Nick DeVries

EDUC 302
Prof. Keeley
Prof. Leo
School Context: East Grand Rapids Middle School
The school that I have been placed at for my student aiding is
East Grand Rapids Middle School. East Middle is mixture of students,
and staff coming from different backgrounds that are all unique from
one another. In this paper, I will examine the contextual makeup of
community that East Middle is apart of, then I will do the contextual
makeup of the school, and lastly the contextual makeup of my
classroom. I will also show how these different contextual layers will
influence and impact my unit that I will be planning.
The first layer I will examine is the community that East Middle is
located in. East Grand Rapids Middle School is part of the East Grand
Rapids Public School district and located, obviously, on the East side of
Grand Rapids. According to city-data.com, East Grand Rapids has been
growing slowly with a 4.6% population growth from 2000 to 2014. The
area however is overall high economic area, the median household
income in 2013 is $102,516. Which is an increase from $84,772 in
2000. To compare how wealth the community of East Grand Rapids is
compared to those in Michigan, Michigans Median income in 2013 is
$48,273. That is a difference of $54,243 dollars. This is an enormous
difference in income. It is safe to say that East Grand Rapids is a place
of prosperity.
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East Grand Rapids also isnt a very diverse place based on race.
City-data.com states of the 11,042 residents, 94.8% are white with
next closest race being Asian at 1.4%. Although the community isnt
very diverse, it is very educated. Around 40% of the population has at
least gotten a bachelors degree. Compared to Michigans average of
17%, East Grand Rapids is a community where education is valued.
The second layer I will examine is that of East Middle. As
mentioned earlier, East Middle is part of the East Grand Rapids Public
School District. The district is made up of 5 schools. 3 are elementary,
1 middle school, and 1 high school. I aid at the middle school, and
according to nces.ed.gov, East Middle has an enrolment of 728
students in the year 2015. There our 38 teachers at the middle school,
so there is a 19:1 student to teacher ratio. The ethnicity of the middle
school is like that of the community, mostly white. 91% of the students
are White, while Black and Asian make up 2% of the students each.
The curriculum used at East Middle is the common core so I will need
to familiarize myself with the common core before making my lesson
plan.
East Middle is a school where its goal is to make their school
where the environment is health for education. East Middle Schools
website says of their programs, offers a variety of exploratory
opportunities, a multi-disciplined approach to teaching and learning,
and a focus on providing differentiated learning opportunities for all.
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The school values not just teaching its students but teaching them in a
different way then a typical school.
The third layer I will examine is my classroom itself. I have two
different classes I get too see. The first class is 7th grade geography,
and the second is 8th grade U.S History class. The class I will be doing
my lesson in is the 8th grade U.S History class so thats the information
I will be providing on. The class consists of 22 students all who are
white. The unit that I will be teaching on is the Articles of
Confederation and the Constitution. East Middle is also a bring your
own device school, meaning students will be required to have a tablet
of computer available to them for in class work along with homework.
All the students in my class except one have a computer, the one
student that does not uses a tablet.
The students in my class have a really good attitude towards
learning. This will have a large impact on how I teach my lesson. The
students do a great job of being engaged in the classroom, they are
eager to answer questions, and always want to read in class when
there is a chance. The only negative is students have grown
accustomed to receiving As for the most part and dont put their full
effort into smaller assignments such as homework.
With having really active learners and access to great technology
like a projector, ELMO, and students having their own devices I can use
this in my lesson plans. A lot of cool and interesting ideas can be
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explored now because of the technology and how the students behave
in class. Group projects are very possible with this group but so is
having the students work quietly on their own.
To conclude, East Middle is a school that is white and upper-class
in a community that is also white and upper-class. My lesson will be
successful if I can manage my students and have them apply
themselves into the lesson. This school has many more benefits than it
does problems because of its context which should allow me to teach
my lesson effectively.

Work Cited
East Grand Rapids, MI (2015). In City Data. Retrieved October 16,2016,
From http://www.city-data.com/city/East-Grand-Rapids-Michigan.html

East Grand Rapids, MI (2014-2015). In National Center for Education

Statistics.

Retrieved October 16, 2016.

http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/district_detail

East Grand Rapids Middle School (n.d.) In East Grand Rapids Middle
School.

Retrieved October 16, 2016, From http://egrms.egrps.org/

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