At the beginning of the 2013-2014 school years, A.C. Reynolds High School (ACR) had a total enrollment of 1,369 students with 52% of the population being male and 48% female. The ethnic make-up of the school was predominately Caucasian (80% of the student population), followed by 10% African American, 4% Multiracial, 4% Hispanic and less than 1% Asian or Native American. Students who attend ACR live in the suburban area around the city of Asheville including Fairview, Arden, Fletcher, and Haw Creek. The housing situation ranges from wealthy neighborhoods to areas living in poverty. Nearly half of the students ride the bus; 40.28% of the students receive free and reduced lunch. About half of the students who attend ACR have their family origins
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I had the opportunity to sit near three of the students in my classes. This time proved to be very valuable because it gave me a chance to ask the students questions about things that interest them. I was able to connect with my students and learn about what type of music they enjoy listening to, what sports teams they like the most, what instruments they play during their spare time, and pretty much anything else that piques their interest. This proved to be valuable for me to do early in the semester so that the students can have conversations with me outside of the classroom, and they will not see me as just another teacher. Since they have had the chance to engage with me outside of the classroom, the students have a better understanding of me and what I enjoy doing in my spare time. These interactions have allowed me to make connections with my students about things that we both enjoy, such as the Carolina Panthers and UNC Tarheels. By making these connections, I believe that my students trust me more and, therefore, they will take me more seriously in the classroom as a pre-service teacher. I will definitely continue to make these valuable connections when I get my own classroom and assume more teaching …show more content…
During my student teaching semester, I attended a junior varsity football game, and this helped me to understand the overall climate of the school and how I can work engage student interests as best as possible. I benefitted from the attending the game, as I gave me a chance to be seen outside of the classroom by some of my students. The students were all excited that I was at the game, and this provided a chance to talk about things other than classroom business. Connecting with students can be difficult, but it is well worth the time to attend a game or a performance that they are participating in. I believe that the more teachers take time to show students that they are interested in their activities outside of the classroom; it will build trust between students that can greatly improve the learning environment inside of the classroom. By taking the time to attend events that the students put in effort to master, teachers show that they care about the interests of their students, and they are not just there to teach and facilitate content knowledge. Attending the junior varsity football game gave me the opportunity to make meaningful connections with students who do not really know me that well, and this showed the students that I genuinely care about what interests them outside of the brick and mortar
I had the opportunity to sit near three of the students in my classes. This time proved to be very valuable because it gave me a chance to ask the students questions about things that interest them. I was able to connect with my students and learn about what type of music they enjoy listening to, what sports teams they like the most, what instruments they play during their spare time, and pretty much anything else that piques their interest. This proved to be valuable for me to do early in the semester so that the students can have conversations with me outside of the classroom, and they will not see me as just another teacher. Since they have had the chance to engage with me outside of the classroom, the students have a better understanding of me and what I enjoy doing in my spare time. These interactions have allowed me to make connections with my students about things that we both enjoy, such as the Carolina Panthers and UNC Tarheels. By making these connections, I believe that my students trust me more and, therefore, they will take me more seriously in the classroom as a pre-service teacher. I will definitely continue to make these valuable connections when I get my own classroom and assume more teaching …show more content…
During my student teaching semester, I attended a junior varsity football game, and this helped me to understand the overall climate of the school and how I can work engage student interests as best as possible. I benefitted from the attending the game, as I gave me a chance to be seen outside of the classroom by some of my students. The students were all excited that I was at the game, and this provided a chance to talk about things other than classroom business. Connecting with students can be difficult, but it is well worth the time to attend a game or a performance that they are participating in. I believe that the more teachers take time to show students that they are interested in their activities outside of the classroom; it will build trust between students that can greatly improve the learning environment inside of the classroom. By taking the time to attend events that the students put in effort to master, teachers show that they care about the interests of their students, and they are not just there to teach and facilitate content knowledge. Attending the junior varsity football game gave me the opportunity to make meaningful connections with students who do not really know me that well, and this showed the students that I genuinely care about what interests them outside of the brick and mortar