Classroom Demographics

Mrs. Mosley’s 5th grade classroom is a very exciting and interesting place to be. I enjoy watching the students and learning more about who they are on a daily basis. Within Mrs. Mosley’s classroom there are a total of 16 students, 7 girls, and 9 boys. While observing, I noticed that Mrs., Mosley makes it a point to call on both genders. All of the girls in Mrs. Mosley’s class are eager to participate and are frequently called upon. The boys are less eager, but are still required to stay engaged in class discussion and are volunteered throughout class.

There is a huge imbalance between races within Mrs. Mosley’s class. There are 14 Caucasian students and only 1 African American student and 1 student that falls under the category of other. However, Mrs. Mosley, being an African American woman herself, does a great job incorporating different cultures and races into her classroom. I have observed her walls and there is a whole wall devoted to African American history. Leaders such a Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks are pictured on the classroom walls. As a future teacher I feel that it is extremely important to remember the minority students, and provide a curriculum that does not discriminate against these students. It is also important to expose the minority students to diversity. The students also listen to audio story tapes in class. The last two tapes have been Hispanic stories; both stories featured Spanish language and insight into the culture. There are no Hispanic children in Mrs. Mosley’s classroom, but she still exposes the children to Spanish culture. I think this is a great idea!

There 2 gifted children in Mrs. Mosley’s classroom and 3 children who receive special education services. The 2 gifted children are in gifted programs throughout the day and return to their regular ed. Classroom after lunch. However, the 3 children who receive special services stay in the regular ed. Classroom. When observing the classroom, I cannot accurately tell who is in special Ed. I feel that Mrs. Mosley does a fair job of including all students, however I feel that she could developed a better lesson plan to keep the students better engaged in learning. A lesson plan that meets all of the students learning needs, not just the students who are average. While observing, I often notice that some students seem lost and are day dreaming. There are 2 males students that sit in the back of the room alone. I feel that these two students may be falling behind and go unnoticed because they are in the back of the room. I also feel that some students aren’t being challenged enough, the classroom instruction consist grammatical worksheets and grammatical corrections on the smart board. I think it would be a great idea to group students for their grammar lessons. Pairing students is a great way to promote social interaction between different races and genders.

The students in Mrs. Mosley’s 5th grade classroom are all different, they all have different needs, and they all come from different backgrounds. However, all of the children have one thing in common; they all deserved a fair education. I feel that Mrs. Mosley does a great job promoting equality among students; however I feel that her classroom activities could be modified to better suite students and cater to their different learning needs. I feel that all teachers should take it upon themselves to get to know their students, research their cultural backgrounds, and their education history, that way they can better prepare themselves to teach their students

A Day in Mrs. Mosley's 5th Grade Classroom

Today was my first day observing in Mrs. Mosley's 5th grade classroom. I cannot believe the difference between 2nd grade and 5th grade. It's hard to imagine how quickly children can change over a short period of time. When I first entered the classroom, most of the children stared at me and did not even bother to hide that they were watching me. I could feel all of their eyes on me as I started to take notes on the classroom setup. Most of the students sat in groups of three while others sat alone. All of the desk were arranged to face the front of the room. For the most part, the classroom walls were colorful, displaying education posters and some student work. Mrs. Mosley sat at the front of the room, observing the students while they were reading A.R. books before lunch. When it was time for students to be dismissed from lunch, I could hear the whispers among students and knew they were curious about me. I decided to sit with the children at lunch, that way I could get to know them a little better, and they could get to know me. I enjoyed our conversations and was shocked at how quickly some of the students warmed up to me. They were all very curious out my background. Most of the students wanted to know where I was from. I briefly told them about me and then started asking them questions. All of the students were eager to talk about themselves once they warmed up to me. Most of the students talked about their hobbies, their pets, or their families.
Once lunch was over the student went outside for recess. I was still surprised to see that the boys and girls still separated themselves from one another while they were playing. It was interesting to watch them play and socialize. Most of the boys were involved in a game of football or tag, while most of the girls walked around the play ground socializing with one another. I began listening to the students conversations throughout the day and was shocked by the way that some students gossiped about their classmates. This was such a difference from 2nd grade, where most of the students got along with one another and did not know what gossip was. I understand that as kids get older, they become more concerned with what their peers are doing and often get involved in gossip, but I did not know that it would happen so early.
Once recess was over, the students dragged themselves back into the classroom and continued with their grammar worksheets. Most of the students had a hard time settling down after recess or became restless as the day came to an end. They struggled to complete their grammar and read from their A.R. books until the bell rang. Once the bell rang, there was a sudden burst of energy as the student lined up at the door. I was surprised when a couple of students told me goodbye and asked if I would be back in the morning. All in all, my first day in Mrs. Mosley’s 5th grade classroom was a positive experience. I know that I have a lot to learn about 5th grade and am looking forward to getting to know all of the students. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me!