Connie Kakoliris
I was able to observe a kindergarten class this semester. On the first day, I walked in at
7:30 a.m. and my teacher was on lunchroom duty. My first day was a Wednesday, and I was
shocked to see the relaxed attire of the faculty. It seemed to be an unprofessional way to dress,
but as the day went on I was informed that it was sort of a “dress up day”. We went to the
classroom after that and soon after the students started arriving. Immediately, they began to
unpack their back packs and took their seats. I think that the students knowing exactly what to do
when they walk in the classroom displays a degree of professionalism on the teacher’s part. She
has clearly outlined the procedures of the classroom in a way that all of the students can
understand and abide by. I began to look around the classroom. The classroom layout was well
put together, but the teacher was slightly unorganized which shows a sign of unprofessionalism.
The main area of the classroom, like the students desks and the reading areas, were organized,
but the teacher’s desk was very cluttered. I eventually helped her straighten things up and get a
little more organized. While in my class, another one of the teachers came from across the hall
and asked my teacher to watch her class while she went to the restroom. We discussed in class
that it is very unprofessional and unethical to leave your students unattended in any way, not
even if another teach is “keeping an eye on them”. On another note, my teacher a very well
thought out plan for each day and the schedule was displayed for all of the students. Something
that does not really have anything to do with the teacher that I did not agree with was the
student’s schedule. All of their main activities were in the early hours. After lunch, there was not
really much to do and since they do not allow nap time anymore, the students were very restless
after lunch time.
I did get to witness some cases of discipline. I really enjoyed getting to see how teachers
handle their students in a real classroom setting. You can always learn about how to discipline,
but seeing it really puts it into prospective. One student hit another student, and the teacher sent a
referral to the office to be able to see the counselor. I was able to see what the counselor said to
the one student about hitting. Both the teacher and the counselor handled the situation very
professionally.
In class, we also discussed ethics a lot. There are many aspects to ethics, like
trustworthiness, professional conduct, and teacher/student relationships, to name a few. There
were very few things that I felt was unethical. The teacher would give me background
information on the children, but nothing that seemed to be confidential or personal in any way. I
was not exposed to any of their confidential records, like test scores, health records, or
disciplinary records. She had very good relationships with all of her students in the class. The
environment of her classroom was very relaxed for the students. All of the teachers in the school
seemed to be very close. They all obviously trust each other and get along.
Overall, the experience in the classroom I was in showed more examples or
professionalism and ethical practices rather than unprofessional or unethical. I feel very
privileged to have had the cooperating teacher I did. She allowed me to participate in the
activated with the class, help the students when they asked, and I even got to read to some of the
students. She never put everything she was supposed to do in my hands, like I have heard some
other people say, which makes me feel very lucky. She was still in charge, but I was there if she
needed any help. It is a very professional school and I enjoyed my experience there.