Post 2

In Providence there are many different ethnic groups so therefore there are many different languages that get spoken.  Ive noticed in my classroom that most speak English very well, but also speak Spanish.  The teacher that I have makes it easy for the kids to understand things they are learning by relating it to their home life or cultural background.  The truth that I've found out is that all kids act out sometimes, their ethnicity does not have anything to do with it.  So, by saying that all inner city children act out and are bad is ludicrous. Ive seen many smart and aspiring students in the 6th grade class who ask me questions all the time about what college is like and they know they have to pay attention and do well in school now, so they can get into a good college when they get older. 
When the teacher gives out homework regarding home life or food, I've noticed the sociocultural characteristics that may differ from sub-urban or rural schools. I've corrected some papers and noticed that the teacher is very aware of the cultural foods and knows that to talk about having pasta and meatballs may not relate to some kids, so by talking about rice and chicken may relate to these kids more because of their Spanish background.  This technique makes it easier for the kids to understand the homework and not get caught up in the cultural difference that the teacher may have from the students.

My first few experiences...

Today I went for my second tutoring session at my school.  The neighborhood is not in the best of sections in Providence, and all the kids seem very diverse.  They do have a school playground close by, which I found out, some of the kids skip classes to go to with friends.  The classroom that I am in is actually very nice.  It is a 6th grade science room with all the typical things you'd find in a science class.  They have tables of 4-5 kids at each, not rows of seating.  They do a lot of group work and having seating like that helps with that.  The only thing the teacher complained about was not having running water, which makes it difficult to do some some science experiments with the students. 

The 6th grade wing of the school is sectioned off from the rest of the middle school, so they pretty much have their own hallway in which that grade operates.  It makes the transition from elementary school to high school style learning easier for the students to get accustomed to.

They start off the class with some of the homework from the night before, going through terminology and information that they need to know.  The group time is where the kids get to be active and get "hands-on" which they love and really seem to soak in the information that way.  Some classes are move advanced than others, most students with special needs are grouped together in certain classes and have a special aid come in to help with the normal classroom teacher.  The teacher treats all classes the same, but expects more input and better grades from the higher level students.  They seem to respond well and some have even started asking me about the college experience and expressing an interest in going to college once they get old enough.  I tell them that paying attention and doing well in school now, will help them prepare and get into the college of their choice.

I had trouble getting onto the infoworks.ride.edu website to find out the specific info about the school, but when that becomes available, I will check it out and post the school's statistics.