Question 1

Describe the neighborhood, school building and classroom in which you are volunteering. What do you notice about the space and structure of the school? How do people use the space? How does this school “feel” to you? What contributes to this feeling? Describe the classroom, the teacher, and the students. What is valued in this school? In this classroom? How can you tell?
My school is Francis J Varieur Elementary in Pawtucket. I am in a sixth grade classroom with my Aunt being the teacher. It is located in a lower income area of Pawtucket with many apartment buildings and housing projects. Tolman High School and Shea High School are both within a mile of the school. The children from this school go to Slater Jr. High and then to Shea High School. Varieur is a one level building with so much to offer. As soon as you walk through the front entrance, you are looking to the library. The library is one of the biggest libraries that I have seen in an elementary and has so much to offer. The librarian is very interested in the teachers needs and is always updating the accelerated reading list. The library is always getting new books and the children really enjoy going to library. This is obviously one of the main things that the school focuses on. To the left is the main office and nurse’s office. My classroom is located down the hall from the library. When you walk into my classroom you can tell that there is so much attention on the little details. The walls are covered with colorful pictures and students work. One thing I really enjoyed about my class is that all the students work makes it on the walls, even bad grades. No child is left without his/her work on the walls. The students desks are set up in a circle and all of the lessons are discussion based, which I think it very important. All of the walls in this school are covered with student work. This school runs like it is a well oiled machine. All of the teachers work together and the teachers and always working together. The two sixth grade classrooms are connected and they always leave the door open between the classrooms. Both of the teachers are walking between the classrooms and are always communicating. I feel like this school is one that is very comfortable working as a team. The students are very hard working. The teacher in my classroom is very strict and the students have so much respect for her. The students are always willing to redo their work if they feel as though they could have done better. I really enjoy working at this school and I feel like this is a type of school that I would like to work at.