather then Brent to another classroom?I think that Cassandra decided to move Cory to another classroom instead of moving his twin brother, Brent, because Brent is the physically aggressive brother. Cassandra is already familiar with Brent's behavior and has been taking notes on the occurrences. I think that she is well-equipped and has a plan of action for how to deal with his behavior problems. If she sent Brent to another class, he may last out even more violently because of the move as well. The classroom that Brent is currently in is most likely already used to his behavior and if he were moved into another classroom he may cause a massive disruption in the already established, new classroom.
Second Question 5: Considering the later outcome for the twins, do you believe the decision to move Brent out of Cassandra's classroom was best for him in the long-run or not? I do not think that it made a difference that Brent was moved out of Cassandra's classroom after all. I think that when the early intervention specialist observed the boys, whose ever class they were in, they would have noticed a need for intervention with both of them. The end result benefited both boys regardless of whose classroom they were in before they were taken to the school for children with special needs.

Case 5, Question 2 Response

This case study discusses how the classroom intern, Helen, goes about getting 2 year olds to put rain boots on their feet. Question 2: What strategies did Helen use to gain cooperation from the children? Were they effective? Why or why not? Helen goes down to the child's level by sitting on the floor to gain cooperation. She also engages each child by singing a song with each one while she puts the boots on their feet. The children seem to love it because Helen has made a game out of putting their boots on. I think that Helen's tactics were effective. The only glitch was when Aubrey was initially asked to come put her boots on. She ignored Helen and Helen responded to her lack of response by telling her to "put the baby where she is safe and warm." Aubry lost her turn to put boots on which caused her to not get the color boots she wanted, resulting in a temper tantrum. I think that Aubry's tantrum will help her realize that next time she chooses to ignore the intern, she may not get the boots that she wants and come with initially asked.

CFDC Observation

Today I observed 3 year olds at CFDC. When I first arrived the students were very happy to see me and wanted to know my name. They finished eating their snack, then went to circle for story time. It was interesting to watch the teacher try to keep them each on their name (piece of tape on the floor) while trying to read the book. The students kept blurting out of turn while she was reading and moving all over the carpet. At times they seemed more interested in me than the story. When they watched me act out the story they were reading along with the teacher, they became more involved. They were so tiny (I'm used to working with 1st through 3rd graders). After reading a story in circle, we went outside for recess where they joined the 4th grade class. They wanted to interact with "the new lady" and kept asking to show me things or wanted to follow me around. There were a couple kids in particular that were fascinated with my presence, asking my name, asking if I was a teacher, etc... All of the students were very friendly.
The biggest challenges that I saw were trying to keep them still, in line, walking in a line, and to keep them from speaking out of turn. It was a bit chaotic, even with only 13 students present today (there are 16 total). The teacher tried to keep them engaged and kept reminding them of the rules: sit ready, mouth quiet, take turns, etc... The hard part seemed to not become overwhelmed with all of the students wanting to talk, run around, the lack of sharing, the fighting, and all needing to use the restroom at the same time. I think that it would take several weeks to just become accustomed to all of the movement and noise with such a young age group. I was worn out just from watching the teacher and assistant keep up with them and remain calm and collected. After they came inside, they went back to circle, washed their hands, and got ready for lunch, which they served family style. It was neat to watch the kids serve themselves with minimal assistance. They were all sad when I said my goodbyes and I felt bad for leaving! Overall it was a great observation experience, especially I have never had an experience with 3 year olds in a classroom setting. I don't know if teaching 3 year olds is for me, but I am glad to have the experience in order for me to know this.

Why I chose early childhood education...

I chose early childhood education because my experiences with children throughout my life has been very full-filling and rewarding. It began while babysitting as a young teenager. I knew for certain after becoming a teacher assistant for Charleston County several years ago that I wanted to teach the "little ones." I am hoping to gain an overall understanding of what life will be like and what to expect when running my own classroom one day. I am eager to learn different teaching techniques, as well as, classroom management techniques.