McNeill Elementary stands across from Western Kentucky University in a semi-residential, semi-urban setting; therefore, McNeill is part of the city school system. Many of the students that attend McNeill have parents who are employed at WKU, which shows that many of those students come from a middle income home where education is valued because one or both parents are educated; many of the students are able to attend because their parents pay tuition. Of the enrolled students, 1/3 in district and 2/3 are out of district, coming from Allen County, Russellville, Oakland, and other surrounding areas. Though the average student is middle income, there are also lower and upper incomes as well. Besides the varied incomes, McNeill also enrolls a variety of ethnicities including Caucasian, African-American, Asian, Middle-Eastern, and Eastern Europeans.
Always, however, the school is well supported by the community, financially and morally. McNeill hosts several community activities such as the PTA sponsored Fall Festival, Mardi Gras, and 3 Family Skate Nights each year. The school also hosts a Family Thanksgiving Luncheon, Grandparents Day Luncheon, a Read Across America Celebration, a Veteran�s Day program, field days, 5th grade recognition day, daily student birthday recognition, a volunteer luncheon, and student musical programs. The extra curricular activities include the community education after school program, girl and boy scouts, student council, computer club, academic team, choir, Kentucky Children Chorus auditions, DARE, Junior Achievement, student technology leadership program, extended school services, and is the Bowling Green City School Arts and Humanities Enrichment site.
Also, one can witness the parental support on a daily basis as parents come to volunteer in the classrooms or to have lunch with their child; some parents even volunteer their time to teach classes! The principal, Mrs. Debbie Ecton, also spends lunch with the children, usually sitting next to a child during lunch. McNeill has built a wonderful community between the students, parents, staff, and teachers.
McNeill has a comfortable and warm atmosphere. The building is well lit, seems to have adequate heating and cooling systems, which is important in extreme climates. In the hallways, the walls are decorated with posters, banners, and students� work, and the teacher�s doors are often colorful and/or decorated in accordance to holidays/seasons. The school boasts an outdoor science-garden enclosed between the wings of the building, complete with rabbits (which the students feed), plants, trees, and in the warm seasons, butterflies and hummingbirds; the students also participate in science classes/experiments in the gardens. The students are provided with English as a Second Language instruction, Project Challenge, a program for gifted students, accelerated reading and math programs, and a parental involvement program. Also available to the students is a piano-keyboard lab, a computer lab, a family resource center, and a guidance program�all provided by a tireless PTA, volunteers, and other sponsors.
McNeill has a student population of 361 students in grades K-5. They have approximately 40 staff members. The teacher student ratio is 1 to 21, which makes it easier for the teachers to provide individual attention to the students when needed. One hundred percent of the teachers are certified for subject and grade level and participate in professional development that is content focused. Eighty six percent of the teachers have a master�s degree or greater.
The student body at McNeill seems well disciplined and Mrs. Ecton boasts that very few major discipline problems exist. The best example of the discipline instilled in the children is seen in the �Give me five� policy. When a teacher holds up one hand, five fingers in the air and says, �give me five� the children are to stop talking and focus on the teacher; this method is usually used when the voice levels have become too loud. If a student receives a number two at the lunch table, he or she must talk only to two people around them. The school also has a discipline team called the �A� team. Charts describing the system are posted in the classrooms. The chart has letters that stand for different things: �H� is for not having homework; �T� is for excessive talking; �D� is for being disrespectful; �B� is for disruptive behavior; �N� is for not being on task; �F� is for not following directions; and �S� is for not having papers signed by parents. The school also has rules for keeping the school clean and respecting school property.
One of the most impressive attributes of McNeill is the quality of technology education the students receive. The school has a computer lab and instructor that teaches students in grades K-5 to conduct research on the Internet and to create spreadsheets, as well as Excel and Power Point presentations. One hundred percent of the classrooms have learning workstations with Internet access; there is a 6 to 1 student/computer ratio.
Equally impressive is the fact McNeill has been accredited by the Southern Association of Schools and Colleges, and was a KIRIS reward school for the 1993-1994 cycle and the 1996-1998 cycle. The school was also a CATS maintaining school for the 1998-2000 cycle and the primary third grade ranked second in the state on the 2001 CTBS scores. The McNeill academic team placed third overall in 2001 Governor�s Cup Competition. It received $100,000 in Goal 2000 state grant funds to implement the �Making the Arts Connect� program, received $300 Capital Arts grant for artist in residency, and received money to implement piano keyboarding for every student. McNeill had three teachers that were named as Instructional Technology Leaders for the state.
Who Are the Students in My Class?
My class is a P2 class at McNeill. The room size is adequate, well lit and a comfortable temperature. Posters and learning aids hang on the walls, concerning writing, how to treat others, etc. A large dry erase board hangs on one end of the room and opposite that are the students� cubicles where they put their belongings. The room is somewhat cluttered, with books and papers scattered on top of the cubicles, a table in front of the room, a table in back of the room, a small bookshelf, and the teacher�s desk. Behind the teacher�s desk stands a large cabinet, which houses a variety of supplies. The teacher�s desk also has a computer station where the children can complete tests and assignments as necessary. Adjacent to the teacher�s desk are windows, a filing cabinet and a television. Across from this wall is a large bulletin board. There are seventeen students, with two additional students that come into the class for reading around ten a.m. every day. Including the two extra students there are about twelve girls and seven boys. Most of the children are Causasian. Two children are African-American, one is of Asian descent, and one is not discernable, but is possibly of Hispanic or Polynesian descent.
The class is divided into two groups. One group consists of children who attend the Project Challenge program. There are nine children in that group (called the red team). Within the red team there are two boys and seven girls. They work at levels higher than the average second grader. They are currently at a third grade math level and a fourth grade reading level. The other group, known as the green team, consists of five boys and five girls. This group is at an average or lower level in reading and math. There are no students who require an IEP.
The teacher thought that the distinct division in grouping would make the class easier for her manage, since the range of abilities are so great. And though I understand the reasoning behind such a tactic, I question its appropriateness. I feel that the lower level students might reap some advantages from the higher level students were they allowed to work together. Also, the higher level students would also learn more as they would be able to learn through teaching skills to the lower level students. Also, the grouping does affect the social climate in the classroom. The red team children seem to only socialize with other red team members, and the same is true of the green team. The divisions created academically have certainly created divisions socially as well.
Within the red team, the children seem sophisticated for their ages. Their language patterns and behavior is for the most part more mature than their peers. Obviously, these students have parents or other adults that speak to them at a higher level. Within the green team, many of those students are sophisticated as well and also interact with a great deal of maturity�with the exception of a few. One girl, in particular, seems to require a lot of attention and will sometimes act childish or misbehave in order to receive it. One boy, rarely speaks at all and has a tendency to pout and sulk if asked to do something he does not want to do.
Also, within both the red and the green teams are some attention span concerns about two boys from each team. They have issues with listening (especially to directions), following directions, completing homework, and staying on task; these boys are the daydreamers. Only a couple of girls in the entire class seem to have the same issues. The students of the red team are eager to begin and complete assignments, for the most part, and there are very few issues with behavior in this group. The green team has only a few students eager to begin and complete assignments and seems to have more issues with students out of their seats, talking loudly, being off task, etc.
All the children seem to enjoy reading. Whenever their tasks are completed, they are allowed to take a book to one of the bean bags, which are designated as the reading areas. Many of the children have books from home or the library. Others select from the books that are provided in the classroom. They like a variety of books. Over the course of the semester I have witnessed one boy reading a biography of Albert Einstein. I saw a girl reading Tar Beach, and another girl reading an information book (adult level) about Florence and Tuscany (Italy). On a couple of occasions, students had to be asked to put their reading away to do their homework or participate in activities.
Overall, the students seem to enjoy hands on, collaborative, and visual activities. There are a few students who seem to prefer to work alone and a few who seem to prefer the more traditional styles of learning, but they are exceptions. This group as a whole seems interested in interacting, socializing, being out of their seats, making noise and having fun. I think this is an important aspect to consider when developing lessons, because traditional methods of teaching may not be as effective for this class. This class is active and likes to discover things and interact and so I think lessons geared toward those qualities would be more appropriate. As the class is structured now (in a more traditional manner), I think most of the students are learning, but I think a few may be bored or left out due to difference in learning style. Because of this, I try to make lessons fun and interactive where the students can leave their seats and make a little noise.