Prompt #1

Connection: Ira Shore's "Empowering Education" talking about John Dewey

When I drove up to the The Garden Academy it seemed relatively large compared to other schools I had passed on my journey there. The school has a ‘wide’ front with rows and rows of adjacent windows. It is a red brick building and is located on a large lot with athletic fields, a basketball court, and a seasonal swimming pool. There is a loop by the door for ease of dropping off kids to school. I decided to observe the neighborhood before entering.

The homes in the neighborhood look as if they have been there many years. The houses have makeshift barren gardens, cars in the driveway, satellite dishes mounted off porches and dogs barking at passing cars. Houses that looked to be acceptable at one time are now boarded up and covered with graffiti. Around the vacant homes, the shrubbery is overgrown and there is debris in the driveway. The homes in the neighborhood are walking distance to the school. This eclectic neighborhood also has homes that are well cared for.

Inside, the age of the school is noticeable. The school has marked up green painted walls and the aroma of a grandmother’s attic and drafty windows. I noticed that conversations echo through the long corridors. Every amount of space seems to be put to use in The Garden Academy classrooms and offices are cozy and snug. The structure of the school is basic with two levels. The windows on the front of the building dominate and let sunlight in. The Garden Academy has a separate building that looks like a gym. I am not positively certain about how this building is used. I would like to know someday.

I get good vibes from the school. The school feels like a very loving and supportive place for the students and visitors that come. Once I walked in I was welcomed by a kind gentleman and directed to the main office. Despite being a stranger to The Garden Academy, I was greeted with warm smiles. This contributed to my perception of the school. While waiting, I observed a mother talking to one of the greeters. She was telling him what she baked for the Valentine’s Day party, she was concerned about it being enough. He could have responded by rolling his eyes and cutting her short but he listened and kindly thanked her and said it would be enough. This was very touching. As I continued to wait for the reading coach, Ms. O’Doyle, parents and children came in together. It was touching to see parents reassuring towards their children as they left with a hug and kiss.

The Garden Academy’s classrooms are cozy. This contributed to the feeling of the school. The classroom is organized into sections. It had reading, science, and math centers. The classrooms have colorful posters up and motivational sayings. The desks in the classroom were grouped together and there were different tables for one-on-one work around the room. There were many manipulatives to go with the story or lesson being taught. Shore talks about Dewey in her book and says that Dewey believed that “only by active learning could students develop scientific method and democratic habits rather than becoming passive pupils waiting to be told what this means and what to do.” (Shore, 33) When the children go to the centers in this classroom and use the manipulatives in the centers they are taking part in what Dewey calls, “active learning.” The scientific method would be explored as children examined the rocks of various sizes, color, and shapes. I also saw democracy at work when I was asked to play reading games with the children. They had share and take turns and support one another. They had fun, learned and practiced cooperation.

The school values outdoor recreation as evidenced in the athletic areas. They value parents as seen in their greetings and how they allowed parents access into school. They certainly value college students helping; however, the strongest value that was evident was their caring about one another.

Ms. O’Doyle, the reading specialist, welcomed me in a caring way. Her room had motivational posters up and it felt like a place where caring professionals meet to discuss various topics.

When I met Mrs. LaKing, she was very welcoming towards me and she cared. In the classroom, kindness was valued. The first tangible evidence was the boxes of chocolate piled high on the teacher’s desk; these were gifts from the students. “How kind!” I thought. This also told me that the relationship between the students and the teacher was strong and that the students appreciated the teacher. Also, kindness was given the opposite way, from the teacher to the students. Mrs. LaKing was very nice and she was engaged with each and every child. When I walked in the teacher was giving out Valentine’s pencils to all the kids. This was kind of her. She carefully explained that they were to complete work in their reading workbooks. She made reference to the Valentine’s celebration that would come later. I also noticed that the students cared for one another. If a student was having trouble with a question, other students would help. The time Mrs. LaKing gave to me showed me that she cared about me. She respected me enough to give me a group of children to work with. I worked with two girls Roxanne and Bridgette. Working with Roxanne and Bridgette taught me a lot that I didn’t know. I felt for their struggles with reading. Homophones were challenging today but I could see how a little help went a long way. Mrs. LaKing cared so I got to work with the girls. The Garden Academy is a very caring place and I look forward to returning next week.