Mrs. Smith's Classroom

When I first entered Mrs. Smith’s fifth grade classroom last year I was not impressed.  To me it looked chaotic.  Kids were moving about the room on their own, unchallenged.  Some were talking to each other in small groups, shuffling and writing on papers.  Some were sitting before computers along one wall.  Mrs. Smith was at her desk, speaking to a child.  No one noticed me and the principal till we walked to the front to meet Mrs. Smith.   

Throughout my years in school I had become accustomed to straight rows of desks with quiet students, each performing the same, exact task, each listening politely to the teacher’s lecture.  That is what I expected.  That is what I saw most of the time in most of the classrooms where I volunteered last year.  Not so in Mrs. Smith’s class.

This year I began to learn about classroom dynamics in our K-8 teacher certification classes.  I learned that a teacher needs to teach each student at the level where he or she is today.  Each student needs the opportunity to develop competencies and to contribute to classroom activities.  Teachers need to provide direction and set students on the road to discovery, creativity, and performance.  Teachers need to help students to take ownership of their classrooms. 

This year I have also been volunteering in Mrs. Smith’s classroom on Thursday afternoons.  How different do I see that classroom now!  I never know what to expect when I enter.  One Thursday, Mrs. Smith asked me to help a group of five set up a science experiment with light bulbs, soil, and sponges.  The next week I helped a different group take measurements and record results for the same experiment.  The third week I helped still another group create a report on the experiment. Each time I saw students step forward and take ownership of the task.  I could tell they were prepared by lessons earlier in the week.  All they needed from me was an occasional hint, a suggestion, or a question to keep them on track.  Just as often I needed information from them.  As I helped my group each week I saw other students making trips to the computers, gathering information and images, and bringing it back to their group huddled around desks.  They were working in teams, creating projects and papers.  When anyone was confused or had a question they approached Mrs. Smith who helped them and sent them back to their teams.  This was the same sort of activity I saw last year, but now I understood it in light of what I had learned.  I now saw the classroom as a team work room.  Every child appeared to be actively engaged, all the time.  Now I am definitely impressed with Mrs. Smith and her class!