Blog Entry #1

 

  • Describe the school and surrounding neighborhood

Riverside School is an elementary school where I plan to do my learning service at. The school is a large red brick building with a flat roof and portable buildings are located on the side of the main building. There is a large field behind the school and no playground equipment can be seen. Two spaces at the front of the building are dedicated to cars, with one area being a pickup zone and another area dedicated to parking. The school is part of the Jordan school district situated in a neighborhood of West Jordan. 


The neighborhood surrounding Riverside is nice, with tree-lined sidewalks and the majority of the properties being single-family homes. This school is nestled within its neighborhood, with no busy roads or commercial buildings in its general vicinity. Using US Census Bureau's website, West Jordan has a predominantly white population, making up 80% of the population, and Hispanic or Latino making up 19.3%.


  • Explain what you have learned about the students that you will be working with in your service learning placement.

The Riverside school has a student population of 742 students with 56% of white students, 34% Hispanic students, and with other races below 2%. Among the student population, 45% of students are considered as low income with test scores of low income students falling below average. Teacher to student ratio is 23:1 with 76% of teachers having three years or more in experience. 

I plan to do my service learning with Ms. Mitari, a sixth grade, English Language Arts teacher. Tests scores for students in ELA are 34% which is considered to be below the state average. While ELA test scores are below average, overall student progress is considered to be average when compared with other schools in the state. 

  • Describe your understanding of service learning.

The purpose of service-learning is to gain an idea of what it is like to run a classroom. Having a good understanding of what it is like to teach a classroom is not only a great experience but also to determine if teaching is the right career for me. Service-learning also creates an opportunity for me to create connections with teachers and principals.

Being an English Education major, I chose Ms. Mitari, to get an idea of how an English class is structured. Through her, I hope to have a better understanding of how to talk to students and keep their attention.  As part of my service-learning, it is expected that I can help her in any way that I can in which I hope to enrich her class by doing so. By assisting Ms. Mitari in her classroom I will learn how time is spent and utilized with the students. 




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