A Fly On The Wall: An Observational Shadow-Study

NOTE: The following is a retrospective look back at a shadow-study completed at a local inner-city high school. The name of the high school, as well as the involved educators, has been changed to protect their anonymity.

As I am buzzed through the heavy double doors of Smokey Hill High School, I can’t help but think back to my own high school experience; how vastly different Smokey Hill is from The Met High School. At The Met, freshly manicured landscaping and large glass doors greet students. There is no modern architecture at Smokey Hill High School though, only rusty doors and windows with what appear to be caged coverings. The “lobby” of the school is a bit confusing as there is no secretary or main office to direct visitors. Instead, visitors must find their own way to the office based on a poorly designed sign that leads them up a staircase to the second floor. Once I finally am able to find my way to the office, I am provided with a visitor pass and sent on my way to Ms. Smith’s third floor English classroom.

My classmate Laura, who is also shadowing Ms. Smith today, accompanies me. We notice large student murals on almost every hallway wall; the murals are old and worn. Instantly, I feel as though I am in a scene from the movie “Lean On Me,” which is based on a principal that is met with the task of having to fix a failing school. My preconceived notions of Smokey Hill combined with what I am seeing throughout the hallways, lead me to feel as though this might be a school that is struggling to foster an environment that is welcoming to students. Laura and I pass what appear to be security guards, or adult hallway monitors, that usher students to class. I feel as though all eyes are on us, the two random visitors, so we rush to make it to the third floor. Finally we reach room 303, where a short woman with a bob haircut is standing talking to another staff member.

Ms. Smith, the short woman with the bob haircut, waves us into the classroom with nothing more than a swift hand movement towards the door. Laura and I take our seats, and once again, all eyes are on us. Students were split up into two groups diligently discussing an assigned text. When Ms. Smith finally makes her way into the room, she quickly greets us and informs us that this is her AP English class. The class was well behaved and stayed on task for the entire class period. They were a model class that almost any teacher would be honored to have. Just one period later however, it was as if the classroom was completely transformed.

This next group of students, Ms. Smith informs us, is a tenth grade inclusion class that consists of students with reading levels ranging from second to fourth grade.  She warns us that what we are about to see is going to be drastically different from the previous class period. As students shuffle into the class, profanity flies from their mouths like exploding missiles that hit desired targets. The teacher’s assistant, an older gentleman that appears to be approaching his sixties, simply observes the students without correcting their poor behavior. Ms. Smith also just stands in the middle of the room and watches the students. After about five minutes, she begins to take control of the class. Though our names have been written on the whiteboard, Laura and I have not been introduced to the class.

At this point, students are expected to respond to a writing prompt on the board, however most students use this time to simply yell across the room to their peers. I am surprised by Ms. Smith’s calm reaction to the students, but admittedly I am becoming increasingly agitated that after twenty minutes, she has not yet begun her lesson. Finally, thirty minutes into the class period, Ms. Smith utilizes the Smart Board to review yesterday’s lesson. Once she begins teaching, the eighteen or so students in the classroom begin to pay attention. They are split up into groups of four to find similes and metaphors in popular songs. It is apparent that this is engaging to students, as they eagerly get right to work.

While students engage in group-work, I walk around the classroom and assist groups with the assignment. Although these students spent a majority of this class period being distracted by the profanity and racial slurs of their peers, it is evident that they are able to remain on task when provided extra attention. While I assist these students, the teacher’s assistant sits with a group and says nothing; in fact, I’m not sure that he has even spoken this entire period, except to laugh at a student’s inappropriate jokes.

It feels as though the students of room 303 have the power in this classroom, and I am starting to feel as though Ms. Smith’s calm demeanor is intentional. Unlike many teachers, Ms. Smith has not yelled once. She has not engaged the students in arguments by correcting behavior, nor has she disciplined any of the students. Initially I felt as though it was a waste of class time to not have begun the lesson until twenty minutes after the class period started. However, now I am starting to realize that by allowing these students a little more flexibility, Ms. Smith has created a non-hostile work environment for her students. The classroom feels safe from intimidating adult criticism, and I start to notice words of encouragement posted on walls as I look around the classroom. I believe that everything Ms. Smith does is strategic. Everything from her calming voice, to the way groups are organized, to the way she stands mostly in the middle of the room rather than the front, help to make students feel as though they are leading the way through the lesson.

Not every student is actively engaged in conversation with his or her peers. The class is very diverse, with students being from a wide variety of cultures. However, the only two Caucasian students appear to be disengaged from their groups; both seem reserved, and one sits with his head on his desk. I think it is easy to fly under the radar for many of these students, even with the now four staff members that monitor the room. I’m not sure when half of them entered the room, but only one of the staff members (aside from Ms. Smith) is working directly with students. On one hand this class environment seems like it might be conducive to the student’s needs. However, through observing the class for over an hour, it feels as though student abilities might be underestimated by some of the staff. Students weren’t expected to do much this class period, even though through working one-on-one with Ms. Smith, Laura, and myself, the students demonstrated the ability to maintain focus and remain on task while also providing very insightful responses to material.

The school as a whole is very large, and the hallways have a jungle-like atmosphere during class transitions. Perhaps Ms. Smith’s class is an escape for the students of room 303. Maybe it is a safe-haven where they are not consumed by the pressures of the rest of their day. Ms. Smith gives them the opportunity to be themselves, and this reflects in their final presentations. The students that just thirty minutes ago could not concentrate on anything other than profanity now stand before the classroom with an aura of confidence as they explain their assignment. Ms. Smith cheers them on at the end of every presentation, and my earlier agitation has subsided as I realize there was a method to her madness all along.