After now working in two private
elementary schools in Florence, I have yet to cease to make comparisons to the
schools I have been in previously. In my first class, with fifth graders, I
thought there seemed too many children in the class…then I simply realized it
was very small class. The 20+ students were all in there desks and it just
about filled the room. It was even more apparent when I entered the second
grade class. The 24 students’ desks fill the room. Thinking back to last
semester in Brighton, where at my practicum in a private school, the second
grade consisted of 26 students…broken into two classes. Then each class had the
students’ desks, a quiet reading area with a comfy chair or beanbag, a big rug
that all the students could easily fit on, and another table for a teacher to
meet with a small group at. Working with a specialty English, we only stay with
a class for about an hour, but I think about the classroom teachers and I do
not know how they keep there six and seven year-olds in only their desks all
day! It is all relative though, because I am sure this is not unusual to these teachers or students, it simply is how the classes are and they can let their energy out during breaks, for instance.
In addition to my elaborate mention
about the class size, a major difference in both of these schools with
comparison to American schools I have seen, is how relaxed it is. The best
example of this was during break time one day. It is essentially our snack time
in the morning. There was this pound-type cake in the front of the class and
juice, and I watched as the seven and eight year olds came up and poured their
juice and cut pieces of cake, no other teacher here to monitor this. Most
students bring their own snack and hold it in their hand as they through balls
around in the hall or classroom. This day in particular, two girls were playing
with sort of plastic square that had fallen off of a board and were using it as
a giant frame to pose in behind. All the kids are safe and have a lot of fun,
and maybe this is only my experience, but comparing this to snack times in the
US where students sit and eat a recommended “healthy” snack and chat in their
desks, or maybe finish work from their “Unfinished” folders is very different.
I completely agree about the relaxed atmosphere! It's interesting to hear that schools are more laid-back in Florence as well because I noticed the exact same thing in New Zealand but automatically accredited it to the laid-back atmosphere of this specific country. I think that the United States is unique in its general attitude, and that definitely is filtered down to the schools. In New Zealand, the students are expected to come into the classroom after lunch, sit down and begin reading, and wait alone for the teachers to come back from lunch. I maintain that having these higher expectations of students, such as having them pour their own juice and cut their own slices of cake, results in students acting more responsibly and maturely than they otherwise would if the teachers had lower expectations of them.
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