Observations and seeking mentorship in other teachers is something that proved incredibly valuable in my student teaching semester and something that I hope to continue to use to develop my craft in the future. The Paul Cuffee community was very supportive during my time there, so I was welcomed into all of the classrooms and thus had the opportunity to observe a variety of teachers and styles, as well as topics. From the basic core classes of math, science, and humanities, to the specials courses like art, physical education, wellness, and advisory, the observations allowed me to first learn from the various experts in the schools, but also to see my students outside of the classroom and to become further integrated into the Paul Cuffee community. By having the chance to also visit other schools, specifically the Lincoln School for Girls, the Wolf School, Highlander Charter School, and the Paul Cuffee Upper School, I had the opportunity to further my knowledge of both classroom teaching, but also the status and variety within education throughout the state of Rhode Island. The observation log reflects the diversity both within my own placement at Paul Cuffee as well as around the city of Providence, and is something that I continued doing through the end of my placement and hope to further in my professional career. 

Two specific outstanding classes that I had the opportunity to observe were first a class by Mr. Black at Paul Cuffee School in teaching his students different forms of equations. The structure of the class flow very authentically and he was able to support the students by helping them with the math skills himself, and then calling on some of the stronger math students to assist. There was little behavior management needed in the class as the students were consistently challenged and busy working, thus having less time to goof around. A second class that I observed and was very impressed by was Mr. Chen's at Paul Cuffee School. As an end to the immigration unit, the students were tasked with interviewing an immigrant and then creating a presentation to introduce him or her to the class. The final presentation day was incredibly structured and open to guests and visitors, which helped the students feel the importance of the work they were doing and also helped it seem more of a special lesson.

To view the complete observation log, please select the following link: Observation Log.docx