Field 2 Experiences:

Mallory Rizor
Getting To Know You
Student 1: ll year old female
Student 2: 12 year old male
Student 3: 12 year old female
Student 4: 13 year old female
Student 5: 14 year old male (8th grade)
Student 6: 13 year old female
1. What is the hardest thing about being your age?
Student 1: People thing that shes young. They think she should act
like a baby and dont respect her.
Student 2: Is small for his age. A lot of people say that you have to be
taller to play sport and a lot of the kids in this school are taller than
him.
Student 3: They have a lot of responsibilities like making sure shes a
role model for her brothers, help out a lot, and be a good role model.
Student 4: Growing into adulthood You have to learn how to pay
taxes for when you get older (her parents are already teaching her
that)
Student 5: People dont understand that they care about the
environment grades, etc. They dont respect them and realize that
they do know things.
Student 6: Keeping her grades up
2. What are you most proud of about yourself? (Personality trait, talent, or
achievement).
Student 1: Was able to get all As first quarter. Didnt do as well in 5th
and 6th grade, so wanted to do better in 7th grade.
Student 2: He has a lot of friends. Hes a very friendly and funny
person.
Student 3: Shes really smart and tries her best on things.
Student 4: She sticks with the friends she has She got new friends
that accept her for who she is. Very loyal to the ones that she has now.
Student 5: Hes maintained all As for the first quarter hes smart
Student 6: Shes smart and gets good grade; shes respectful to other
people
3. What do you worry about most?
Student 1: Bringing up her grades.
Student 2: his height and grades
Student 3: That shes going to lose her mom she has cancer.
Student 4: She worries that her birth mom will come back from Florida
and want to take her down there. The mom originally left her to go with

her boyfriend. Now she lives with an adopted dad because her dad is in
jail.
Student 5: People talking behind his back has occurred before,
people tell them that they like him and then say different things behind
his back.
Student 6: Keeping her grades up and getting into college grades
being good enough to get into them.
4. What are your favorite things to do for you fun? What makes them your
favorite?
Student 1: She likes to ride her bike and play her violin. She just
learned how to ride her bike and learning to play an instrument is
really fun.
Student 2: Basketball (this is where the height comes into play). He
actually likes football better but he cant play it because he isnt strong
enough (his friends who play football tell him this. His grandpa got him
a basketball hoop and he likes to play it now.
Student 3: Read, play outside, playing on her phone loves to read,
other things are just fun.
Student 4: Singing Some of the songs she sings touch her and shes
able to connect with them. Drawing Like to express things that she
likes.
Student 5: He loves to dance and sing hes been doing it since he
was little and its a part of him. His family does it too.
Student 6: She likes to play soccer its fun to be part of a team and it
keeps her fit.
5. What are you reading? Watching? Listening to?
Student 1: Freak the Mighty; Netflix Zootopia; Mercy Said No (song)
Student 2: Freak the Mighty; likes watching sports basketball and
football. Like watching river monsters. Likes the artist T.I.
Student 3: Wonder; Losing Izaya; Rihanna
Student 4: Scary movie and the show Scream; likes horror books;
Nightcore speed up songs and make them really cool
Student 5: The Watsons Go to Birmingham; Maze Runner; Sam Smith
Student 6: Harry Potter; 10 Things I Hate About You; the song Starving
6. What do you like most about school?
Student 1: She likes her teachers and social studies Like learning
about different cultures (Rome).
Student 2: Being able to work with people and get help from them. He
likes being able to learn and get help if he needs it so he doesnt have
to do things on his own.
Student 3: You get to learn stuff every day.
Student 4: says thats a hard question because she likes a lot about
school likes learning, her friends cheer her up when shes having a

bad day, she likes to read in language arts when they read a book as
a class it helps her understand it more, choir no one judges her when
she sings.
Student 5: That he gets to see people every day (his friends)
Student 6: She likes being academically challenged
7. What do you wish you could learn about in school that they do not
teach you?
Student 1: Wishes they could teach her how to cook.
Student 2: Would like them to teach cooking because he wants to be a
cook when hes older.
Student 3: Religion All religions so she can learn about what other
people believe in.
Student 4: How it would be like if you went to the army social
studies., wants to join the army
Student 5: Class that teaches how bad bullying is and how to stop it.
Understands that its hard to control yourself sometimes, but still
thinks that it should be stopped.
Student 6: Shed like to learn more about life after school paying
bills, etc.
8. What do you wish your teacher(s) knew about people your age?
Student 1: They have lots of drama. Wishes they knew more about the
drama so that they could intervene.
Student 2: They always like to be social doesnt like when theyre
yelled at for being social. He also wants more time outside during
recess to do activities like basketball they currently are only allowed
to walk around for 15 minutes.
Student 3: They go through a lot of stuff more understanding.
Student 4: That a lot of students are going through depression know
and help more
Student 5: Theyre willing to work harder if they use better teaching
skills he doesnt like when they yell and mess up and blame them
Student 6: Its hard being overloaded with so much homework and
sometimes its hard to remember everything that she has to do. Some
weeks they have no homework, and some weeks they have an
overload of homework in every class.
9. If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be?
Student 1: Nobody would get mad about anything. No one would judge
people for being themselves.
Student 2: How many people dont care. Would like to make everyone
nice and care about how what they say affects people.
Student 3: To have peace in the world doesnt like the hate thats
currently going on.
Student 4: No one would commit suicide.

Student 5: Bullies should face harsher punishments no more bullying

Student 6: There wouldnt be as much conflict not as much conflict
with police and black lives matter. In America, she feels like were just
finding things to fight about.. should be worrying about whats
important: terrorism, the war in other countries.

Interview Analysis
I was astounded and beyond excited as I conducted my interviews and
discovered how amazing and innovative middle school students are. Not only
are they curious, but they also understand so much more than some
educators and adults give them credit for. One common theme throughout
my interviews was that they are very aware of the problems that exist
around them. Students nowadays are innovative, creative, and
compassionate. This extends outside of their own personal bubbles and
involves the problems and strife that currently exist in the world. I think what
astounded me most was that they all have such positive outlooks on fixing
the world. They dont allow the negativity to affect them and bring them
down; instead, they have hope for making the world a better place. In our
class text, What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know, it says that
young adolescents have, an increased awareness of the broader social

world with an accompanying concern for social justice (Brown & Knowles,
39). For example, when I asked student 3 what she would like to learn more
about in school, she answered religion. Although I automatically jumped to
the conclusion that her answer would revolve around her own religion,
instead, she told me that she wants to learn more about other religions so
that people can become more tolerant of others. This selflessness was not
only seen in student 3; it was a pattern in most of the students I interviewed.
Whether it was bullying, depression, peace, or acceptance, students were
extremely unselfish and empathetic towards worldly issues. Its important for
teachers to understand what students are passionate about so that they can
continue to inspire them and make them think critically. These students all
deserve to be taken seriously and teachers should never think that they are
too young to bring about change and understand worldly problems. When
teacher believe in their students and push them to be the best that they can
be, there is a world of possibilities for the future.
Furthermore, after conducting these interviews, it became obvious that
these students have many interests outside of school. They are diverse,
interesting, and passionate about the things that they do. Teachers many
times seem to forget that there is more to life than school for these children.
Its hard not to get caught up in common core standards and class material,
and we sometimes forget that school is only a small portion of these
childrens lives. As I conducted the interviews, many of the students
expressed their desire for schools to teach more about the careers they can

see themselves doing in the future. They also were eager to take on more
adult responsibilities and be pushed to more advanced levels. This shows
me, as a future educator, that you cant just teach from a textbook or with
the purpose of achieving common core standards; teachers must provide
students with lessons that are applicable to their own lives and spark an
interest. For example, one day in class the students began reading an article
about self-driving cars. The purpose of the lesson was to find important
evidence that supported the claim, but once the students read the article,
they wanted to know so much more beyond one authors viewpoint. It was
absolutely impossible for Mrs. Brinker to get them back on track because
they were so curious and enthused about this topic and what self-driving cars
could mean for the future. For 30 minutes the students continuously
bombarded Mrs. Brinker with what if questions that made her stop and
ponder things that she had not even thought of before that class period. This
just goes to show that middle school curiosity and critical thinking is
amazing! They ponder world problems, are innovative, and think outside of
the box. They dont limit themselves to whats on a page or in an article, but
think beyond that and how these issues can affect the world. This is a perfect
example of what our class text means when it says, By developing
curriculum based on students questions and concerns, teachers can provide
an environment in which students can explore these issues and act on their
beliefs (Brown & Knowles, 42). Teachers need to grab onto this interest and
passion and run with it. Some of the best and most memorable lessons can

be spontaneous. Although Mrs. Brinker didnt take advantage of the learning

possibilities that this lesson opened up, as a teacher, I plan to use moments
like this to push student beyond the original lesson plans. These kids have so
many interests, and their curiosity is easily spiked, so its important for
teachers to understand their students and work with their passions and
curiosity. This can make learning far more enjoyable, beneficial, and
worthwhile for both the teachers and students. One student stated that kids
this age WANT to be challenged. They want to be inspired to learn and think
differently, its just a matter of designing lessons that grab onto this interest
and push them beyond common core standards. They wont be motivated
through test preparation; its up to teachers to go beyond test prep and
create meaningful lessons that students will take with them beyond the
classroom. These lessons should make them think critically and push them to
grow as learners.
One thing that seems to be standing in the way of student learning is
bullying. As I was looking over the interviews once they were completed, I
began to realize how prevalent bullying is in middle school. This differed a lot
from what I saw in 4th grade classrooms, which contained more minor
conflicts that dissolved within a day. But, after talking with many of the 7th
and 8th graders, bullying seems to be a school wide problem. Many of the
students worry about drama, have been called annoying, short, or even
weird, and some have had to find new friends because their old friends
couldnt accept them. The text emphasizes the effects these social situations

can have on students and says peer pressure is real to the young
adolescent. As young adolescents try to fit in, they become sensitive to what
other people have to say about them, particularly if its negative (Brown &
Knowles, 37). This peer pressure that is placed on students may seem
harmless, but as student 4 stated, bullying can lead to larger problems, like
depression. These are extremely serious issues that affect a childs ability to
feel safe in the classroom. Many of the children were upset about these
issues and said that they didnt feel that the teachers understood their
problems. As a future educator, I plan to make the prevention of bullying a
priority in my own classroom. When I was in 6th grade, I was bullied, so I
know how emotionally scarring it can be even years after it occurs. Thats
why its my number one goal to create a safe and inviting classroom
environment in which students feel comfortable being their true selves and
learning. We as educators must put students first and prioritize their safety.
As I continued to question the students, I observed that 7th and 8th
graders have many struggles both inside and outside of school. Many of
these students are going through many rough patches, are confused about
their own lives, and are trying to navigate new and scary territory that comes
with young adolescence. They are becoming adults and as a result, want to
be treated as such. When I asked students what they wished their teachers
knew about them, most of the answers came down to them feeling
misunderstood. After interviewing many of the students, I began to feel so
much empathy for what theyre going through. I went to a wealthy,

predominantly white high school that had little diversity, socioeconomic

problems, etc., so sometimes its difficult for me understand what some of
these students are going through. But, after conducting these interviews, I
was amazed at how complicated and confusing kids lives are in different
settings. Whether it be someones mom having cancer, being bullied
because of size, or wanting to be understood, respected and cared for, these
students live chaotic lives and its vital for teacher to understand them and
make them feel comfortable. Before interviewing some of these students I
felt as though some of them had bad attitudes, were rude, or that a few were
quiet and unsociable, but after taking time to get to know them and step into
their shoes, I was able to see that many of them are misunderstood. They
have a lot going on in their lives and just want to be understood and
respected. Teachers should never trivialize these students and their
problems. In our class text, What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know,
it talks about academic identity and how it affects students learning. The
text states, Young adolescents academic identity may impact the effort
they put into learning, and it affects their self-esteem related to academic
success; thus educators cant ignore their students identity search (Brown
& Knowles, 45). This shows how vital it is for teachers to validate and
empathize with students and their struggles. By making them feel
understood and respected, teachers can create a classroom that is not just
for learning, but is also for growing. In order to for students to grow, they

have to feel comfortable in their classroom setting and free to open up and
allow themselves to learn.

Journal 1:
The community in Fairfield Middle School is a very interesting
contributor to how students, teachers, and other staff behave. One thing that
is easily distinguished almost as soon as you enter the school is that it has
little funding. The hallways are outdated, the technology is very old, and the
classrooms are freezing. This lack of school funding can be attributed to the
lower class families that are a majority of the Fairfield population. It was
obvious that not only did this create tension between the students, but it
also created aggravation from the teachers who werent able to get all of the
resources that they needed. It was obvious in many of these teachers that
they had taken on the motto of, if the school doesnt care, why should we?
This was troubling for many of these students who picked up on their
attitude and also began to utilize it.

Another aspect of the community is that is has a very wide range of

socioeconomic differences. A small minority of children would come into the
classroom with Nike shoes, North Face coats, Sperrys, etc. while the majority
came in wearing worn down clothing that I had seen them wear most of the
days that I shadowed. What interested me most about this socioeconomic
difference is how it affected the children and the teachers. Many of the
students came to school uncaring, unmotivated to learn, and with bad
attitudes towards their own education. When asked why, my teacher
attributed these bad learning ethics to low socioeconomic levels. This
created difficult situations for the teacher, who wanted the children to
succeed, yet couldnt get through to them. In wealthier communities, parents
tend to be more involved in their childrens school life, but because Fairfield
was of lower socioeconomic level, some of the parents didnt prioritize
school, which made it very difficult for the teachers to motivate these
students.
Journal 2:
The demographic of my Fairfield Middle School is about 60% Caucasian
students and 40%. The total population of this school is 1,567 students. The
neighborhoods around the school seemed to mostly lower income with a few
wealthier ones. At one point my teacher mentioned one neighborhood that
everyone in the community knew about and called the The Knob. Although
the name of the neighborhood was really The Hill, the community knew of
it as the white trash and Hispanic neighborhood where people enter into a

cycle of poverty and are never able to escape. This creates extreme tension
in the community between those who have money and want an education
and those who live in poverty and have given up on any hope of an
education. What saddened me most is the label that the community gives
these students and the fact that they are already branded for failure. When I
asked my teacher if there was anything that they could do for these
students, she told me that their situation was hopeless and you cant help
those who dont wish to help themselves. While I can see how dealing with
this cycle would be frustrating, I find it difficult to ever imagine giving up on
group of students. How can these students succeed when they have already
been predetermined for failure by the their community?
Another interesting aspect is that each classroom had a high ratio of
teacher to students. Therefore, it was very difficult for many of the teachers
to manage the large number of students in their classroom. Many times I
witnessed there not being enough time for my teacher to help every single
student on their projects or papers during the short class periods. My teacher
mentioned that this was due to a recent increase in student population and
the school not being large enough to accommodate all of these students. In
order to fix this problem, the school has been building another middle school
that will be put into usage next school year. Hopefully when this new school
is utilized, more students will be able to be accommodated and receive more
one-on-one attention.

Journal 3:
Out of the 32 students in my classroom, about 13 of them were African
American or Hispanic. In my classroom, there werent any ELL students, but

in every single classroom there were at least two students that had
disabilities. These students were given a teacher aid that would follow them
around to each class. The job of these aids was to help keep the students
organized, and listen to the instructions for homework, projects, etc. that the
students might miss if they were in the classroom alone. The aids also help
the teacher when classroom management gets out of control. Because of the
already large student to teacher ratio, it would be very difficult for the
teachers to give the disabled students the proper attention and time that
they need in order to be successful. Although it may seem like the school is
very inclusive to these students, in reality, the students integrated into the
regular classrooms are only a small portion of the disabled student
population that exists at Fairfield Middle School. The only students with
disabilities that are integrated into the classroom are those with minor
attention deficit problems and slight emotional disturbances. Other than
those students, everyone else is considered far too much of a classroom
disturbance to be integrated. As a result, those students are separated
throughout the school day in their own special intervention classrooms.
Although I can understand how it would be difficult for teachers manage
these students on top of their already large classroom sizes, I do think there
is more that the school could be doing to integrate the disabled students into
the classrooms. A large problem that many of these teachers face with the
students that have 504 plans is that some of them take advantage of the
extra help. One student in my teachers classroom had a 504 plan that gave

him more time to work on assignments, but instead of utilizing his extra
time, he would use his disability as an excuse to only do the bare minimum.
Not only this, but he never properly utilized his extra time and would do all of
his assignments during class periods when he was supposed to be doing
other work. This led to an increasing amount of frustration and anger from
the teacher and student aid who were trying to give every opportunity they
could to help this student. Yet, he continued to ignore and abuse their help.

Journal 4:
One effective middle school tactic that I saw being implemented in
Fairfield Middle School was catering to the interests and needs of the
students. Instead of feeling like the curriculum was centered around common
core standards, my classroom tried to keep students interested and invested
in what they were learning. For example, many of my students were very
interested in political and social justice issues, so instead of just making
them write an essay from a cookie cutter prompt, my teacher had them write
letters to the future president. This allowed students to choose an issue that
they are passionate about and try to convince the future president why what
they believe in matters and needs to be changed. I loved seeing this project,
especially after we had just been talking about democratic teaching in class.
This project allowed the students to critically think about issues affecting the
world instead of only preparing for standardized testing. Not only this, but
the Mrs. Brinker actually mailed the letters to the White House, which shows
the students that they have the power to promote change in the world. Many
times, when I interviewed students and asked them what they would change
about the world, their answers tied in with what they had written in their
letter. This shows me that although they may have randomly chosen a topic
for the project, these issues stuck with them beyond the project and remain
something that theyre committed to changing.

Knowing that each student at this age wants to be treated as an adult,

my teacher worked hard to do this in all aspects of her classroom. She also
made sure that they followed through on their own part of the deal: if they
want to be treated like adults, they must also act like adults. As a result, she
gave them more responsibilities and instead of babying each of the children
and holding their hands through the lessons and homework, Mrs. Brinker
worked to make each of the students responsible for themselves. She
refused to mother them and nag them about their homework and worked to
put them in control of their own work ethic.

Journal 5:
My teachers utilized many of the 7th grade common core standards
when it came to reading comprehension. One that she focused on in
particular was analyzing a text and being able to understand the theme and
how it evolves throughout the writing. This could be seen when she gave the
students different articles in class and had them identify the claim. She then
had them locate facts and examples that supported this theme. Finally, she
would have them analyze the text and express their own opinion based on
the argument the author displayed throughout the text.
In class, my teacher worked hard to implement reading strategies as
they read The Outsiders. They practiced common core standards like
determining the themes in the book, understanding how setting and
elements can affect characters and plot, and at the end of the book, creating
a final project that summarized what they knew. In this project, they had to
use evidence from the book to support their reasoning behind song lyrics,
alternate book endings, etc.. After they were done with all the projects and
reading, my teacher let them watch The Outsiders movie. After they watched

it, she had them compare the book and the movie versions. This helped
develop the common core standard of being able to compare and contrast
different types of medium. Overall, I think my teacher did a good job of
implementing common core standards in an interesting and creative way
that helped reach out to all students and learning types.