Blog #4

            This week’s topic of rigor was difficult for my group and me to discuss. We had a lot of different thoughts about the definition of rigor and how it is shown in classrooms. We talked about how we had rigorous courses in high school such as our AP classes with a lot of reading, studying, and homework. However, some of my AP courses had a lot of fun activities and movies so it wasn’t just being lectured at. The class was very fun and enjoyable but at the same time it was a lot of work inside and outside of school.

            Our group talked about rigor in elementary school and how students even in first grade are starting to get a lot of homework and projects. Someone’s sister in our group was getting book reports and essays when she was in first grade. We think that school is becoming a lot harder for children not only in elementary school but also in high school as well. We were talking about how it is important for children to have time to learn about playing and sharing. They need to learn communication skills and friendships at that young age.

            It is up to the teacher to be able to teach a rigorous class but at the same time make it fun and interesting for the students. Our group thought that is the most successful way to teach students and have them learn more. Also, if kindergarten classes are becoming full days, this can be a strain on young children if they are used to half days. They can only learn so much in a set amount of time.
I also liked our discussions about how it is important for us students to get hands on learning and a lot of experience teaching and in classrooms to fully get an understanding of what teaching is like. Partly why I chose to come to Eastern is because they require so many classes you need to take to become a teacher also 50 hours of community service working with children. I would only be able to understand what it is to be in a classroom and teach by physically being in one. I love the CCE for giving me the opportunity to work with children and students. 

            This week at the Elementary school I helped a girl with her homework and it was all in Spanish. I have taken Spanish in elementary school and high school so it was nice that I was able to understand it. Some of the words she did not know how to pronounce so I was able to help her and pronounce the word in Spanish. Mostly all the children know how to speak Spanish and every time we go there they teach us something new and love when we try to speak to them in their first language. As someone who wants to be an ESL teacher I loved helping them transition from Spanish to English while reading but also helping them with Spanish as well.