The moment I met Miss A, I knew we were
going to get along. She was so opened and excited to meet me. She is also very
young. I was so surprised to the number of years she had been teaching. Her
humor and tone of voice reflected her fun personality. No wonder why the
classroom environment was so warm and welcoming.
There are about 20 students in the
classroom. Students from all over the world sit and interact with each other.
The classroom is tiny compared to other classrooms in America. This is because
Paris is a small, populated city, with old buildings that cannot accommodate
for big classrooms like the U.S. Kids sit in groups of 4-5. Because there is a
lack of space, whenever students transitioning from one activity to another,
the classroom always gets very crowded. The teachers I have been observing are
a lot more lenient when it comes to leaving the classroom compared to the
teachers in America. I am not quite sure if this is the “lassiez-faire” French
culture that comes into play or if it’s the teachers’ preferences. Students are
allowed to leave the classroom for water and to use the bathroom at any time.
The teacher had told them to use their discretion in the beginning of the
school year. During a lesson a student will get up and leave to go to the
bathroom. However, not a lot of students do it when the teacher is teaching.
They seem to go during transition periods or mostly during lunchtime. I think
this shows that by having a teacher who seems “lenient” in fact is a sign of
trust to these students. Because Miss A trusts that the students will leave the
classroom at the appropriate time to use the restroom, the students also
respect her rules and do not leave unless it is an emergency or it is a time
when they will not be missing an opportunity to learn.
If Miss A needs the class’ attention, she
usually stands by the door and says, “Class!” After she says that she just
waits. She waits until everyone’s eyes are on her and are ready to receive instructions.
Normally, the students seem to quickly stop what the doing and look towards
Miss A. I have yet to encounter a time when the students did not freeze once
the teacher raised her voice.
Miss A’s down to earth personality really
creates a warm, calm, and welcoming atmosphere in the classroom. The students
never seem anxious about tests or projects because she always reminds them that
there is nothing more you can do than to do your best. She expects a lot from
them and since the students respect her as a teacher they do their best to meet
those expectations.
It sounds like teaching in Paris with Miss A. is going to be a great experience! She must have done a lot of work with her students at the beginning in order to establish this high level of trust and respect. I'm sure you will learn a lot about classroom management skills from Miss A. this semester!
ReplyDeleteI have noticed the same sort of leniency towards students leaving the classroom to use the bathroom or get a drink of water at my school in Bath. Students are allowed to leave at any point to use the bathroom, get a drink or retrieve something from their backpacks in the hallway. However, it is at their discretion as to when it is appropriate to go. Students all typically know to wait until there is a break in teaching or a transition period to leave the classroom. It is definitely important for teachers to establish these rules with the students in order to manage the classroom. I do agree with you, also, that with this freedom, it shows that the teacher has a lot of trust in the students, which is a very important thing to establish early on.
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