My Graduate School Experiences: Part I- About Me & "Advice" on Facing the Dreaded Grad School Application Process
September 9th, 2005
Hi Everyone! My name is Sarah Heist and I am a recent graduate of Canisius College. Now I am just beginning my studies in graduate school. Dr. Bayer suggested that I keep a log of my new grad school experiences to be used as a resource for current undergraduate students as they make their own decisions about what to do after receiving their diplomas in May.
I hope that this log can be helpful to you-- answering your questions and maybe offering some info that you might have not thought about asking! This log will probably be most helpful for Psych majors, especially those with concentrations in School Psych, but alot of it will probably translate to other concentrations in Psych and other majors as well. It might also help you decide what type of program you want-- like a masters or
PhD--or if you even want to go to grad school versus entering that dreaded "real world" after graduation.
Before I begin dispensing any "advice," let me tell you a little about my own situation. I am currently in my first semester at Fordham University, enrolled in their School Psychology
PhD program. The program is full time and will take a minimum of 5 years to complete (which means that ill probably still be in school while most of you are already done with grad school and have become full-time members of the real world). The School Psych program is part of Fordham's Graduate School of Education, which is located at their Lincoln Center campus, in the heart of Manhatten, right near Central Park. I just moved here about a week ago, and already it has been a completely life-changing experience. Im living in Yonkers, so I have definitely fulfilled the commuter role-- I takes me 30 minutes on the Metro-North train to get into the city. Then I catch the Subway in Manhatten, and walk from the station to campus where my classes are held. My total commute takes a little over an hour-- which i quite a change from my "commute" last year at Canisius, which was basically a 2 minute walk from my apartment on Loring! However, here in the city, my commute is not unlike most other graduate students in my classes. In addition to my courseload, Im also employed as a graduate assistant in one of the school of education offices.
My first semester in the
PhD program, I take 4 classes- all in the afternoon or evening. For the first 2 years, my classes are a mix of
PhD students and PD students. (PD students are attaining their professional degree- similar to a master's or certification level program).
Well, that generally sums up my situation. I know its a bit detailed and specific, but I think its important that you know where Im coming from to compare it to what your own situation might be.
Ok, so now you know about me. Before I talk about my class situation, I think you might be more interested in the "applying for grad school process" since most of you probably have that on your mind right now. (Next time I write ill get a little more into my first week of classes.)
Below is what I've learned about the grad school application process that I have found important enough to share with you-- its alot to take in, but trust me, its worth taking seriously. I know from experience!!!
My own personal application process could have gone smoother had I taken all the advice that was being thrown at me from all directions. I decided at the last minute what I wanted to do-- not necessarily the smartest way to go- especially if you are interested in a
PhD program! So right now, ill just re-iterate what you probably have already been hearing so much. As daunting as the task is--start figuring out what you want to do and where you want to go as soon as you can (especially if you are a Senior)!!! Alot of
PhD programs require you to hand in your applications in December or January. Master programs applications usually aren't due until sometime in the Spring, but not always- so make sure you know when each school's deadlines are! If you have an idea of the program you want, but have no idea what colleges offer the program, what their requirements are, or how good they are-- the psychology office has a great book about Graduate Programs in Psychology (sorry i dont know what the exact title is). Just ask the secretary, Sharon, if you can take a look at it. Of course the web is also a great place to look. NASP online and APA online both helped me discover where School Psych
PhD programs are offered and accreditted by the organizations.
Also, make sure you sign up for the GREs soon, and do a little prep work for them! Find out if the school your applying for also requires that you sign up for the Psychology GRE too-- this exam is not offered all the time like the general GRE, so if you miss the date(s), you may be out of luck. When you prepare, you dont need to go overboard-- just familiarize yourself with how the test is set up, and brush up on your verbal skills and math formulas. It definitely helped me. If you don't consider yourself a good standardized test-taker, you may need to up your study time a bit. Alot of school have minimum GRE requirements. (Though some make exceptions for good students, its not guarunteed).
Once you know have an idea of where you want to apply, make sure you get to know your deadlines, and make some of your own. Try to have everything ready early so that you aren't rushing around at the last minute (like i did) and worrying that a part of your application was incomplete or missing. Getting the applications in early gives you time to correct any mishaps (I was lucky not to have any!!), not to mention it saves you the money of having to rush-deliver it (which im guilty of). Its very important to give your professors that your asking letters of recommendation from ample time to write them. Otherwise, you'll have to beg (another practice im guilty of). Also, find out beforehand, what they need from you so they can write them-- like info on why your applying for the program you are, what your goals are, and a copy of your resume or VITA.
The resume/VITA is another issue. I avoided it so much because I just didnt know where to start, nor did i want to face the task! I realized that it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be once I sat down and just did it. Ive heard from others that the Career Center is a great resource for guidelines and such. Go there! Also, make sure you have others read it over, they may think of things you forgot to put on, or have a good eye for catching mistakes.
And dont forget about writing that personal statement. Again, another daunting task that you might have no idea where to begin writing. Before I wrote mine, I did a free-writing exercise. I wrote down everything i could think of that was driving me toward choosing my concentration and level of study. This was a HUGE help when I sat down to write the real thing. It not only forces you to think about why your making the decision that you are making, but it also organizes all those thoughts for you, making the actually personal statement a little less intimidating. Again, the Career Center is another valuable resource for the task. GO THERE! Finally, be sure to read each school's personal statement directions carefully- each one may request that you write about different things.
Ok, i think thats quite alot to disgest so ill stop there- but if you have any specific questions that i didnt address, please don't hesitate to ask. I am more than willing to give you any information i can. If i can't help you, I may be able to direct you to someone who can. And go to any grad school info sessions that you can which are offered by various clubs and offices around Canisius. The more you familiarize yourself, the easier the process is.
Like i wrote earlier, Ill write more about my classes and first experiences in grad school next time. You might find these experiences useful in the first part of the grad school process for you: the search for the "perfect" program for your interests.
One more piece of advice- Don't get TOO worried about grad schools and the application process!! I know that reading all of this at once can be scary, but its important that you understand everything that is involved with the application process. While you shouldn't stress yourself out about it, a little bit of worry will motivate you to get things done If you stay on top of things there is no need to panic! Do a little at a time, so you never feel overwhelmed and keep yourself reminded of deadlines-- both those for applications and your own you make for yourself. If you pace yourself, you'll get everything done while still enjoying every bit of your senior year!! And you'll have the capacity to stress about all the other things you probably have going on in your life right now without having a nervous breakdown!! :)
If you would like to reach me, my email address is heists@gmail.com. If you would like to talk on the phone (because sometimes thats just easier for saying exactly what you mean), send me a message with your phone number and ill contact you as soon as i can. Good luck and stop back for more updates on my experiences!!
Practicum Information/Log
Psy498PracticumLog
site: Therapeutic Preschool Mon: Sarah & Tracy Wed: Karen
Activities: Monday 5/3: This weeks was our final week in the Preschool. On Monday, the kids got a special treat when the teachers gave them "snow" to play with. The snow was actually a big bag of shredded paper. The teachers dumped it on the kids and they played in it during toy time. One of the children did not cooperate during music time so the teachers had him sit at the table during the fun. He had to watch the other kids laugh and have a good time. After a few minutes, the teachers let him join in. Cleaning up the "snow" wasn't an easy task though. The teachers told all the kids to help out until almost all the bigger shreds of paper were picked up. While some of the children were good about cleaning up as much as they could, other kids began to daudle and look for other toys to amuse themselves with. When the teachers saw that some of the kids were helping out more than others, they let the kids who were working stop cleaning and have snack. The other kids !
had to continue picking up. This was a good idea because the kids who were still cleaning up could see that if they had worked harder they could have been eating their snack too. Most of them started to pick up alot faster when they realized this.
Wednesday 5/5: There was nothing too out of the ordinary today. Some of the kids had a very good day, while others did not. Music time as a whole was a lot better than usual. Most of the kids were listening, singing, joining in, and having fun. Only one boy was having trouble during music. He had difficulties last week too. Again, he did not want to sit in the seat he was in. He put up a fight at first, but by the middle of music, he began singing and even smiled during the songs. During toy time, I noticed that another boy really has a difficult time sharing. He always plays by himself and if other children want to play with him, he yells at them or hits them. I had to put him in time out for hitting another child, who didn't even do anything to make him mad. He really has no desire nor understanding of sharing at all. He will take toys from kids and then tell them that the toy is his. He will hoard the toys he is playing with so that no one else can use them,!
even if he isnt even playing with them. I'm not sure if its a real problem with him, or if he just hasnt reached the developmental age to understand sharing.
site: Therapeutic Preschool Mon: Sarah & Tracy Wed: Karen and Connie
Activities: Monday 4/26: Today was a pretty good day. With only one more week of my experience in the classroom left, I can see alot of progress in many of the kids. They are getting better at vocalizing their feelings with words rather than whining or physical force. They tell another kid "I don't like that" if he/she is doing something wrong. Its funny to watch some of the kids that don't understand the concept as well, because they will tell another kid, "I dont like that" when really other child is not breaking any rules. The upset child is just wants his/her way and can't have it. In the morning, getting off buses I did notice one girl who continues to be very shy and refuses to talk to anyone. I know that this is something that she needs help with, but I can't help but sympathize for her because, in a lesser way, I was the same way when I was a kid. I was shy and didnt like to talk to other people, especially first thing when I got to school. However, her cas!
e is worse because she doesn't interact very much to the other children and does not participate much in group activities. My instinct is to sympathize for her, but I know that by allowing her to continue being so extremely shy and isolating, she will never change her behaviors.
Wednesday 4/28: Today was a very difficult day in this classroom. I think every kid except for one had at least one incident of defiance. One [particular incidence was at music time. The boy, who is normally so happy and excited at music time, absolutely refused to participate. At the start of the session, he refused to sit in his seat. However, every seat has a name on it, so he was sitting in another child's chair. When told to move, he became overly distraught about it. The therapist had to move him to his real seat and then I had to stand behind his chair so that he couldn't get out of it. He tried to push his chair out repeatedly without success so he decided to throw his arms instead. He almost hit the child sitting next to him several times. He seemed tempted to make hit the child intentionally because he was upset, but I could see that he understood that this would be wrong of him. Throughout music refused to sing any of the songs until the very end. By !
then he finally gave up his defiance and was queitly singing, and smiling for the goodbye song.
site: Therapeutic Preschool Mon: Sarah & Tracy Wed: Karen & Connie
Activities: Monday: Today was the first day back after Easter break and you could definitely tell. Many of the kids were somber when they arrived, trying to re-adjust to the daily routine. Later in the day, they became more outgoing and active. There were not any big problems in the classroom. It was interesting to see how the break from school and therapy affected some of the children's progress. For example, one little boy was very difficult to understand. The teachers remarked to his speech therapist that he may have regressed during the time off because neither of them could make out the things that he was trying to say. This same child was having trouble with keeping calm and friendly to the other children in the classroom. He would grab toys that others were playing with. As soon as they whined or told him no, he would yell at them and complain to the teacher that they were being too loud. He didn't really get that they were yelling at him first because he!
had stolen the toy from them. This happened a few times throughout the day. I don't think he grasps the idea that the toy still belongs to the other child whether or not he has decided that he wants to play with it. Even after the teachers corrected him, im not quite sure he understood that he was doing something wrong.
Wednesday: Today, the classroom was as full as its ever been. A new student has started and it seems that he's having alot of difficulties. First, he does not listen to directions at all. He was playing at the sink and I repeated to him several times to turn the water off, with no avail. I had to take his hands out of the sink myself, turn him around and point him in another direction for him to leave the sink alone. As soon as he saw something else he wanted to play with, it was as if he totally forgot about the sink. During music too, the teacher had to tell him and several times not to grap the supplies from the teacher and she had to physically pull his hands away. I think part of the problem is that he is new and is not familiar with the structure that comes with the classroom experience. It would be interesting to see how his behavior is at home. Does he listen? Does he get to do what he wants? etc. One of the usual offenders in bad behavior in this classr!
oom had a very good day. I was pleasantly surprised at how helpful and cooperative he was. He was very active during the music group, which is usually a time he shuts down and avoids participation. Another child, who I have barely heard communicate effectively or show a whole lot of reaction to any group activities, surprised me too. At breakfast, I heard him ask for cereal and juice with alot more precision than I have ever heard from him before. I was very impressed. There is still one more child that I would like to comment about (there was obviously alot going on today!). One of the children was having alot of trouble keeping under control. When he feels like cooperating, he can be very delightful and pleasant. However, when he wants to defy the rules, he tunes out everything the teachers say and just repeats "Don't talk to me/look at me/touch me" etc. He also runs around and kicks, without worry about who or what is around him. At one point he was upset abou!
t something and he had a rolled up paper towel in his hand. H!
e was ab
out to throw it at the teacher. When she said no, he aimed it at the girl next to him instead. When the teacher said no again, he withdrew but then quickly ran up to another boy and threw it quickly before the teacher could say no again. Clearly, this other boy wasn't the reason he was upset, but the child wanted to take his anger out on someone or something. Throwing the paper towel at the boy was something he could get away with (even though he paid for it after the fact, by being put into time out during playtime). It seemed liked a very simple, scaled down example of anger displacement. It makes me think of more serious cases, like abusers who hurt their loved ones because of something else that stresses them out, like work or finances. Relating these people with the act of a child makes me see how primitive this type of angry behavior really is.
site: Therapeutic Preschool Mon: Karen & Connie Wed: Sarah & Tracy
Activities: Monday 3/29: Today was quite an eventful day in Karen and Connie's room. We had six kids in the room which is probably the most that I have worked with in that classroom. We had beautiful weather that day so we were decided to leave gymtime early and head outside for a walk. When we went upstairs to get the kids' coats, one of the kids was whining, but she would not use her words as to why she was upset. The teacher asked her several times what was wrong but she would not say anything, just whine and eventually cry. Finally, the teacher told her that she wouldn't be going on the walk with us unless she used her words and spoke to her about what was wrong. Since that didn't work, the child didn't go on the walk with us. We walked with the other kids around the block. It was very pleasant. None of them had trouble listening when the teacher explained the importance of holding hands with a buddy, walking, and staying on the sidewalk. The kids seemed to en!
joy being outside and the teacher made them feel a little more grown up by telling them how well they listened and that their good behavior showed that they could go out for a walk sometime again (when the weather gets nice!). The rest of the day wasn't as pleasant as the walk, but nothing I havent experienced yet in that classroom.
Wednesday 3/31: Today I was in Sarah and Tracy's room. There was nothing too exciting about working in them. One of the therapists came in before gymtime for "hurts group." Most of the kids were having trouble paying attention to other kids when they were talking. Alot of them had trouble talking about their hurts to the other children as well. I could get a sense that the kids were not in the mood to be doing a group activity, and the teachers had to tell many of them to sit down and listen several times. The rest of the day was not as hectic as it can get because alot of the kids had individual therapy sessions and they would ask to bring a friend. This made toytime a lot more quiet than normal.
site: Therapeutic Preschool: Mon & Wed: Tracy and Sarah
Activities: Monday: I don't have too much interesting information to write about that I probably haven't written already. I've become pretty familiar with how Tracy and Sarah's classroom is run. Discipline is always helping to keep kids on track even when they are having a more difficult day. At the same time, they are always praising kids they see doing a good job and pointing them out to other kids in the class. In general, I will say that I have noticed some real progress in a few of the kids. One of the boys in particular seems to be doing really well lately. I think he is one of the older kids in the classroom and it seems that he understands most of what is expected of him. When I started at the preschool, he did have difficulty expressing himself with his words. When he didnt like something, he would whine or yell. The teachers were good about reminding him to talk when he wanted to express what he was feeling. The habit isnt entirely gone, but I have notic!
ed that he is more apt to use his words than whine when he is upset.
Wednesday: I worked in Sarah and Tracy's room again today because they had more kids in their room than Karen and Connie's, and Faith was not there to help out. Again, the teachers are consistent with their classroom structure so they took care of any problems efficiently. One particular incident that stood out was right before toy time. After gym, the kids had a craft to complete. When some of the children finished, they were allowed to occupy themselves with toys while others still worked on finishing theirs. After all the kids were finished the teachers called everyone back over to listen to a story before getting to play again. One boy was insistent that he wanted to play with toys that he saw already laying on the rug. He yelled at the teacher and refused to sit in his chair. When the story was finished, the teachers let all the children who were listening to go play. All this boy could think about was how he wanted to play with his batman action figure. He w!
as again told to sit down at the table and when he was ready to listen he could go play too. When he finally sat down, he saw that another boy was using his batman and he began to hysterically cry at the table. After he calmed down, the teacher explained to him why he couldn't play with it and why he needed to listen. I think that this worked well for the boy because he could understand what his consequences were for not listening. The teachers also explained their reasons to him so they were sure he knew why he had to sit out the beginning of toy time. By communicating their discipline to the kids, the teachers are less likely to confuse them. The children know what they do wrong and what happens when they act in that way.
site: Therapeutic Preschool Monday and Wednesday: Sarah and Tracy
Activities: Monday: Today I worked in Sarah and Tracy's room and all 9 children were in the classroom. Needless to say, it was a little more lively than other days. All and all though, the classroom was never really out of control. I was very impressed by the children at music time. All the kids were sitting at the table, and there weren't any major misbehaviors or disruptions. Most of the kids were enthusiatic about participating too. The couple that weren't participating were quiet and sitting nicely, despite not getting involved in the group activity. When music time was all over, the teacher let all the kids go right to toy time because they were all behaving so well. What I have noticed about my own personal experience in dealing with the kids is that it is hard for me to get the children to listen to me when I tell them to do something. Partly I think it is because I only get to see each group in the classrooms once a week. It is difficult for me to become a!
n authority figure for them if I only come in occasionally, and mostly just to play. I feel like I'm always looking to the teachers to set the discipline if they don't listen to what I have to say because I don't want to do anything that is not in line with the rules and guidelines they have already set down for the kids.
Wednesday: Today I worked in Sarah and Tracy's room again because I had to videotape the childrens' behaviors during transitions. This gave me a chance to really "look in from the outside" so to speak and try to observe all the behaviors that were occurring among the children (and teachers' responses) at that time. I taped on several occations. First, I taped the transition from breakfast to "hurts group." I taped the children getting ready for gym and coming back up from gym as well. Also, I taped clean-up after books-and-puzzles time and clean-up after toy time, before dismissal. Overall I noticed that behavior was kept in check during most transitions. Teachers were always making sure all the kids were helping to clean-up the toys around the room, even ones other kids had played with. Also, if a child wasn't lining up correcty, like on the way to or from gym, the child was usual told to go to the back of the line. The teachers were good about warning the kids as!
to what misbehaviors they didn't want to see before they ever occurred. They can also pick out what kids usually have difficulties with certain tasks, like cleaning up. They know to look out for bad behavior and are sure to praise good behavior when it occurs during that time instead. They also always point out how they like when students do the right thing and let the other children know that.
site: Therapeutic Preschool Mon: Sarah and Tracy Wed: Connie
Activities: Monday, March 1st: Today the kids in Sarah and Tracy's classroom seemed more agitated and restless than usual. During gym I noticed that one boy was knocking over the cars, though teachers had warned the group before that this behavior was unacceptable. As soon as one of the teachers saw what he was doing, they told him to pick the car up and explained that he was not allowed to engage in such actions. He complied without any problems. I think part of his difficulty with following directions the first time around may be that he is fairly new to class and still adjusting to how the classroom is run.
Another boy had a difficult time towards the end of the group music session. The kids were asked to sit around the table and sing together for the final song. Instead of complying with this, the boy stood behind his chair and began to ram it into the table. Since I was sitting next to him, I was going to tell him to stop it and join the group, but one of the teachers gave me the signal to ignore him and let the song finish. After it finished, the children were sent to playtime except for this boy. At this time, the teacher sat him at the table and told him that he should have been participating with the group during music. Since he wasn't listening, he would have to sit out of playtime for a few minutes. I think this was a very good way of dealing with the problem. The boy wasn't acting in any way to harm anyone or disrupt music, but he still wasn't participating like he should have been. Rather than place attention on him--and cause the other children to lose focus!
on the music--the teacher showed how much fun she was having singing with the children. Then, when music was over and play began, the teacher made the boy wait a few minutes, and explained why she did so.
Wednesday, March 3rd: Today one of the teachers was not there, so a substitute came in instead. Only three kids showed up anyways. Though we had a good ratio, it was difficult to get the kids to listen and pay attention. Getting the children to clean up toys at the end of free play time was especially difficult. One boy- who always has problems at the end of the day- began kicking and throwing toys around instead of picking them up. Another boy ignored requests to pick up toys and continued playing as if he heard nothing. When he was given the direction individually, he would yell back at the teacher "No!" or "Stop calling me!" Struggles with picking up delayed snack time, and so the kids were late for bustime too.
site: Therapeutic Preschool Wednesday: Karen and Connie
Activities: Monday: I did not go to the preschool because of the holiday.
Wednesday: Today, I worked in Karen and Connie's room. Again, the class was pretty calm because there were only four children there. One child, who had not been behaving well recently, had a very good day. While he normally shies away during group activities, he participated very well during music time. He also behaved well during free play. He did have one outburst of bad behavior right before buses, but thats pretty much a regular occurence for him. There was one boy in the class that I had never worked with before because he had been absent for several weeks. I noticed that he was a very helpful and intelligent. He was very good at puzzles and put several together that day. At one point, another child wanted to help. However, this second boy did not yet have the skills to complete the puzzle correctly and the child was frustrated with him. Instead of getting mad, he told him that later he could help him. This was a very mature way for him to react. I was ver!
y impressed. I did notice, though, that he has some trouble with speech and that he seems to get distressed easily. When we ran out of time at snack, he got so upset that he cried when he couldn't have seconds. I would like to spend more time with him to see what other situations bring about such an unnecessary emotional response.
site: Therapeutic Preschool Monday: Karen & Connie Wednesday: Tracy & Sarah
Activities: Monday: The classroom was only about half-full today because a few of the kids have been out with sickness. This made most of the day quiet. However, one of the kids was having a very bad day. He was taken out of the classroom twice to cool down. One of these times, the teacher was out with him at least 15 minutes. He tried to run out of the gym and a teacher had to chase after him. He also resorted to punching and hitting when he was frustrated and didn't want to do something. He screamed expletives as the teachers when they tried to calm him. Even at times when he was behaving nicely, he avoided participation in group activities. He would hide under the table when we were singing songs together. This was the first time that I have been in this classroom that I have seen this child act like this. Other days, I found him to be very helpful and eager to show other children the right behavior. It will be interesting to see how he behaves in the coming !
weeks.
Wednesday: Overall, I was very impressed with how behaviors of the childen were handled in the classroom today. The teachers have managed to maintain control in the classroom, showing the children correct ways to behave without using any improper ways to do it. For example, a new child was switch into the class today. When he behaved imappropriately--like leaving a mess at the table before going off to play--the teachers told him that his behavior was not what they wanted to see in the classroom. They pointed out other children that were acting correctly to show him the right way to do things. This was helpful, making other children feel good that they wre doing the right thing, and showing the new child that he could do it because other children could too. All of the kids seem to know and understand what is expected of them each day. If they choose to act inappropriately, you can see them look around, as if they are waiting to see if they were going to get caught. !
They know what they are doing is wrong and understand that there will be consequences for their actions. For having eight children in the classroom, I never felt as if the classroom was out of control. If a child did get difficult, the situation was handled right away. The child was given the chioce to be good and participate in the play of the other children, or be bad and sit out while other kids were having fun. Most of the time, this is an effective technique for these children because all they want to do is play and have fun.
site: Therapeutic Preschool- Monday: Tracy & Sarah Wednesday: Karen and Connie
Activities: I spent the morning on Monday February 2nd in Tracy and Sarah's room. When we first arrived, one of the boys was acting withdrawn and sullen. He would not talk to anyone or even take off his coat. One of the teachers tried to cheer him up, but he only started to cooperate when he was asked to leave with one of the therapists. When he got back, he was back to normal. Another incidence that I found to be interesting was how well two of the children were sharing with one another. One of them was playing with a toy first and another came up to him, saw how he was playing, and wanted to play, too. The boy had no problem giving the other child a turn. They did this for a little while without fighting. It was obvious that the children were learning how to cooperate and share without getting angry or selfish. I also observed music time again this week. I noticed how much the children really enjoyed it. They started right after coming up from gym time. Most o!
f the children participated and followed the teachers' instructions about taking turns and being patient. Most of the kids probably behave so well because they have been worn out from running around in the gym, the songs move along quickly, and the songs ask the children to move around in some way.
On Wednesday, in Karen and Connie's class, the kids seemed to behave pretty well when they first arrived. For example, one child was extremely helpful with helping another child take off her coat, boots, etc. By the end of the day though, bus time was a little more crazy. The kids always seem to get very excitable right before they need to go home. During my time in the classroom that day, I noticed that one child in particular will easily resort to physical outbursts when he becomes frustrated. He will even say, "I'm going to kick you/hit you" before he attempts to do so. Upon hearing this, he is always told not to hurt the other person, but sometimes he will still do it. Even when he is told to apologize, he does not always mean what he says. He will hit another person again and apoligize just the same. He does not feel bad that he hurts another person until after he does it and he may only pretend to feel bad so that he does not get in any trouble for it. This s!
ame child however, can be rather helpful when he is behaving well. At bus time, he was sharing his book with a younger child and trying to make her feel happy and comfortable with him.
site: Therapeutic Preschool Mon: Tracy and Sarah Wed: Karen
Activities: Monday January 26:
Monday was my first day at the preschool. I observed and helped out in Tracy and Sarah's room during the morning session. There are eight children in their classroom. We began the day picking up the children off their buses. One of the girls came into the hallway very quiet, but distressed. One of the teachers took her to the nurse, and it turns out that she had hurt her foot on the way to school. The girl was dismissed for the remainder of the day. After all of the rest of the children were brought up to the classroom, they had breakfast. Most of this time was quiet. Even though she had eaten nothing at home, one girl refused to eat and had to be coaxed into at least having a few bites of cereal. After breakfast, it was gym time. The kids ran around and played, becoming much more lively than earlier. After about a half an hour, we went back upstairs for music. The children sat around the table picking out songs to listen to. Most of the kids seemed to enj!
oy the songs, singing and dancing along to them. One boy was yelling out too loudly and was told to use his words to sing to the music. Following music was free playtime. Kids were allowed to play with any of the toys in the room. If more than one child wanted to use the same toy, a timer would be set so that the kids learned how to share and take turns. The teachers played along with the kids too. The occupational therapist came in as well for a period of time. After playtime, the children were asked to pick up the toys so that they could eat snack. During snack the teachers read the children a story. Afterwards, it was time for dismissal and the kids were led down to the hallway for their buses.
Throughout the day, I mostly observed the daily routine for the teachers and children at the preschool. I didn't really know what my role would be in the classroom each day so I took this day to see what I could expect. As the day went on, I grew more comfortable playing with the kids and making them feel comfortable with me.
Wednesday, January 28:
Wednesday, I worked with Connie and Karen in their classroom. A little before 9, we went down to the hallway to get the children from their buses. However most of them were late due to the bad weather and driving conditions. By 9:30, only two children from each classroom had even arrived at the preschool. We waited until close to 10:00 for more children, before we took all of the kids from each classroom to the gym. More kids arrived while we were in the gym. Afterward, we went up to the classrooms. There were only four students in Karen and Connie's room. The kids had a small breakfast before playtime. One of the teachers brought out a toy checkout line for a child to play with. It seems that he was feeling afraid of going to the store, so the teacher was trying to show him how fun and not scary going to the store was. The rest of the day, the children spent playing with the toys. Normally, the class was to have music time, but with the bad weather, they we!
re not able to have it. I noticed one child was not very focused on any activity. The child would move from toy to toy at any given moment. At 11, the children sat around the table for snack. One child, who was having an especially good day, was allowed to pick out and help set the snack up. During snack, a story was read and then the children were helped to get ready for buses. One boy was quite uncooperative, and the teacher had to lay him on the ground in order to get him dressed properly. He was being silly and inattentive, not agressive.
Again, throughout the day, I observed alot and played with the children. I helped out the teachers whenever necessary, like getting the children dressed and cleaning up after playtime. I noticed that many of the children needed to be told directions directly. If the teacher made an announcement to the entire group, only one or two children acted as though they heard it. When the teacher focused directions to every child individually, they were more likely to do as they were told.
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