Ethnographic Observation
Heights is the school that parent’s want their children to attend. There is a sense of community here at Heights
that is undeniable and evident when walking through the halls.
Student B is on a waiver from Mesa View Middle School. Although she isn’t from one of the more affluent neighborhoods
that draw to Heights Middle School her neighborhood is still pretty. The cars parked in her driveway are nice, but not fancy
Student B is a 12 year old girl who is half Mexican, a quarter Italian, and a quarter Caucasian. She is always happy and
smiling but I’m not sure that her outside self reflects her inside self. Her situation is a little more dire than Student
A. When talking to Student B I found out that she is outwardly happy, but that when I asked her questions that were more personal
she became fairly guarded. When visiting with her outside of the classroom I was surprised that she too could carry on a meaningful,
appropriate conversation. I was not surprised that her conversation could be meaningful exactly, but that she was willing
to open up instead of carrying on a façade that I was use to seeing.
Student B is from divorced parents and this situation has impacted her hard. Although her family dynamics are different
than others, she is still comfortable in that family. The absence of a father has been hard on her and it is a fairly new
situation. Although her mom is an amazingly busy person she is always available for her children and spends every free minute
with them.
Although Student B is not as motivated as Student A she still tries hard, however, trying hard is not always the answer.
Unfortunately, our system wants to govern a students work by letters that let the kids know whether they are acceptable or
not. She must receive extra help in the classroom in order to be successful and I am willing to do that with her.
Student B lives within the Farmington city limits and she gets dropped off at school by her mother. She is an active participant
in soccer and track. She loves sports but has been asked to sit out this year on occasion because she did not have adequate
grades.
I can definitely empathize with this student because I too was turned down for an extra curricular activity because of
my bad grades. I felt devastated and I remember to this day how those feelings affected me when I was in school.
As far as the neighborhood goes, there is little to support children where she lives. There is a park nearby that she visits
with her friends or her siblings, but there is nothing structured to enhance the social lives of children close to her home.
Student B does have a very caring mom, but the dad is out of the picture. His support was negligent when the family was
together and that has only expanded now that they are divorced. It is very apparent that the absentee father affects this
young lady and she longs for his attention. When I spoke to her about her father she absolutely lit up, but it always came
back to him not being at the home like he use to be. Student B says, “My dad use to be around all the time, he was always
home, but since the divorce I hardly ever see him. He has a new girlfriend and she has kids…..” It’s hard
to see a student hurting this way.
Student B works very hard to get passing grades, and with a little extra time and effort on the part of the student and
the teacher she could be a competent student. When I observed her in the halls I notice that she lingers quite a bit at her
locker. She seems to enjoy her social time and has been tardy on more than one occasion. When she is asked about the reasons
she is tardy she always has an excuse and says that she will do better, but I don’t think that the tardies adversely
affect her the way it would a more conscientious learner. In class, Student B is always the reluctant answerer when called
upon. When grading on class participation she does work, however, there is always another leader, she is not willing to take
on that role.
I have learned a great deal just by observing this student. I know that if I draw her out of her shell, that she could
be a more consistent learner. I will begin to coax her out of her comfort zone when I begin my fulltime teaching and hopefully
she will respond. We will find something that works. I will help her accomplish tasks that she didn’t know she had the
ability to accomplish. I look forward to getting started and seeing how far we can go in the short time that I have with her.
