Narrative

Amber Chun

Narrative

“Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand”

-Chinese Proverbs

Education is one of the most powerful tools a person can possess. It is the teachers’ job to involve and engage their students in the learning process. Good teachers are those who are excited about their subject and excited about their job. I did my observations at Redlands High School and sat in on a Senior Economics class and a Junior AP US History class. Both classes were extremely different, not only because of age, but because of intelligence and engagement. The first class I observed was Economics with Ms. Turnpaugh. She was very familiar with her students and often asked them about their personal life. She asked a student if her day was better than it had been the day before. They were taking a test and she kept a close eye on them. However, I witnessed a few students cheating. They were taking a scantron test, which made it easier for them to share answers. It was very hard to tell who was taking the test and who was finished however because the seats were so close together. With the teacher’s desk in the upper-hand corner at the same level as the desks, it was hard to see the students in the opposite far corner. If students finished the test they were allowed to put their books and bags back on the desk and could listen to their ipods. Ms. Turnpaugh said that the kids were quieter after tests if they were allowed to listen to their ipods. I could tell, however, that the students were taking advantage of my presence. I distracted Ms. Turnpaugh with my questions or she was looking at her computer screen. Students could easily cheat because of close proximity. If she believed students were cheating, she would immediately warn them and keep an eye on them for a few minutes. When two girls who sat next to each other turned in their tests at the same time, she examined both tests to check for cheating. I asked her what the schools rules were for cheating and she said that, since it’s a public school, the most the school can do is suspend them or give them a failed grade for that class. Expulsion was hard because there was nowhere else for the kids to go.

I didn’t quite agree with Ms. Turnpaugh’s teaching style. She said she tested them every Friday on a new chapter. However, all the tests were scantron and there were no written papers. She said she didn’t have time to grade papers, which is why she never assigned them. She said that in the past she would assign papers but she often had difficulty grading them on time. I disagreed with her on this method. Writing is an extremely important tool and is necessary in college. My professors constantly complain that

today’s students are horrible writers. I contribute this fact to teachers like Ms. Turnpaugh who are too lazy to grade papers. She complained that grading papers was the worst part of her job. A student’s education should never be compromised due to laziness. She also used the same tests every year. Though she had two different versions of the test, in my experience, students who have previously taken the tests will help students currently in the class cheat. Previous students cantell current students what is exactly on each test and what is important to study. Ms. Turnpaugh also does not make her own tests, but instead puts information onto a website which creates it for her. This isn’t a bad idea, however, in my opinion, it makes the tests easier. At the University of Redlands, I have yet to take an all-scantron test. Which brings me to the conclusion that students need to experience tests outside of scantron. Writing, the ability to remember information, and be able to convey that information in an educated manner is very important to test taking. Scantron tests don’t help students memorize information because the answers are already given to you.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,255438,00.html.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNWjQRkHs24.

The second classroom I visited was AP US History with Mr. Atchley. He told me that this was his 37^th year teaching. He graduated from Redlands High School and the University of Redlands. Both Mr. Atchley and Ms. Turnpaugh attended Redlands High School and both started their careers as substitute teachers. Mr. Atchley joked that he had taught the President of the high school. The students were a lot more invested in learning than the seniors of Economics. However, as juniors, they were a lot more immature than the seniors. A majority of the students sitting in the center or front of the class were engaged and answered questions. However, those sitting in the back corners often whispered or handed notes. But if I were in Mr. Atchley’s class I would have fell asleep or chatted with my friends. He lectured the whole hour of class and seldom asked students questions. The students could answer his questions seventy percent of the time. The only aspect of his lectures that were interesting and informative was his personal stories. The students would listen when he told his story about Ceasar Chavez visiting Redlands High School. However once he started talking about feminism students began to drift off. Mr. Atchley also used an out of date textbook. He said he had been using the book since he started teaching and that he was very comfortable with it. I did not agree with this choice to use a book that was not even being printed anymore. There is a reason textbook companies update textbooks. Though it may be for profit, history is constantly being discovered. New facts about the past are being uncovered. His book, most likely doesn’t cover any current events like George W. Bush and the War in Iraq. The textbook was also very heavy and dense. I would personally not want to read that textbook. However, Mr. Atchley was a very nice man and loved his students. I could tell he loved teaching and he loved students.

Both classrooms were very different with the teachers, teaching style, classroom setting, and students. Ms. Turnpaugh used a PowerPoint everyday, while Mr. Atchley lectured. I feel like a balance between the two would be the best. I would use a PowerPoint to help my students learn key terms and take notes more efficiently. I would use the PowerPoint as a guideline, but mainly lecture. I would relate historical events to current events and also put them in a modern perspective. I would not only teach history, but would also assign current affairs projects to keep my students updated with the history being created around them. I would also involve the students more by assigning them events to present during class instead of my lecturing. I feel like those student presentations would help them learn better and they could see events from a different perspective.