Differences In The Classroom

For my field placement, I was at Merrillville High School. Merrillville High School educates over 2,000 students of which come from diverse backgrounds and have a variety of needs in order to succeed in the classroom. Mr. Hoffman, my cooperating teacher, is one of the mathematics educators who specifically teaches Algebra II and Pre-Calculus. This experience was the first time I had been in the classroom observing a male teacher and the first time I have been in a truly diverse setting.
It was notably different being in a classroom run by a male versus the classrooms that I observed in were the teachers were females. It seemed as if Mr. Hoffman was able to be more sarcastic with the students than a female is able to be with their students. …show more content…
Hoffman and by just observing the classes in general, I found out that there was only one student who had a diagnosed disability. It was obvious by the student’s actions that he was facing challenges in the classroom because of how he acted around others and how he performed in regards to grades. Even though he did have some struggles in the general education classroom, it seemed as if the students was in the least restrictive environment. Specifically, as a part of the general education classroom, he was able to complete the same notes, do the same homework, and take the same quizzes and tests as the other students and did quite well in …show more content…
Hoffman needing to sign his agenda to confirm the homework. I was not present in the classroom for any test and as such I am not sure if he was granted extra time or allowed to take the test in a different environment. For quests (in between of a test and quiz), he did stay in the classroom so it seems as if he did not have special accommodations to take test, of any sort, in another area or have them read to him. In regards to time, Mr. Hoffman made sure to give everyone as much time as they needed and as such the student would have been granted extra time already even if not mandated. Therefore, there were not really any difference provided to the student to help him achieve in the classroom and honestly for the student, while it was obvious that some challenges were present, how he had learned to function in the classroom seemed to be appropriate for his needs.
In regards to the interaction with other students, the student seemed to be extremely comfortable in the classroom. His classmates were extremely good about having him in the class and seem to want him to be there. They were always ready to have his back if he needed anything, wanted to have conversations with him, and openly invite him to any parties that were going on at the time. I never got the impression that they were doing any of these things in order to make fun of him but rather the other students seemed to genuinely