Upon my arrival to
Mercer Elementary the students were preparing a very interesting project that
Ms. Rashid told me they do once a week, every week. They come up with ideas of
things to sell during recess to the rest of the students at school. This time
they had all bought lollipops which they would sell for $1.50 each during
recess. The money that they get from their sales, goes towards something they
would like to use in their class. With the money for example of their last sale
they bought a large map of the world that they hung on one of the classroom
walls for their geography class. Activities like these, she said enhance their “teamwork
spirit”. They work as a class, all together very cooperatively for a common
goal. They all contribute one way or another and that is very important. While
they were doing that, I sat next to one of the teacher’s assistants in the
classroom. He told me how it is he works with the students that have some kind
of learning disability. There are a total of three children in the class that
have learning problems and he is the one in charge of making sure they pay as
much attention as possible to the class activities and do not disturb the
teacher while she is teaching, as many can be on occasion rather loud and
noisy. He said that one of the most important tasks is making sure that the
parents are informed about their children’s’ progress in class as often as
possible. That doesn’t only mean the students with the learning problems but
the whole classroom as well. Both Ms. Rashid and her assistants monitor student
behavior, success, difficulties, issues, progress through a list that they
update every day at the end of class and also with a series of notes that they
take while class is in progress. Obviously, the assistants have a much longer,
detailed list since the students they work with face different kinds of issues
and difficulties every day that the parents must be aware of, so they update it
as soon as they see something interesting or different. The assistant teacher
told me that the objective of working with these kids is not to make sure that
they learn everything the teacher instructs in class, or memorize the materials
or ace their test and quiz scores. It is more about teaching them how to
properly function within a school environment, how to get used to working with
others and how to develop skills of communication and cooperation. He told me
that the secret of working with children who face problems is to find that
something in them that gets them motivated. Sometimes he said that he will, for
example, ask one of the kids who cannot stand still in class, or who is easily distracted
or is causing trouble to help him, or go take some papers to the principal’s
office or go to the library and choose a boom to read at home for pleasure.
Something that will get that student motivated, whatever it may be, even a
small snack break if necessary. He explained to me that it is not one specific
thing that you have to look for in students facing learning disabilities in
order to keep them motivated, but multiple things that you have to “play with”
on a daily basis to see what works best in a specific period of time. He said
it is hard work, and can be stressful at times but it pays back when you see
that the kids are putting effort into it and get to learn something that they
will remember.
After
I was done talking to the assistant and the class was done with their sales
project of decorating the lollipops they were going to sell during recess, a
Chinese teacher entered the classroom and showed the students a documentary on
her homeland and how agriculture in rural areas helps strengthen the economy.
Mercer Elementary is an I.B. (International Baccalaureate School) meaning that
the children participate in activities that many of their peers participate in
around the world. It is a “global” school, with a specific curriculum set up in
Geneva Switzerland that a limited number of schools around the world offer. I
myself was an IB student, as my high school in Greece offered the program, and
I think that it is fascinating, as students are more globally aware. The
students are expected to learn different languages, get enhanced with different
cultures and traditions and interact with kids from all over the world sharing
experiences and ideas. I was fascinated to see how many of them were able to
respond to their teacher in Cantonese words. They also must have studied some
of China’s geography and history. While they were watching the documentary they
were asking rather in depth questions about what they were watching and to me
it seemed as if they were already familiar with the culture. Ms. Rashid and the
Chinese teacher were asking them questions about the flora and fauna in China,
about the way people build their homes, cultivate the land, the differences between
life in the US and China, the differences in life between life in a Chinese
city compared to that in a rural town or village etc. I feel that I was lucky
to have been able to experience this portion of the class. I feel that Mercer
Elementary school is doing a wonderful job in helping its students build on the
IB model, and get to know something different other than the society they are
raised in. It opens their eyes to new things at a young age, and brings them in
contact with people from all over the world. I loved the IB program at my
school, benefited greatly from it and am glad to see that younger students are
doing the same here in Cleveland.
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