The environment at the school that I am observing at is very friendly and welcoming.
To get into the school, you have to press a call button, which goes to the main office. In the main office, the secretary unlocks the door to allow you to enter. A camera is set up to enable her to see whom she is letting into the building.
The lunchroom and gymnasium are right next to the main entrance. I have never seen this in any other school that I have ever been in. I believe this layout creates a few problems. First, the main entrance and office are very noisy due to the location of the lunchroom and gymnasium. Also, it is very easy for the students to run out of either of these locations and into the parking lot, which can be very dangerous. In my elementary school, the only doors in the lunchroom or gymnasium that led to the outside went to the fenced-in playground. Other then the location of the lunchroom and gymnasium, I believe the physical arrangement of the building is properly designed.
I observe in an elementary school and there are students’ artwork, poems, and activities hanging everywhere, on walls, on bulletin boards, and in showcases. As soon as you walk into the building, you can tell you are in an elementary school that is student-centered.
The building is clean and well maintained.
At first it did not seem like there were adequate restrooms for the students because there are only three girl’s toilets and three boy’s toilets for each hallway. However, the teachers take their students to the restroom at different times during the day, so there is usually only one class at the restrooms at a time. The students wait their turn for the restroom, get a drink, and get in line to go back to class.
In my opinion, the hallways are never quiet, but they are never rowdy either. There is always a student, teacher, or entire class walking in the hallway to the restroom, the their classroom, or to another activity such as gym, music, or art. In the hallway, the teachers and students are very friendly. They say “Hello” to anyone who passes them. On my first day, I felt very welcomed when I passed four teachers and they all greeted me.
I was fortunate to be placed in such a good school. The teachers, staff, students, and environment have made my teaching experience interesting and enjoyable.
My situation is very similar to yours. The security system to get into the school is very similar to yours and all schools should adopt it. My high school had many different entrances and it would have been hard to keep out someone if they wanted in the school. Another similarity is the cleanliness of the school. Both inside and outside the building is kept very clean. My only complaint about the school I'm in is the water. Any fountain I have drank from does not taste good. I have asked students what they thought of it but most of them had no complaints about it. But overall it sounds like we were both fortunate to get placed in such great schools.
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