March 16th Observations

Today when I arrived in the classroom it was set up a little different then the last time I was there. I feel like the new arrangement gives the children more freedom in their play. Once again the children were centers when I got there. This time the dress up area was set up so that the children could pretend that they were animal doctors. So there was a doctor and nurse outfits and stuffed animals. While I was observing I noticed one student that was not interested in doing anything. Chelsea told me that students like this who have no interest in doing anything right when they arrive at school are a challenge because you have to find away of engaging them while trying to meet the needs of the other students. This made me think of things I would have to be ready to address when I start teaching in my own classroom. While in their centers the children had to stop and clean up their areas and choose a new area to play in. I really like the way Chelsea has the student use clothespins to pick the area they want to be in. This way student can see where they can play and understand that they cannot play in an area that is full. The only thing I do not really agree with is that once they make their choice they have to stay in that area until it is time to pick a new area. I can understand why a teacher would have it set up that way but I do not feel that it allows the children to play freely.