9/8/15 Mountain View High School-Room E220

This was an in-service day for MVHS, so the students were granted with an extra day off while
the teachers gathered in their respective groups for professional development. I attended the
meeting with two other of my cohort members and we contributed when necessary but mostly
we observed and took notes. Kendall, my cooperating teacher, is helping to pilot a standards
based class called Next Generation, beginning with collecting data from English baseline tests
on about 75 freshmen. This meeting was with other teachers in the school, collectively called a
Professional Learning Community, who are conducting the same research but within their own
content areas, i.e. Math, Art and Science. Eventually, the teachers broke up into groups based
on their content areas to discuss what comes next for the class.
It was an interesting experience to see how teachers work through the problems they have been
encountering with this new program. This particular group faces some technological challenges,
and to be honest, some organizational challenges. I was shocked to learn that while they had
conducted their baseline tests, they hadnt yet discussed how the grading and sorting would be
done. Additionally, the grant they received to pilot this class was not enough to cover the
advanced technology they need to sort the data. A Social Studies teacher, who was sitting in on
the meeting as well, voiced his concerns about whether this type of program will readily prepare
students for college. Others were apprehensive about equating concept mastery with the ABCD
scale, and the difficulty in changing this for the students. Jordan, Rachel and I collectively
wondered what the difference was between competency and standards based grading. We
found that when students achieve true competency, this means they can apply skills learned
from standards in other content areas.
I found this meeting extremely insightful and interesting. I feel very privileged to be a part of
something so new and from what Ive heard, this is the direction education is headed. I know
they have a long way to go and will run into many challenges along the way, but Im here to help
and learn as much as I can through the process. So far, I have really enjoyed being part of the
MVHS community. They have made me feel very welcome. I like that the teachers are
developing grades for their students on a non-academic scale, based on their school wide
acronym POWER. The words Pride, Ownership, Work, Effort and Respect are displayed all over
the school and it feels very comfortable to be there. This is also what I felt while being at the
meeting. Although there were some tough discussions, it felt like a safe space to voice opinions
and concerns. I am excited to see how Next Gen develops throughout the year and it has been
decided that this program will be going districtwide next year.
9/22/15 Mountain View High School-Room D220
I was approached by Jesse Nino, the assistant principal, who wanted help from the practicum
students at MVHS to proctor the practice ACT for their 11th graders. All four of us interning at

the school offered our help. I was placed in a room with one of the school counselors and about
18 juniors. I had hoped I would be given more of a prominent role in facilitating the test, but the
other adult in the room took charge. I helped pass out pencils and collect electronics so you can
probably guess I was the most popular person in the room! The test started at about 7:40 a.m.,
so it was quite early for these students to get in the mindset of having to take almost a four hour
test. Needless to say, they were sleepy and grumpy. One young girl came in the room shouting
all sorts of expletives and she eventually left the room, and somehow acquired a note excusing
her from testing. I understand the argument against standardized testing and I think having the
option to opt out is necessary for students to feel like they have some sort of autonomy.
However, I dont think standardized testing is all bad. The practice is beneficial for students as
they gain experience taking long tests. Its a skill that they will need in college. Secondly, these
kinds of tests force students to deal with this type of stress, which I dont think is a bad thing.
These tests are also good indicators to parents to see where their student falls in comparison
with others in their school and across the nation.
The administering of the test was relatively easy. The makers of the test make it seemingly
seamless, however, the instructions didnt match the page numbers in the test booklet which
really confused some students. We got them on track, although it definitely wasted some time. It
was a four section test: reading, math, science and vocabulary. It was an interesting experience.
Some students tried to finish as fast as possible so they could lay their heads down and sleep.
One girl said her parents were paying her an allowance of $10.00 an hour if she scored well on
the test. The school counselor left the room a few times to make phone calls and send e-mails
so I was on my own in the classroom quite a bit. They kept commenting that the questions were
unclear or there was more than one right answer. As they were completing the test, I sifted
through to see what kinds of questions they ask. I wondered how I would score if I was to take
the same test. Additionally, they were required to read 1-1 1/2 page passages and answer
questions on each one. They were only given 35 minutes to do four passages. Since many
didnt finish, I wonder if it was content or time that kept them from completing that section. It was
clear which students were concerned with doing well and which ones werent.
These juniors will take the real ACT in April. I wonder if that just seems so far away to them that
their performance on the practice doesnt quite matter to them yet. The test lasted up until their
lunch period, so they were very eager to leave. I can see the value in this kind of testing, but
there is something heartbreakingly unfair about asking students to invest their academics in a
poorly designed test rather than more enriching learning experiences. I wish them all luck on
their journeys to college or otherwise and beyond!
10/17/15 Mountain View High School-Homecoming
I volunteered to chaperone the homecoming dance at MVHS to help out fellow teachers and try
something new. The circus theme was fun and the students seemed to enjoy the decorations. I
was one of about 8 chaperones that came to help, which was fewer than I thought was going to

be there and honestly, we really needed more. I was put in charge of selling tickets to students
who had not bought them yet. The rule at MVHS is that if a student has more than two F's in
classes, they are not allowed to come to the dance. The "no-sell" list was about 5 pages, front
and back. It was definitely chaotic. I didn't enjoy telling students they were not allowed in the
dance, especially if I didn't know them. I had to check every students ID to make sure they
actually went to school there and collect the money and guest forms. I understood the
importance of all of this, so I tried to keep my cool but there was a line out the door for about an
hour and a half. Additionally, several students were intoxicated and taken to the principal's office.
Overall, though, it was a good experience. It is so fun to see students dress up and just have a
good time with their friends. It's very different to see them in this kind of setting and quite
refreshing, I might add. I was glad for students to see me supporting them and somewhere
outside of the classroom. Although there were a few bumps, I'll know what to expect for next
time. I hope they can find more help from teachers at future events like this one. I don't know
what their requirement for teacher involvement is, but when I am hired full time at a school, I
would love to help students organize events like this.
12/3/15 Mountain View High School-Media Center/Library
The art students at MVHS volunteer to display their art work in the media center, the library and
in other places throughout the school during this week. I decided to go and spend some time
looking at their pieces. When I first walked into the library, a video was playing on repeat that
several students had worked on. This was their final art project for the semester and I was
impressed. They filmed themselves doing different things around the school. The students who
were part of this project utilized many types of technological features to enhance their video. Its
amazing what students know about these kinds of things. I loved that the students were given
the opportunity to create something that is untraditional in the art classroom, really showcasing
their interests and skills. I stumbled upon a case full of metal work done by one of the other art
classes. These looked like professional pieces. The assignment was to create a creature
pendant with metal. I swear these kids are so talented they should sell this stuff! One of the
pieces that stuck out to me the most was a texture piece in which the student used feathers and
sticks to create an abstract scene. I noticed that this student had several other pieces being
showcased in the media center and they clearly worked very hard on these. It seems as though
students at MVHS have very creative tendencies. I am so glad they are given the opportunity to
exercise these interests and talents in so many different kinds of classes. Throughout their time
at the school, they have the chance to take photography, metal work, drawing, painting etc. Its
refreshing to see students in a different light than I normally do just being in an English
classroom. It makes me want to incorporate some more art in the things they do, because they
clearly love it and are very good at it.