Students in the School

There is not a diverse racial student body at the school that I am observing. The school is made up of mostly Caucasian students and Caucasian teachers. I observed the second grade play and noticed that out of the 60 children, only two of them were African American. On the other hand, the socioeconomic make up of the school is diverse. There are families in the lower class, middle class, and upper class.

There are four special education teachers in the building. One of the special education teachers instructs all of the kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders with Individualized Education Programs. On the other hand, in the older grades, there is a special education teacher for each grade. Therefore, one special education teacher cares for the third graders, another special education teacher cares for the forth graders, and the final special education teacher cares for the fifth graders.

In my opinion, the school dress code is very easy to follow. There are only three basic rules for dress:

1. The students are not allowed to wear flip-flops.

2. The students are not allowed to wear spaghetti strap shirts.

3. If a student wears shorts or a shirt, it must be fingertip length.

There are not usually any dress code violations with the kindergarteners, first graders, or second graders.

The student’s language outside of the classroom usually consists of what they did over the weekend, what cool toy they got, and what they are going to do during recess. The kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders use the same language in and out of class. However, forth and fifth graders are at the age where they start to use different words when they are away from their parents and teachers.

There are numerous extra-curricular activities available for the students. The state is concerned that students with an IEP are not given the same extra-curricular opportunities. However, teachers and administrators are required to inform the students with IEPs of activities going on in the building or community. I had the opportunity to watch play practice. It was very cute and it incorporated all of the students, even students with IEPs, in the second grade. Students went up to the microphone to say their part or give an introduction to the next song. I was shocked that the elementary students were offered so many opportunities for interaction and socialization. When I was a child, the activities I was involved in were not affiliated with the school.

I like the student recognition program that the school has. Every month, the entire student body has an assembly to recognize outstanding students. There are four awards that the students can earn. They include Behavior, Academics, Attitude, and Reading. One student from each class is chosen for the Behavior, Academics, and Attitude awards and is recognized in front of the school. The Reading award is given to any student who passes three consecutive books at 80% comprehension level. Last month, 130 students school wide earned the Reading award.