Parkside Elementary Classroom Observation

When I first arrived at Parkside Elementary, I thought the school looked really small. I went to visit on Friday, December 16, 2016 and upon arriving, learned school had been let out early due to snow. Ms. Sperfslage was still there and allowed me to speak with her about what her classroom is like. She explained to me the whole building was only first grade (which was really amazing to me, I’ve never heard of a school building being one grade). Since she didn’t have any students when I arrived, she grabbed iPads and started showing me all of the lesson plan formats, programs the students work with, and general information about her classroom. I could tell she was really passionate about teaching and I could tell she really cared about her students. When looking at the sites the students use for math, she was explaining to me how multiple students are very behind and are going to have to work very hard to get caught up. The same situation was true when looking at literacy. She also informed me the group of students she has are very hard to work with. Ms. Sperfslage said the
Sperfslage has a very definite role in the classroom due to the nature of the students and the grade level. She said she likes to allow the students choices, in her classroom she provides multiple alternatives to the common desk and chair seating. Her classroom also had multiple pull-outs and has another staff in there for some struggling students. One thing she said that really stuck with me was, “This may be the best eight hours of some of these students day, so I try to make it enjoyable.” This is very powerful. Due to the background some of these students have, it is really important to think about them as people. She shared how the grade is behind due to all the staff problems and well as behavioral issues, but she is motivated to make them achieve to the best of her ability. I believe she allows the students multiple opportunities to make the learning fun and