September Observation

 I have been placed at West Frederick Middle School in Kristofer Roberson’s seventh grade Creative Arts class. This is a required course unless an art elective is put in its place (band/chorus, visual arts). Mr. Roberson is originally a music teacher, who somehow got stuck teaching art. But it’s not all that bad; Creative Arts is a combination of visual art, music, and theater, two disciplines of which Roberson loves.  

My observation time starts halfway through first period and ends halfway through second, so I get to see two different groups of students and the entirety of the lesson for that day. The two groups are blended together in my head, but there are students that I can pick out being in the individual class periods. On September 21st I came into the classroom during first period; they were practicing speaking rhythms as a class then moved into their independent/group work in which they practiced different rhythms to prepare for a drumming test. They had to focus on keeping a steady rhythm and correct note values.  

First period is better behaved than second, Roberson warns me. When second period comes in and seats themselves, its usually somewhere other than their assigned seats. After corralling kids into their correct tables, Roberson takes attendance while they chat with their neighbors and do their warm-up on Schoology. After they finish their warm-up, Roberson has them all get up out of their seats and stand in a circle around the room. He grabs two rulers and starts hitting them together to make a steady beat. He has them march around the room to the beat he makes with the rulers; this is supposed to help them internalize the steady beat. Some students march like they’re supposed to, and some start trudging or simply walk normally. After the marching exercise they go back to their seats to start doing the second half of the lesson (that of which period one was working on when I came into the classroom).  

The biggest issue in second period is keeping students focused on what they’re supposed to be doing. One student in particular has a hard time staying in the seat she’s supposed to be in. Often, you’ll find her at a table opposite hers. When she’s asked to go back to her seat, she gives major pushback. This makes me wonder what’s going on. Why doesn’t she want to sit in the seat she’s been assigned? Is it that she’s not sitting with her friends, or maybe that she has problems with the students at her table. Maybe its that she’s bored, or doesn’t want to do the work that she’s given. Maybe she’s not interested in the arts at all, maybe the work is too easy for her. I’ve been informed that there are at-home factors that play into her behaviors, unfortunately. However, I haven’t seen any attempt to get her to engage with the material introduced in Roberson’s class. Maybe she needs more active and hands-on projects to keep her at her table. I look forward to getting to know this student as observations go on, and decoding what she needs to engage and thrive in the exploration of creative arts.