Assessment 5

(TS) Today, basketball started as the new P.E activity. (SD) Although for the past few weeks I had been helping the students with badminton, today we started a new sport. (CM) Since Mr. D had left for his team’s basketball game and Mrs. Davis was busy getting ready for the class, I started out in charge of the group. (CM) The 6^th grade class was definitely complicated to keep quiet, and they often had a hard time sitting still and following directions. (CM) Sometimes when I was monitoring the stations, I would notice that the kids had stopped playing, and then I would have to remind them to keep shooting or passing since there was no station that said to relax and laze around until school was over. (SD) As I already mentioned, this group was very hard to keep track of and help make sure that they were on track. (CM) I remember when I was helping out at Station 7, the Jump Ball station, I left to go help Station 4 fix their stopwatch, and when I came back there was only one of the students left at Station 7. (CM) This made me confused, and I had to scout out the different students to bring them back to the station where they belonged. (CM) Most of the 6^th graders are new to basketball, so I often found myself helping them with shooting or how to perfect their chest passes. (CM) Helping this group of students was quite satisfying, and it also seems as if everyone enjoyed themselves, while I am still wondering what I was like when I first learned how to play basketball. (CS) I wonder if my experience of bringing in basketball with the 7^th graders will go as well as it did with the 6^th graders today

Assessment 4

 My fourth visit was my most accomplished service day. The class started out wonderfully, because not only was I able to set up the nets with ease and without help, but everyone besides one or two children remembered their P.E. clothes. Today’s class had plenty of energy, and often had a hard time quieting down.  We played King of the Court for the final time with that class, and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, accept they often enjoyed themselves too much to hear that I clearly and loudly yelled that it was time to switch courts. There were many things running through my mind while 4 students would circle me like vultures flying around a carcass. I also felt more “in charge” today, because students would come asking me questions. Not only was I asked questions, but also I often had to hang around different courts since some teams tried to cheat.There were two teams that were always stirring up problems, and I always ran over to them to solve it. Usually since I did not see that particular match, I would tell them that if no one knew who’s point it was that they would re-do that point. While I packed away the badminton nets and reminded the children to pick up their Jump and Hoops for Heart packets, I felt like I had accomplished something today that I had never accomplished before in any of my assessment visits.

Assessment 3

            Today was another successful Assessment visit. Since today is Thursday, I worked with the 7th graders. I started out with my usual duties, and moved on to playing King of The Court. Today there were a fair amount of complaints and questions about the game that were easily solved. The most asked question today was about the boundary lines of what was “out” and what was considered “in” for points. One student started out at the King Court an eventually moved all the way down to the last court, number 6. She kept getting so frustrated and I would explain to her that she could still redeem herself and that she was doing a good job. Although this cheering did not get her anywhere, I was determined to help in some way. During the last minute of the class, she was able to win a match and move up to court 5. I had a good time doing my assessment today. I feel like this visit was more successful than the last visit I made. 

Assessment 2

My second assessment visit had many similarities and differences to the first visit. There were not as many kids, because most of the girls had gone away to their basketball game. Today, I was able to work with the group of 6^th graders that were present, and surprisingly I didn’t know as many as I do now. I started my visit with the regular organization clean up, sign everyone in, and set up the nets routine. We played a game called King of the Court where you try to move to the highest court, Court 1. During this session, there were many disagreements where I had to step in and keep track of the score to quiet down the quarrelling. On some occasions, a court wouldn’t know who had won, or just said they won when they weren’t sure, so I solved the problem by having the two opposing teams have a match point to see who would move up or down a court. Some students thought this was unfair, but since no one would admit that they had lost or decided to be lazy and not keep score, it was a problem solver and a bit of a “wake up” signal to make sure that they paid more attention in the next game. Besides that, everyone seemed to enjoy him or herself, including me and the teachers who didn’t have to work so hard with me stepping in to assist them. Over all, I feel satisfied with my work today, but I didn’t get the special feeling that I had during my first visit. Hopefully Thursday I will be more proud of my assessment work in the P.E. class.

Essay #7

  A Variety of Cages:

To Kill a Mockingbird’s Chapter 15 and Myself           
An Essay by Mia P

   January 10, 2012

A bird in a cage usually does not catch my attention. I never took into perspective how the bird must feel to be trapped inside, and not able to be released unless someone from the outside helps. You could relate the bird to how a human may feel, such as Tom Robinson from To Kill a Mockingbird. The main character, Scout, felt the same way as a trapped bird in a part of a chapter that I recently read.

(TS) People and animals both have feelings. (SD)  In chapter 15 of To Kill a Mockingbird, Scout felt the same way as an animal, a bird to be precise. (CM) Late at night, Scout, Jem and Dill snuck out of their house to find Atticus who was at the Maycomb jail, and Scout ran smiling and glowing through the group of men to get to her father. (CM) She was trapped, because she couldn’t return to where she was before, outside of the towering men unfamiliar to her, and time definitely wouldn’t go back to have her stay in the better previous situation. (CM) Scout said “I pushed myself through dark smelly bodies and burst into the circle of light,” and goes on to say “There was a smell of stale whiskey and pigpen about, and when I glanced around I discovered that these men were strangers. These were not the people I saw last night.” (SD) Also, Tom Robinson, a Negro man who was defended in court by Atticus, felt enclosed as well. (CM) Tom Robinson was taken to the jail until his trial to be held the next day, and therefore he could not leave. (CM) Sadly, Tom Robinson cannot do anything about his missfortunate position that he was in. (CM) I also feel a bit enclosed sometimes, when everyone tells me what to do. (CS) My parents may tell me I’m wrong, and other people will tell me I did what was right, and that is all it takes sometimes to make me feel confused, and slightly imprisoned like a bird in a cage.

        As I look outside the window, I saw young children dancing around the side walk and going about their business freely. I wonder if one day they will know that not everyone can do the same. Sometimes those people are ignored or not heard just like the bird in the cage that tries to get your attention. This was a comparison that I had never thought of before until today.

Assessment 1

Today was my first official day working during Study Hall at my assessment location that happens to be at Pine Point School. I was not expecting my experience to be as helpful to Mrs. Davis, Mr. Delapp and to the students as it was. Today, I started out by learning how to set up the nets for the badminton tournaments that I would be helping lead, and how to check in different students with abbreviations for different variations such as if they are prepared, absent, or late. I spent most of my time assisting Sierra, Dean and Chris. Strangely enough, as I was checking around the stations, one student took off his shoes and placed them under the net. I said to the student that it is a rule that you must be wearing shoes in the gym unless they are cleats, and that he had to put them back on. At first he shrugged my comment off, but then I enforced my point by saying that they could not continue playing until he put his shoes back on, which, after about one minute, he decided that I was serious about what I had just said. Some students often found themselves arguing over the score, which was where I was able to calm them down and tell them what team had how many points. This was the first obstacle that I had overcome, although it was not such a large problem. I was satisfied with this visit, and I felt proud when all of the students left smiling. Hopefully the next class will be even better, because I know what to expect and how to handle the various situations that will occur. Finally, I tallied everyone’s court positions and I packed up the rackets and birdies, and rolled the nets back into place until next Tuesday.