interview post

JW          My name is Joanna Williams and I’m sitting here with

NR     Nia Richardson

JW     and we are talking about how classroom environment enhance a child’s learning. So first what school are you currently working for and what grade are you teaching.

NR      I currently work for Overbrook Elementary in Overbrook Pennsylvania teaching second grade

JW      And umm how long have you been working for the school?

NR      I’m finishing up my first year

JW      Alright when first setting up the classroom umm how did it look

NR      Umm the walls were very bright but bland

JW      Ok bland umm where did you…  were the desk a certain way

NR      Yes

JW      How?

NR      They were in rows

JW      Now can you describe the classroom to me now after you decorated it?

NR      I situated the students in a group environment umm... There is a total of 20 desk with five groups umm there are phrases and inspiration quotes on the wall from both historical people and myself just to encourage the student and set them for the future. And Yea!!

JW      (Laughs)Alright that is pretty much it  ok I currently see sections divided off in the classroom how many sections do you have in all

NR      There are three sections

JW      Did the school supply you with umm.. Any type of material or were you just on your own

NR      The school pretty much supplied me with materials basic materials such as notebooks and paper but everything else as far as the decorative supplies for the classroom and windows and cubbies I supplied for myself

JW      Ok and umm did you have a certain inspiration that you got it from or… Or was it all from your head.

NR      Pretty much everything was from my head … I just wanted to be as bright and enthusiastic as possible

JW      Do you remember being in school and seeing umm different seeing your classroom in elementary school does it still stick in your head from how the classroom look?

NR      Umm most definitely umm my favorite classroom was my 3 rd. grade classroom and just for the simple fact of how bright and fun it was.

JW      Ok so roughly how long did it take you to decorate this umm…exact classroom?

NR      Umm.. Basic decoration pretty much took me the duration of the summer but once I got my student list it didn’t take me that long.

JW          Ok did you see… I see… say the students are in groups did you seat them in a certain way I remember being me in elementary school the teacher sat us in certain ways base on our different personalities and different types of way we were taught and learnt.. Did you seat your students in that certain way

NR      UMM yes actually I decided to place at least one active and enthusiastic student in one of the group just to provide encouragement and support and umm those students who require special attention the receive attention from out teacher aid

JW      Ok do you see that enhance the student learning… did you see any different in the students?

NR      I feel as though those students who require the specific attention umm they are separated in the sense but not separated in the sense of (paused) them being separated in a totally different classroom they are still involved with the other students they just that they have a more specific and detail teaching

JW      Do you think the students… Since you incorporated the students that are more enthusiastic or more outgoing then the other students do you see them the students you place them with do you see them stepping up to the plate as the other students or do you see them riding  in with the students.

NR      I think it is very balance

JW      Very balance

NR      Very balance

JW      Are they stepping us

NR      Yes

JW      They are stepping up… How much…..

NR      But no more.. it’s not as if the more enthusiastic student is stepping up more than the student who requires more specific attention.. That’s what I mean the balance is

JW      Ok so the student that is more enthusiastic is not is not overriding the student…..

NR          Over riding the student who could be more shy and timid because that special attention that he/she might need

JW      Ok do you fear that sitting the more enthusiastic student with the shy student do you fear that they would take over the classroom?

NR      No

JW      No not at all

NR      No I do not

JW      Do the shy student still find a way to make there self-known in the classroom

NR      Yes they do weather its him or her doing its own their own or me being the one to force it .. Not force it but weather me not calling on more of the active student but me trying to encouraging the shyer student

JW      Ok no problem how much freedom did the school board give you because I know with most schools the school board does not allow  you to hang some stuff on top, some stuff can’t be above like the fire extinguisher, but how much freedom were you allowed to decorate your classroom

NR      (starts to laugh)     Umm I really don’t (pauses) feel like I cross any boundaries

JW      UH HUH

NR So I would say I’m pretty free umm it hasn’t been brought to my attention that I cross anything (laughs again)

JW      Ok umm.. I see you have computers and a smart board in you class. So with technology expanding every day in the classroom do you feel like the smart boards and computers enhance the way the students learn.. Because when I was in school I didn’t have smart boards and we just started to get computers because we had chalk boards… Do you feel like the smart boards and markers make the children learn better or any more..

NR      Here is my thing I feel as though computers are always informational and helpful

JW      UH HUH

NR      Smart boards are beneficial in sense of it allows the teacher to be more effective and explain the material quicker for the simple fact of all we have to do is simply write something on the computer and boom it will pop up on the projection but in terms of us visually showing a student how to solve a mathematical equation I think a smart board could in a sense hinder a student in

JW      Do you believe that a smart board and computers are making us lazy

NR      Uhh no

JW      As teachers is it getting us an easy way out..

NR      NO

JW      NO

NR      No I do not

JW      OK.. So can you please describe, the different sections you do have in a classroom

NR      Yes I have a section that is dedicated just specifically to reading umm students are not allowed in this section without a reading book. I also have a section umm kind of like a costume section where the last twenty minutes of the day students are allowed to enter this section and just be

JW      Free

NR      Free (starts to laugh)

JW      Is that all day can they do that any part of the day

NR      No its just the last twenty minutes of the day

JW      Oh ok

NR      yea the school day and of course I have the mathematical/ puzzle section

JW      UH HUH

NR      Umm to just encourage math, reading is fundamental and math is GREAT!

JW          OK

NR      So I have just those three sections (laughing)

JW      Umm ok let me see with all the.. I mean I see this a very big school do you see that  with all the different classroom rooms do you compare.. how can I explain this do you think its better more vibrant or learning more than the other classrooms that are in the school

NR      Umm I don’t know about any other classroom in the school. I can only speak on the behave of my classroom and students and I feel as though my students are more attentive supporated and enthusiastic umm base of the fundamental teaching I try to provide and also the classroom atmosphere

JW      Ok i see that the colors are still manila white.. But I see you haver a lot of posters in the classroom do you feel like with the posters and the words under the posters and since you are teaching second grade does it.. do it help out the student even if you not teaching it

NR      I think it do because umm visual.. You how some people might be more visual learners then others.. Umm so you might necessarily attain the words that I speak  but there might be a specific poster or specific phrase that might stick out to you minds for the rest of your life

JW      OK

NR      And I think those are always helpful

JW      OK and with the different desk that are set up do you more  move them from the group and separate them so they can be more isolated or do you keep them in with the rest of the students so that can encourage them to be a better student or would you rather them to sit on their own

NR      I feel… uhh it depends on the severity of the student like if in turns of how bad they are acting I don’t specifically like moving students umm for the simple fact I feel as though that’s uhh and embarrassment I like for the student to learn from their mistake and soo umm at times I might keep them in their group and further along the class.. I don’t want to embarrass the student

JW      (laughing) I understand do you feel like with the posters you have around the room  umm with the different historical figures because some of the historical figures you have on the wall there not detail described in the history books I know when  I was aa student some of these figures weren’t describe as thoroughly as others inside of the history books.. Do you think that since they are own the wall the pictures there do you think they learn more.

NR      Yes definitely.. I Feel as though with me to for example when I was growing up in elementary school there were figures of people I knew nothing about.. I didn’t learn about them until high school or even maybe college and I feel as though me just presenting these figures, concepts or phrases to these students not only enhancing them but just opening them up to education and information that we weren’t afforded

JW      OK

NR      Do you know what I mean ?

JW      Yes I get what you are saying

NR      I don’t want students to leave my class and say oh I never learned about him or I never learned about her.. I want to open it up the acknowledge meant to at least have known but having the decision not to further there knowledge

JW      OK I understand that is a very good concept.. I see you have you little section set up as a little mini living room I see you have a little couch in here

NR      And the play area (laughing)

JW      And the play area in front of it (laughing) I see that Do you think it gives a child a more comfortable feel

NR      Definitely umm you don’t want the one thing you never want.. I was a nerd growing up  so I was ok with the classroom environment but umm as time went on  you learn more about the student that does not like the classroom environment   or don’t like the with or authoritative teacher who has the ruler in their hand smacking it on their hand (makes a slap noise) no learning is fundamental everything is fundamental everything should be a fun learning experience so that’s all I strive to abide by

JW      Ok that’s a good thing!!! Do you think that since you are finishing up a year do you think your children or students that you have are going to go to their next class and expecting more since they started off with this class with much high expectation

NR      I sure hope so (laughing)

JW      (LAUGHING) Is it because of your teaching or because of the way the classroom was set up because as I looked around different classrooms I observed the different classrooms  in the school I observed that your classroom stood out the most  so do you think that the student are going to go with high expectations on the classroom or high expectations on the learning

NR      I feel as though my teaching my teaching no I’m sorry.. I mean my students shouldn’t expect anything from the classroom umm.. The classroom should be more of an comfortable environment.. I feel as though my students should more form the teacher and the teaching techniques because as a student gets older the classroom changes. For example elementary school the teaching techniques is different than high school and in high school the teachingis different in college classroom and I think us as teachers should strive for students to excel more in a college environment weather it is a liberal environment or weather the student as more then one option to bed more successful Do you know what I mean? (Pauses)

NR      So for me providing those three different sections I’m providing the student who wants to be a geeky nerd who wants to be the drama actor or the producer or director and I provide the section who wants to be the mathematical genius you understand me? A teacher should give a student options to be him or herself

JW      So you are you agreeing that a classroom environment enhances a way students learn?

NR      Defiantly  

JW      Why

NR      I mean this interview just encompasses everything a student will be him or herself when they are comfortable

JW      So do you think your classroom..

NR      When there is no fear involved when the student is courageous enough to just be themselves.

JW      So do you think your classroom comes from a student who goes home and says I can’t wait to go to school to be

NR      to be with Mrs. Richardson

JW      OK that’s how they should feel.. Thank you for taking your time out to talk to me about your classroom.. I enjoyed your classroom.. I enjoyed observing yourclassroom and I hope things really work out for you in the future.

JW      Thank you Joanna and I hope the same for you..