College Writing Ethnographic Research Project Workshop #3: Selecting Themes
(cont.) and Ordering Excerpt Commentary Units
Kiely Hall 236: December 8, 2010
**PLEASE GO BACK TO THE DOCUMENT POSTED ON YOUR BLOG FROM LAST
CLASS AND BEGIN WITH FABRICE’S MEMO.**
Jessie Rhine
English Ethnography
Conceptual Memo #2
How does a parent perceive and experience his/her role as a homework facilitator with an
elementary school student
The third time I went to visit Noah and his parents was on a Sunday night at 7:00. When
Noah’s high school sister opened the door I heard a raised voice coming from upstairs. It
was the dad, and I assumed he was speaking to Noah because he said, “I asked you to be
ready to study with me when I got home.” Noah answered back,” I know daddy!” in a
loud high-pitched voice. Noah’s older sister led me down the hall. She was about 5’3’’,
and wore a black skirt, purple sweatshirt, and had long brown wavy hair and glasses. I
heard some loud thumps coming from upstairs when I passed by the stairs. His sister
explained that Noah and her older brother were probably playing basketball in his room.
The dad came downstairs while I was walking with the sister and apologized and said
that Noah would be right down. It seemed to me that he probably had yelled before
because Noah was playing basketball and not ready to study at the time they planned to.
Noah ran down the stairs huffing and puffing wearing his Mets hat, t-shirt and shorts. He
passed by the T.V which was on in the kitchen on low volume playing a teenage show his
sister must have been watching. He came to sit at the den table next to his father, in the
identical place where they sat last time. His dad’s face was stubbly, his eyebrows were
raised and he was frowning. He told to Noah that next time he really wants him to be
ready when he asks him to and he doesn’t want to waste any time! Then he said, “Okay
Noah let’s study.” The dad read from the index cards which I assumed they made during
the day (based on the way they had studied last time). The dad explained what was
written on the card. Noah leaned over the table and read the answer to the question. He
leaned all the way over with his elbows on the table, knees on the chair and feet in the air
behind him. The dad pointed to the card and started reading, when all of a sudden Noah
interrupted him and asked, “When is my hockey game? Are you coming to it?” His dad
gave him a look and stared into his eyes. I could tell it was a warning, and then he
continued on to the next index card. They continued on for a little and then the older son
came into the room and the dad asked him a question about his test for the next day and
then turned back around ready to continue. He had lost Noah’s attention because Noah
was already standing up, walking around. His dad gestured for him to come back over to
the table. When his dad asked him a question and he responded correctly, they both
smiled and the dad picked up hand to slap him five. He said, “Awesome Noah!” in an
excited tone. When Noah started to tap the excess index cards on the table while he or his
father were reading, his dad said, “Noah please stop! I need you to focus.” I counted the
word focus in my notes about three times in this session. While the dad read, Noah leaned
into him and “played the drums” on the table again. He answered the next question in a
high-pitched, raised voice. The dad started asking questions and Noah continued to
answer the question. The dad said, “Keep going Noah, come one you got it.” He said
these kinds of encouraging words when Noah gave it his all.
I observed Noah and his mom on the fourth time. When I walked in I saw Noah in his
school uniform, white long sleeved polo and navy pants, standing next to his mother. He
said in a very quiet voice, “I got back my math test.” His mom had a worried look on her
face and when Noah said that the teacher didn’t even grade his test, I knew why she had
that face. He said in an excited voice that he could take a retest and his mom said, “Give
me a minute.” I watched as she walked out of the kitchen and into the dining room. She
put her hands on her face and breathed in deep breaths. She then walked back into the
kitchen and asked Noah why he did so badly if they had studied for two hours the day
before the test. Noah shrugged his shoulders with a confused face and looked very
innocent. His mom said, “Okay, whatever, lets just go do your homework and we will
worry about this later.” They went to sit down and I followed them into the den. Noah
opened up his maps and graphs workbook and said he had two pages for homework. He
leaned his full body over the table and his mom said in a weak voice, “Read the
directions Noah.” Noah started to read in a monotone. Noah’s older brother walked into
the room with his iPod playing a music video and Noah got up to see what was playing.
His mom raised her voice and said, “Get back here Noah. Sammy, please leave the room
because we need some quiet.” Sammy walked out singing and Noah quickly ran back to
his seat and sat down, again leaning over. This time while he read he was taping his hand
on the table in a beat (the usual). His mom said firmly, “Noah, come on, you are giving
me a headache. Lets just finish this!” so Noah continued his homework. When he got an
answer correct, his mom said, “great job, see you are a smart little boy.” And they smiled
at each other. Sometimes Noah interrupted and makes a joke to make his mother laugh. It
seemed to me that when he did this it calmed her temper.
After the session before I left, I sat down with the mom and asked her to describe what a
night would be like when homework was successful with Noah. She told me that they
work best together when he comes home and goes straight to his knapsack. She said it is
great when he is really focused and does not fidget and move all around. I asked her how
she felt when it went well and she replied that she felt less stressed and happy for Noah
that he was able to accomplish his work in an efficient way. She claimed this is how his
confidence is boosted.
I then asked her to describe a night that was unproductive during homework time with
Noah. She put her hand on her head and said, “You mean like tonight??” and smiled. She
continued and said if Noah is distracted when he comes home he can ask her a million
questions before they even start the homework. He fidgets a lot, taps his pen, moves
around, and sometimes has a hard time focusing. She said it is extremely hard to help him
when he doesn’t understand and also when she doesn’t understand it either. I asked her
why she reacts the way she does in situations like these. She responded that after a long
day of work and life’s stresses, it is hard sometimes to come home to a distracted child
and have to get his attention. Sometimes she screams at him and loses her patience even
though she doesn’t want to. I reiterated by saying that when Noah is distracted or tired,
it’s harder for her. Also, when she has had a hard day, even if Noah is good it is still hard
for her. She agreed with that. I asked if Noah is ever aware of her moods. She said that
when she is cold and harsh he knows that she is upset and. When this happens sometimes
he pays attention more and sometimes not. I assumed that if he sees his mother is not in a
good mood, he tries harder to please her, or maybe because he is afraid.
Some setbacks that occurred during this observation:
When I walked in to the session with the dad, Noah was upstairs playing basketball and
not ready to study.
Also during that session, his older brother asked his dad a question, which caused Noah
to lose attention.
In the session with Noah’s mother, his older brother came in with his iPod twice, playing
the loud music and Noah went over to see what was on it.
After going over my first conceptual memo I tried to make my question a little more
specific. Based on a student’s homework habits and “norms,” the student’s ability, and
the parent’s attitude, I came up with a new guiding question that focuses in on the topic.
How does a parent perceive and experience his/her role as a homework facilitator with an
elementary school student? Based on what I have seen it is possible that the parent’s
facilitation can be affected by the student’s participation. When Noah had a resentful
attitude, his mom and dad had a tendency to get more frustrated. Noah’s habits
completely affected his homework ability in my opinion. This could be because he was
not interested in it or because he didn’t understand, or wanted to be elsewhere at that
moment. It could have also been because he was distracted. These occurrences probably
had a major impact on the way his parents acted towards him. When I asked his mother to
describe two different scenarios, she explained that her reactions were based on Noah’s
actions and reactions to the homework. She also added a case when Noah received his
test back and he did not do well. In my opinion these habits directly affect the parent’s
facilitation. But there are also outside factors including the parent’s attitude and mood
before they start the homework, based on the kind of day they had. When his mom was
stressed to begin with, she had a harder time facilitating and helping him. Furthermore,
Noah’s parents were harsher with him when he would not pay attention and got
distracted. When another child distracted them, Noah would also lose attention and focus.
It became a theme for his parents to repeatedly tell him, In a harsh tone, to focus. When
he was paying close attention, they had an easier time facilitating and helping him with
his homework, which in turn created a positive attitude.
Analytic Point: Parents as homework facilitators seem to get stressed when the session is not
going according to plan.
Excerpt: This time while he read he was taping his hand on the table in a beat (the usual).
His mom said firmly, “Noah, come on, you are giving me a headache. Lets just finish
this!” so Noah continued his homework. When he got an answer correct, his mom said,
“great job, see you are a smart little boy.” And they smiled at each other. Sometimes
Noah interrupted and makes a joke to make his mother laugh. It seemed to me that when
he did this it calmed her temper.
Colin Tran
Conceptual Memo #2
Topic: What is the experience of the Remedial Student in college?
Overview/Summary
It was 4:43 pm and I was a bit late to the class this time around. As I walked in, I had noticed the
professor wasn’t there, to my surprise. Most of the students were chatting amongst each other
while texting. Three to four students had their subject notebooks and writing utensils out,
looking eager to start the class and uninterested in conversation. As I was observing, I overheard
one student say, “Oh let me get last week’s homework real quick!” The male wore a New York
Yankees cap, a bubble jacket, and was about 5 foot 6, Hispanic and was sitting on top a desk
requesting the assignment from a female seated next to him. This time I had seated myself in
the right hand corner as opposed to the left, to get a vantage point from another view. The
classroom was bare, like the last time, contained 3 large rectangular blackboards, containing
jottings from what seemed as work from the class prior. (Suppose f(x) = x-3 and g(x) = x + 3. Find
f(x) x g(x) was what it read.
As the time reached 4:50 pm, the professor had arrived expressing a look that implied she had
rushed to class, panting and short of breath. “I’m sorry class, I was caught up in traffic, I hope
you all have your homework out, and I’m glad you guys waited,” she said. She glanced at me and
gave me a smile along with a wave while unpacking her bags. The class had turned a 360 and
was now silenced. It displayed her authoritative presence and obedience of the students. All
almost immediately took out books from their bags, seated, and were focused to te teacher
.There was no longer any chatter however 2 or 3 students were still texting behind their bags as
well as under the desk. The chairs were brown, and had grey desks which unfolded when lifted.
The walls were pale off white, and contained a projector in the ceiling pointed at the middle
which had a sheet that could roll down.
The attendance was lower this class missing about 6 students from the class which I observed
last Tuesday. She announced that the final would be on December 16th, and a midterm the
coming Thursday. Then giving almost an incentive and lure, she said, “Whoever comes this
Thursday will receive a 5 point bonus as well as the review sheet so do yourself a favor and
don’t miss it. It’s only for your benefit, and not mine. If you have any friends that are not
attending today, please notify them.” After the announcement, she gave out handouts to a
student in the front which as was passed by all around. I had received one and had noticed the
work was sufficiently simple having multiple subjects but many problems within each subject.
The students quickly got to work however she had told them to stop, and to take out their
homework in which she would go over. She first would ask the class how the homework was,
resulting in a few mixed responses, from “It was so long miss,” to “I couldn’t understand it,” and
“it was okay.” Then a student asked, “Can you go over number 17, I don’t know how to remove
the root.” She thoroughly went through it, and the student let out a “OOH, so that’s how do you
do it.” An answer I’ve experienced before. After going through a few more problems, she had
collected it and asked a student, “Juan” why he hadn’t done it. This to me portrayed and gave
me a true insight on how the classroom worked. In the short time, that I’ve been through
college courses, the professor did not seem to care much about the individual and thus showed
me the difference between the two worlds of remedial and regular.
As the class concluded, she announced tutoring sessions and her office hours. One student
stayed back and chatted with her over a problem. After they conversed, the student left with a
grin saying thanks. I left after, thanking the professor as well. I plan on interviewing a few
students in which I feel would provide sufficient insight to my ethnographic paper. A few middle
aged people, ones that seemed to participate much, and as well as my friends.
Problems/ Setbacks
I really had no setbacks or problems. My tape recorded this time was working fine, as I replaced
the batteries, and freed up space. Everyone in the classroom had paid no mind or attention to
me as I believe they were comfortable and aware of the project I was conducting.
Patterns, Insights and Breakthroughs
This time around, I noticed the Teacher – student breakthrough which allowed me to acquire a
broader insight on my qualitative question. The patterns between the students and teacher,
that I observed was a tone of more colloquial language and also that the professor seemed to
care more for the individual student asking and checking if assistance was necessary in
comprehending the lesson taught.
Analytic Point: A remedial student in college seems to get the help he/she needs by relying on a
one on one interaction with the professor.
Excerpt: The students quickly got to work however she had told them to stop, and to take out
their homework in which she would go over. She first would ask the class how the homework
was, resulting in a few mixed responses, from “It was so long miss,” to “I couldn’t understand
it,” and “it was okay.” Then a student asked, “Can you go over number 17, I don’t know how to
remove the root.” She thoroughly went through it, and the student let out a “OOH, so that’s
how do you do it.”
Ray Morfe
I arrived to the preschool at 2:30pm when most of the students were learning
basic math skills. Most of the students were struggling and would often ask the teachers
for help. My mom was helping Brian, a 5 year old Hispanic kid who, like most of the
kids in the class, suffers from ADD. While my mom was trying to explain to him how to
use his fingers to help him count, he would often look away or run to other kids. My
mom told him “You’re always going to have trouble counting if you’re not going to pay
attention” and after that it seemed that he put in more of an effort to pay attention even
though he occasionally became distracted. Before class I asked my mom how she goes
about teaching the kids and she told me “You have to be patient. They get easily get
distracted but if you keep them focused they’ll understand it eventually.” As I watched
the class, I noticed that the teachers often had to tell the students to “pay attention!” and
keep them focused.
After the math session was play time. Most of the students retreated in groups to
their favorite toys, the girls would play with dolls while the boys would play with figures
or run around the classroom. I noticed Andre, a 4 year old Black child, was sitting by
himself drawing while everyone else was playing. Ms. Sampson, a teacher, told Andre
“Go play with everybody else! They’re all having fun!” while Andre just shook his head.
When Ms. Sampson left, I went over to Andre and asked him “Why aren’t you playing
with the other kids?” He replied by saying “I’m too shy”. Ms. Sampson came back and
told him “Brian is asking for you, he wants to play with you!” Andre seemed happy
because he smiled and ran towards Brian. Ms. Sampson told me “You have to give Andre
a little boost of confidence sometimes” as she smiled.
It was around 3-4 that the students were getting picked up. The person had to
sign-in on the sign-in sheet and a teacher would check if they were authorized to pick up
the child. The teachers would clean up and the rest of the students would offer to help
them out. After all the children left, the teachers would hangout in the hallways for a little
bit before leaving.
Problems and Setbacks
I would have liked it if I could to the class earlier so I have more time to watch
the class but other then that I have no problems.
Patterns, Insights and Breakthroughs
I noticed that a lot of the students needed someone to keep them focused in order
for them to pay attention and fully understand the classwork. The students were
dependent on the teachers for help with everything from classwork to helping them out
with their problems.
Nicole Rizzo
Professor Zino
English 110
30 November 2010
Conceptual Memo #2
1. Overview/ Summary
At 11:30A.M on November 30th 2010, I went back to P.S.49 to observe the 6th grade class. When
I arrived I sat in the back of the classroom and the students were in chorus class. There was a
different lady assistant in the room this time. The students again practiced their holiday songs
on their recorders and singing. As they stopped singing one of the songs the male teacher said,
“Okay. We got some people sitting in the wrong seats still.” He went up and down the classroom
and changed a few seats. Then they continued on to singing the next song. The assistant went
up to a boy that was talking to his friend and pointed to the front of the room (as if to tell him to
pay attention). The teacher looked at one boy and said “Try to get the words Freddy, let’s do it.”
Freddy began to sing louder. When the teacher put on a new song he said, “Sit up straight.
Loud.” The music started and so did the singing. Two boys started fooling around with each
other, hitting each other. The assistant mouthed, “Can you stop” without saying it aloud. When
the class was over the girls in the front of the room left first, then the boys in the back of the
room followed. The student’s next class was science and started at 12:25P.M, 5th period. When I
sat down I saw the male teacher walking around. He stood in front of the class and said,
“Christopher, I don’t know why were still talking. Brianna, why are we still dancing around?”
Both Christopher and Brianna stopped what they were doing. “Two more minutes,” the teacher
said to the class. They were finishing up doing a drawing of an experiment in their notebooks.
One boy said, “Oh, were supposed to draw?” The teacher looked at him seriously and said
“Brandon, what’s it say on the board.” Brandon smiled and started drawing. The teacher then
explained to the class how last week he didn’t have balloons for their experiment, but now he
did. He added that they were going to re-do that experiment today. I heard some of the
students say, “Yay!” One boy said to the teacher, “Can you pop it?” (about the balloon he was
blowing) and the teacher replied, “What’s with you and all the destruction?” The boy shrugged
and smiled. The teacher did the experiment with two balloons to learn about air having mass
and the students drew what was going on in their notebooks. He then told the class he was
going to do another experiment. “I have two containers with things you could find around your
house. Citric acid,” the teacher said and the class gasped. He added, “And sodium carbonate
which is baking soda.” The class said, “Woahhh.” He mixed the two together with water and he
said, “Pay close attention to what’s happening.” A boy in front said, “Oh I am.” Fizzing started
when the two mixed and one boy said, “Ginger ale!” The class started laughing. After this lots of
talking started to erupt in the classroom. The teacher looked up from what he was doing and
said, “Shhhh.” A boy tapped his friend to try to talk to him and the friend ignored him. His eyes
were focused on the experiment the teacher was doing. The class went on to talk about the
atmosphere of earth. When it was time to leave the teacher said, “For the next three days I
won’t be here.” The class said “Awww.” The students had frowns on their faces. He added, “I
have a field trip with the 7th grade. You will things you will be working on when I’m not here.”
The class then got all their things from each of their desks and they went to lunch. After lunch
was 7th period, social studies. The teacher from last time was not there. The assistant was going
to teach instead. They all sat on the floor in the front of the class and she asked them, “How was
shopping?” They all engaged in a conversation about what everyone got (the black Friday
shopping). Then they started talking about fiction and nonfiction books. The teacher told them
to go back to their tables and separate fiction from nonfiction books in their groups. I noticed
that the teacher went around while this was happening and would go up to random students to
help them one on one. Then when they were done they all sat back down in the front of the
classroom on the floor. There was a poster in the front of the classroom and on the poster were
two lists. One list said fiction and one said nonfiction. Every time a student gave a correct
answer about what fiction or nonfiction was consisted of they would get to write it on the
corresponding list. While this was going on one boy was laying down instead of sitting up
straight. The teacher looked at him and said, “Do you think that body language is telling me that
you’re eager to learn? Nope.” The boy sat up straight and the teacher said, “Much better.”
Another boy gave an answer to the teachers question and the boy sitting next to him said, “We
both gave that answer.” The teacher smiled and replied, “Good job back there.” The two boys
looked at each other and smiled and gave each other a high five. The next thing the class was
doing was listening to a song to try and see the author’s purpose. The class was chatting and the
teacher rang the bell to capture everyone’s attention. Everyone stopped the talking. When the
teacher asked the class what the author’s purpose of writing the song was, many students
raised their hands and gave answers. She then called on a boy and said, “Justin what did Liana
just say?” The boy was looking down and said “Ummm.” The teacher said told the boy how his
classmates had great input but he was too busy chatting to hear them. She said that was not
good. “Sorryy,” the boy replied while looking down again. The teacher then told the students to
pack up their stuff because it was time to leave and everyone left at their own times when they
were done getting their belongings together.
2.
Problems/Setbacks:
There seemed to be no problems or setbacks in my observation today. The three classes I
attended I was on time too and I got all my notes down well.
3.
Patterns, Insights and Breakthroughs:
Certain actions and interactions seem important if I want to understand how these 6 th graders
academic ability is affected by their experiences with interacting with their teachers because
these clues and signs on things teachers say, how they say them, how students reply to them,
etc tells a lot about how students are going to act in reflection to that. When the teacher asked
a question in social studies class and a boy answered, another boy sitting next to him said, “We
both gave that answer.” The teacher smiled and replied, “Good job back there.” The two boys
looked at each other and smiled and gave each other a high five. When this occurred, it seems
valid to say that the students were happy that they both got the answer right and got good
feedback. The interactions between students and teachers tell me about my relationship to one
another that there relationships tend to be more on the serious side to be learning, but teachers
seem to know when is the right time when they can talk to their students on a more personal
level. For example, this is shown when in social studies the teacher asked the students before
class started how their shopping went. Clearly this didn’t have nothing to do with anything they
were learning in class, but she talking to them on a more person level to share stories from
outside of the classroom with each other. During this session the science teacher seemed to
capture my attention the most this time because he seems the most serious with his class. This
may be because when the students come to his class they are coming from chorus class and are
very chatty. Despite this, he just seems to be more assertive when it comes to his classroom.
Students are chatty in the chorus room too, but that teacher seems to still balance out his being
lenient with his firmness. Student and teacher interaction communication is how it looks. The
teacher enforces something and the student simply listens. My central research question is
going to be broader. The question is going to be: How do 6th grade student’s experiences,
interacting with their teachers affect their academic ability?
Lauren Kane
Overview/Summary:
As I approached the doors of P.S 79 I saw many children running around getting dropped
off by their guardians at the front door. The streets were crowded and there were many
yellow school busses parked in front of the building dropping students off. As I walked
into the building I was immediately approached by the security guard at the front desk.
Looking frazzled and overwhelmed he came up to me and said: “Can I help you?” I
responded: “Good morning, I’m here to sit in a classroom and observe I’m doing project
for my English class at Queens College.” The security guard smiled at me and showed
me the way to the principal’s office. As I was walking thru the hallways I heard children
screaming, laughing and chatting echoing through the hallways. The walls were a light
green tile pattern with bulletin boards and artwork hanging and glass showcases with
more artwork and literature projects from the students. It was cold, the floor was white
and beige speckled tiles. I followed the directions the security guard gave me to the
principal’s office but wound up passing the cafeteria first. It had a very familiar and
distinct smell the reminded me of hot lunch when I was in grammar school. The cafeteria
was packed with students running around, girls braiding each other’s hair, trading silly
bands, and boys play fighting. An aid asked me if I was lost and showed me to the
principals office. A little nervous I asked to speak to Dr. Marron. One of the aids went to
get her and in the main office it was hectic. Phones were ringing off the hook people
running around making copies and drinking coffee and kids waiting to be called in by the
principal. Dr, Marron came out wearing a cranberry colored suit and her hair was done
nicely. She was looking at me a little strange when she saw me taking notes and looking
at certain people. She greeted me and asked me what school I go to and how happy she
was to have me and walked me to a classroom she assigned me. It was a 5th grade class
and I was pleased to see that the teacher was a friend of my Mom who also teaches 5th
grade there.
The teacher I was observing was Ms. Ballon, a pretty tall, blonde hair blue eyed lady who
I’ve known for a few years now. Both excited to see each other we hugged and I began to
explain my project to her. Jokingly Ms. Ballon said: “Your professor is going to think
I’m nuts!” I started to laugh and while she went down stairs to get her class to start the
day I sat in her classroom and began working on my field notes. Her class room was very
vibrant and colorful with children’s artwork and projects all over the walls. Ms. Ballon
also has in her classroom a rabbit, iguana, 2 fish and a bird. It was so exciting I had a
feeling this would be a fun classroom environment. I heard chattering and footsteps
approaching the door and heard Ms. Ballon singing with her class and told them to
quietly enter the room and put their belongings away. Once the kids were settled they
were all looking at me and whispering saying “who is that girl?” One boy came up to me
and said “sup” I said: “Hello what’s your name I’m Lauren” he responded: “I’m Antonio
me and my friend’s at table 4 want to know why you’re here” Before I could answer Ms.
Ballon screamed at Antonio and told him “Leave her alone and get your butt back to your
desk!” The other children started giggling. As Ms. Ballon started putting up the “Do
Now” assignment we were interrupted by the morning announcements. After the children
said the pledge of allegiance Ms. Ballon introduced me o the class and said: “This is
Lauren, Ms. Kane’s daughter. She is going to be sitting her for the next few weeks and
observe the classroom so all make sure you’re on your best behavior!” The students all
waved and said hello except for one Asian girl in the corner who was sleeping. Ms.
Ballon said: “Josh can you please wake up Minzie” and began the days first lesson which
was math. She was giving them a review on multiplication and asked them to take out
their homework from last night. I saw one girl take out her workbook and whispering to
her neighbor “shit, can I copy your homework?” Ms. Ballon went around with a red pen
and began checking the homework and eventually got around to the girl and gave her an
incomplete grade. She looked very upset. Next they were given a number of
multiplication and long division problems. A boy named Peter raised his hand and gave
out all the answers before anyone else had the chance to and Ms. Ballon told him to give
the others a chance and to stop blurting out the answers. After the math lesson Ms.
Ballon had to take the children to gym. The children looked very excited and started to
explain to me what type of games they play and today they were playing kickball. A
group of girls named Angela, Kayla, and Brianna came up to me and said: “You’re really
pretty and asked me if I’m really Md. Kane’s daughter.” I said ”Thanks girls you guys are
beautiful! And I love your outfits and yes I am her daughter … is she mean to the
student’s haha?” The all started to giggle and said: “No, she’s really cool only mean
sometimes to this kid Andrew and Michael.” They arrived at the gym and the girl’s all
said bye to me and I went back up to the classroom to get my things and set a date to
come back another day in the office.
Poblems/Setbacks:
Everything went smoothly on my first visit to P.S 79. I got lots of useful information and
notes to help me begin my ethnography and on top of that I had fun. The only problem
was I only stayed for one lesson because the class had gym and then were taking a
vocabulary test and then of to lunch so Ms. Ballon said I should go home since I can’t do
much observing and won’t want to distract them.
Patterns/Insights/Breakthroughs
The only breakthroughs I noticed was in relation to Jean Anyon’s “The Hidden
Curriculum” piece we read in the beginning of the year about the social class and what
schooling they attend and the type of people in those schools including the students, staff
and neighborhood. I established that P.S 79 is considered a middle class schooling system
or working class school system that Jean Anyon describes in her article. Since my
fieldwork is going to relate to this article and show how teachers interact with their
students I felt that my first visit to P.S 79 was a success