My Observation Of School

Part I - The Community and School Culture My school of choice to do my observation is Lorenzo de Zavala Elementary Science Environmental Academy located in Grand Prairie south of Interstate 20. Zavala sets on a land adjusted to Jackson Middle School. The school is directly impacted by residential houses and an open field. In the back of Zavala there is a garden and a greenhouse. Next to the garden there is a gated play area that has a basketball court for the public and remains open daily under surveillance 24 /7. However, there is a fence that separates the basketball court from the garden and across the street, directly on the other side of the garden is the school’s playground area that can only assessable from the school. The neighborhood …show more content…
The building operators are doing an excellent job of keeping the school clean. The first thing I noticed before entering the building was the perpetual care of the lawn. The outside was clean free from litter and spotless. Inside the building was the same continuous tidiness. It was not hard to distinguish the learning environment of the school. It is a science academic academy that represents a STEM learning environment. This school is geared toward science specifically and I was impressed with their greenhouse and the upkeep of the garden and plants that is located in the back of the building near the playground. Just entering the building gave me a warm welcome friendly inviting feeling. The floors were clean and shiny, walls had no graffiti and the halls did not have trash on them on them. There were banners hanging to represent different colleges and awards displayed the school had received. The building layout is simple and it is easy to find your way from one grade level to the next. Each grade hall is represented by a different theme. The classrooms all are represented by a specific theme with a photo and bio of the teacher. The cafeteria is located near the center of the building with the library down the hall slightly to the left of the main office. The students are well behaved and K-3rd graders walk down the hall with their hands behind their back keeping to the right side …show more content…
However, I am employed on the north side of Grand Prairie, and the climate is totally opposite. Thinking in line with patterns and themes, the district shares the same theme across the board, but each school has their own climate. Being on both sides of the city, I have learned that teachers, administrators, parents, and community play a vital role in the success of all students. The more affluent side may have more resources but as teachers we must instill in every child it is not where you come from but, where you are going. Zavala teachers are friendly and caring and that shows in their teaching. The demographics on the south side is different from the north side. The students have parental support and there is cohesiveness between the teachers, and other staff members; and that makes a difference in a child’s academy successful. I was able to collect items from the school that promotes a variety of themes and working with the community. Zavala is a school that believes in helping the community and giving back. I was able to collect a variety of artifacts from the school. My first artifact is canned –food –drive flyer from the 4th grade class. Another is a letter thanking Dr. Hunkapillar one of the administrators from our Education Center for sponsoring a bus to the College of Veterinary