Victoria Parks High School. What a school. It may seem like a regular high school from outside, but it was anything but. Each class had no more than 2 - 5 students. In some cases, the class had 7 - 8 bodies if you counted the newborns. Food was everywhere: in front of the office, and virtually every single classrooms. The school also was eerie quiet at times.
My honest expectation of this school was ... chaos. Students fighting or yelling at each other. But it was anything but. Walking through the school made me self reflect on how naive I could be about the world. Most of these kids do not have a functioning home life. School is the safest place - their safe haven. My partner and I first talked with a teacher who was overseeing a classroom where students would independently study. We briefly learned about the low attendance rate of students which was troubling.
Later we got to talk to a teacher who was at mainstream school and decided to come to the alternative school. Factors such as massive classroom size (30 per class x 4 blocks = 120 students) and overwhelming workload influenced her decision. She mentioned that with around 120 student, you could not take care of all of them. Despite her willingness to help students, there was simply no room or time to do so. Therefore she made a decision to come to the alternative setting where she can more effectively teach and positively influence students.
Also it was very interesting to see the interaction between the student and the teacher. I am not sure if the teacher was putting on a show for us because we are observing... The students did not seem to be any different then other students I have met in the past practicums. I wish I got to know them more.
My honest expectation of this school was ... chaos. Students fighting or yelling at each other. But it was anything but. Walking through the school made me self reflect on how naive I could be about the world. Most of these kids do not have a functioning home life. School is the safest place - their safe haven. My partner and I first talked with a teacher who was overseeing a classroom where students would independently study. We briefly learned about the low attendance rate of students which was troubling.
Later we got to talk to a teacher who was at mainstream school and decided to come to the alternative school. Factors such as massive classroom size (30 per class x 4 blocks = 120 students) and overwhelming workload influenced her decision. She mentioned that with around 120 student, you could not take care of all of them. Despite her willingness to help students, there was simply no room or time to do so. Therefore she made a decision to come to the alternative setting where she can more effectively teach and positively influence students.
Also it was very interesting to see the interaction between the student and the teacher. I am not sure if the teacher was putting on a show for us because we are observing... The students did not seem to be any different then other students I have met in the past practicums. I wish I got to know them more.