OBSERVATION:
On Friday, June 8, 2012, I observed a Vacation Bible School class in Decatur, MS, consisting of 17 5th grade girls. Almost all of the girls were Caucasian, except for two. One was African American and the other was Native Indian. Most of them were between 11 and 12 years old. When I arrived, the students were leaving the open assembly where they had been participating in singing activities with hand motions. I followed the excited, loud, and cheerful students to their classroom. The students clamored to grab some powdered and chocolate covered donuts the teacher handed out before beginning a lesson focusing on God's amazing power. Some students never spoke unless called on to answer a question, while others sought to be the center of attention. They were all polite and respectful and followed instructions well. Most of them sat in the floor and listened to the teacher's lesson. Some were looking directly at her. Some were fidgeting with their flip flops, pens, Bibles, and bracelets while listening to the lesson. Only a few had notepads and were taking notes. While I stated that most of them stayed in place, there were a few girls who jumped up several times and began talking. I laughed a little inside myself when the teacher presented the topic of discussion at the beginning of class and one student informed her that she was not on the correct lesson. I could tell she wanted to follow a predicted plan, and that she felt uncomfortable at the thought of the teacher varying from it. A lot of the girls wanted to inflect their life experiences into things the teacher said. One particular girl raised her hand throughout the whole hour. Finally the teacher told her to put her hand down and listen. In summary of my observation, I would like to say I enjoyed the assignment. The girls were full of laughter and were having a good time at Vacation Bible School. They commented about how glad they were that they made the choice to be there that day.
REFLECTION:
The Brighton book mentioned children going through puberty are more prone to weight problems, acne and injuries. I did not notice any of these issues in the classroom Friday. One of the observations that followed closely with information in the book is that students will most likely not make the best food choices. The girls acted like the donuts the teacher gave them were diamond rings! They started screaming in delight when she dumped them out of the box onto the floor. (They were individually wrapped, of course.) Most of the girls were satisfied with one package, but a few of them wanted two packages. One girl even wanted three packages of those little high-calorie packaged bundle of sugary snacks. Another observation that followed the readings from Chapter 3 of the Brighton book was that students at that age are becoming well aware of the opposite sex. I have an idea that the class I observed was all girls for that very reason. I'm sure the church wanted that week to be a time where the students could focus on getting to know God and learning more about Him. They didn't want the students that age to be preoccupied with the other gender and lose sight of why there were there.
FUTURE:
When I decided to enroll in this program, it was because teaching this age group was the next best choice, in my mind. I initially wanted to work with younger ones. I have been influenced by the chapter readings, so far, to realize students this age are preoccupied, stressed out and extremely self conscious of their body images. This information will influence my teaching in several positive ways. I hope to be more understanding about children who can't sit down, be still, and be quiet. I never realized there was a real physical reason why some children have a hard time doing that. I just thought they didn't know how to follow the rules. I will also be more aware that even though these students will look like they are big enough to begin making some of their own decisions in life, they still need guidance, guidance, and more guidance! They are emotionally fragile, yet wonderful at the same time.
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