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Newark Public Schools

The U.S. Department of Education

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Full coverage of Education Insights

September 5, 2001

Editor's note: Julie taught a summer school class of third graders in Newark, New Jersey, a city that continuously does poorly on statewide and national standardized tests.

Week One - The first day

"Did you see the new Spanish girl?" Stacy, a school student, asked another student, Lisa, with a tinge of attitude in her voice and in the movement of her head.

"She's not Spanish," Lisa replied with the same twang in her tone. "She's Chinese!" she exclaimed in reference to a young girl sitting at the table of fourth graders behind me.

The girl is actually Vietnamese, and is the only non-black child I saw today at the Sacred Heart School in Newark. I'm not culturally ignorant, because I know that Sacred Heart's halls are filled with a blend of cultures, including those Haitian, Dominican, Puerto Rican, and African-American.

The kids are all still black in color, however. They don't see any diversity around them in skin color, no apparent difference in their personhoods. Interesting, isn't it, that Stacy saw a girl that wasn't black in the cafeteria this morning at breakfast, and automatically assumed that she was Hispanic?

Today was my first day on the job.

My students Keith, Joseph, Jamal, Jose, Lisa, Stacy, Rodney, Barry, Tyronne, Jessica, and Latasha now know me as Miss Julie. I've been assigned to assist a teacher named Mrs. Johnson who has a very serious streak of discipline in her. She is very stern with the children, and constantly insists upon straight postures, zipped lips, and alert ears in her rich Caribbean voice.

Teaching reading

We did some silent reading today, and started with the book "How the Forest Grew." After reading, we talked about how cleared land, with some seeds, water, and sun, eventually evolved into a thick forest. We came upon the idea of "pioneer trees" in our reading, which referred to the first trees to grow in a particular area.

To relate this concept to something familiar, I thought it would be a good idea to ask the kids what a pioneer was. "An adventurer." "Someone who explores, like Christopher Columbus." "Someone who plants the first tree." These are some of the responses I got.

I explained that they should think about something being "first" when they heard the word pioneer - the first one to travel somewhere, or the first tree to grow on land.

However, after that discussion I got the same answers to the question, "Ok, so then what is a pioneer tree?"

Maybe that word relationship game wasn't such a good idea.

The kids then went to gym class and Claire (another teaching assistant) and I had some prep time. When I went with Claire to collect the kids at the end of their period, Latasha wrapped her arms around my stomach and Lisa asked me if I would be her mother - "for fake."

A learning experience for all

Before lunch, Claire taught a math lesson. I don't think she commanded the kids very well, and sadly, I think it has to do with her Irish accent. They just don't understand every word that comes out of her mouth, and she doesn't speak loud enough. She recognized this, and was frustrated at the end of her lesson. I think with the recognition though, she will be fine, because after all, this is a learning experience for us, too.

I sat with my boys at lunch, and talked to Jamal, Rodney and Barry about their favorite subjects and what they like to do outside of school. Rodney likes science, and apparently likes to play with ants - even the red ones, (as he responded to Jamal's challenge). Jamal doesn't like reading, which is now going to be a focus for him through the next six weeks, and Barry likes everything.

Back in the classroom, we practiced recognition of nouns in sentences written on the board, and in orally recited sentences. Then I handed each kid three apples, three oranges, and two bananas. (All fruit was made out of construction paper.)

They were to think of three people and write them on the apples, three places and write them on the oranges and two things and write them on the bananas. Once I collected their fruit, I made a "Noun Basket" on the bulletin board in the back of the room. My voice was gone by the end of that lesson.

Claire finished up the day with some more math, and then the kids got ready to leave. I am expecting to have more kids enrolled in my class, as we only have 11 right now. Oh, and another switch was made today. I am staying where I am, but I am getting a new partner tomorrow.

Fun but challenging

I came home and fell on my couch. Exhausted. I love my kids though. As I think about it, I had a really great day. Through everything, the kids definitely need to be reminded to sit up straight, not to distract each other, and to pay attention. But then again, I don't know how much of an attention span I had when I was 9 years old either.

I never realized how much work it is to be a good teacher, because my day didn't end after I came home from school. After dinner, I went to the library and checked out books on crafts and gardening projects.

I really want all of our learning to be interactive this summer. I want them to make more noun baskets, plant windowsill gardens, build bugs and food chains, and play trivial pursuit in social studies.

I worked on lesson plans until it came time to write this log. Now, it's 11:30 p.m. and I have to get up in 6 ½ hours.

With all these extra hours it takes of preparation, I think I'm making about a quarter an hour. I am learning so much though -- it's worth it.

Names have been changed to protect student and teacher privacy.