Field Blog Post 6

Today at Gesu I observed during the morning, instead of my usual time on Thursday afternoon. I sat in Mrs. Schetter's reading class with her third graders, where they were reading The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I was again impressed with how Mrs. Schetter ran her classroom. The students were supposed to be reading chapter four of the novel, and instead of having them read silently to themselves, Mrs. Schetter allowed each child to have a turn reading out loud to the rest of the class while standing in the front of the room, if they so desired. I thought this was a good way to have the students read because it kept them more interested than if they would have had to read it all alone. Mrs. Schetter would also periodically ask them questions on the passage they just read to ensure all the kids understood. Not only did this activity keep the kids interested, it helped them to work on their pronunciation and speaking skills. I was also impressed with the fact that Mrs. Schetter did not force each child to read if they did not want to; she recognized and respected the fact that not all children are comfortable with reading/speaking in a large group setting. I, myself, do not like presenting in front of large audiences, and always wished my teachers had recognized that. I would like to run my classroom similarly someday, allowing my students to feel comfortable in the room and not have to do anything they are truly uncomfortable with.