Observations
Our classroom will be open for observations approximately six weeks after school begins. I would like to encourage you to make arrangements to observe for at least 30 minutes. It is preferable for you to observe the classroom prior to parent/teacher conferences. This allows you to see for yourself how the classroom runs and how your child functions in this environment. This also gives us a common foundation for discussing your child's development within the classroom. Please schedule observation times with me ahead of time in order to avoid conflicts.
Helpful Hints for Observation Day
1. Let your child know the night before that you will be coming.
2. Follow your normal morning routines and say "goodbye" to your child.
3. We have a chair which we use as an observation chair. When you use this chair, it communicates to the children that you are an observer. You may move this chair to another location in the classroom if you wish.
4. Be aware that any of the following could happen when you visit: your child does his/her very best work, your child does no work at all, or your child becomes clingy and cries.
5. If appropriate, I may ask your child to invite you to sit with him while he "gives you a lesson." In our classroom, there is always someone who knows how to "do a work." Once a child becomes proficient, it often becomes his opportunity to show someone else how to do the work.
Some Things to Look for While Observing
1. Your child's concentration level.
2. The grace and courtesy he/she shows towards others.
3. Your child's independent activity versus wanting teacher direction or attention.
4. The amount of time he/she spends in work, social or "other."
5. The range of choices your child has, and what choices he/she makes.
6. Your child's internalization of classroom guidelines (how free your child is to make choices).
7. Your child's skill level in handling materials.
8. Your child's respect for the environment and everything in it.
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