Field Placement1

For my field placement, I attended Hawken Lower School. I observed a second grade class taught by Mrs. Emma Ferek. When first entering the classroom the students were playing all playing a game. Mrs. Ferek explained that every morning once every student has arrived, she has them play a game. This was interesting to me because when I was in second grade I remember coming to school everyday and working on "bellwork" which consisted of problems that everyone had to complete on their own in silence. This teacher took a different approach and allows her students to exert their energy and get them excited for the school day. After the game was finished, she had all the students sit on a carpet in front of her while she read a book. The book focused on family which is what their unit was on that they were covering. After she read the book she had them work on a project which consisted of them making posters of their families with descriptions of each person in their family. This was also fascinating to me because I do not ever remember having a lesson on the importance of family. It was amazing to see the kind descriptions each student wrote about the members of their family. It was also fascinating to observe their artistic abilities. After working on their project, the students went to recess and Mrs. Ferek told me that they get two recesses. I believe having a sufficient amount of time for recess is so important for young children. Being cooped up in a classroom for too long can cause students to lose interest or become ancy. After this first observation, I realized the importance of having fun within the classroom and allowing the kids to exert their energy, along with teaching them valuable lessons such as the value of family.