Mr Free Classroom Observation

Ashley Clark
Observation Reflection

I completed my observations at Concord Junior High in Mr. Eric Free's classroom. Mr. Free teaches 7th grade English and Language Arts. While in his classroom observing, I observed 5 different periods paying particular attention to the 1st hour class. Mr. Free's room was decorated and colorful. Above the chalkboard, he had various autographed photos that the students all found interesting in the first few weeks of class. There were newspaper clippings of all students in the school when they were participating in any type of school or non school event – church, sports, band, community service, etc. I found this incredibly important because not only is he recognizing students in the classroom for excelling
During this particular day of observing (my second day) I brought my textbook to refer to specific charts and descriptions of different types of disabilities. Vaughn, Bos, and Schumm (2003) listed a chart for signals for possible learning disabilities which I referred to while watching a student named Tim. Even though it was only 1st hour, Tim looked confused and exhausted. He was having trouble following directions even though it appeared that he was listening and trying to make sense of what the teacher was instructing him to do although he was easily distracted by any noise, sniffle or cough in the room. During a quiet time while the students were working on an assignment, I asked Mr. Free about Tim and he told me that not only did he have a learning disability but he also took medication for ADHD. When I went back to sit down and observe, I noticed that Tim could barely stay awake and seemed almost disoriented. Mr. Free signaled for me to go and help Tim one on one. As sort of an "icebreaker" I asked him why he was so tired. Tim then told me that every night its past 2 AM before he gets to sleep. I asked him if he was up playing video games or watching television, but he told me that his parents wouldn't allow that so he just stays in bed for hours before he is able to fall asleep. After reading our textbook, Vaughn, Bos and Schumm state that difficultly sleeping is an obvious sign of ADHD; however if he was taking medication one would think that it should be helping to control it. According to Vaughn, Bos and Schumm teachers should be working with the parents and doctor monitoring the medication. Obviously the medication wasn't working – and could even be the cause of Tim not being able to sleep at night, and if he isn't sleeping he can't learn to his best potential. After class, I discussed my concerns with Mr. Free,