School

I started my six day of observations at a B.L. Garza Middle School. As I drove up the entrance of the school it has a nice simple friendly appearance. I was the first one of my class to arrive at the school. The receptionist was very friendly. She noticed my name tag and directed me to the sign in sheet of the school. She also directed me to the Middle School Office. As I walked through the hall way, I noticed signs on the walls displaying positive statements. I also noticed a security post on the side of pathway through the cafeteria. There were students enjoying their breakfast some were alone and others were in groups. As I entered the Middle Grade Office I was greeted by the receptionist. I introduced myself. She politely asked me to take a seat and that the Principle would like to speak with me before assigning my Mentor. He greeted me in a professional manner and asked me how I felt about today, if I was excited or nervous. He asked me if I was ready to teach a class. He actually surprised me. (He was joking.) I was assigned to my Mentor, who was instructing an Eight Grade TAKS-Math Class. The Principle gave me her name and classroom number. He directed me to the room.

The first day of my observation the school environment was pleasant, safe, and overall enjoyable. As several days passed, I noticed more about the school. I did not wonder the halls, but the overview of the entrance to my mentor’s classroom was very clean and pleasant; however, I did notice during my lunch observation, the security were not security they were actually police. I noticed that their loud demeanor was to keep the students from becoming loud and mischievous. Their voices were loud and forceful. Students had to follow the rules, for example: dress code. All students must have their shirts tucked in. All students must go directly to their class as soon as the bell rang, they were not allowed to wonder or stand along the sides of the halls. One day, I did notice the rules of the school on the West side of the cafeteria’s wall. The Principle’s presence was always seen in the cafeteria during the morning and lunch.

Extracurricular activities were not mentioned but I did notice students entering the cafeteria in shorts and t-shirts as they were participating in some sort of activity in the gym.

As I signed in and out on a daily basis, I took a quick look around the office. I did notice pamphlets for the students, “How to become a better Middle School student.”