Mountain View Elementary Setting and Context
As you walk through the halls of Mountain View Elementary, you see the student's work posted on the walls, teachers greeting each other and the students, several paraprofessionals and interpreters roaming the halls, and much more. It is a large school and there is quite a bit going on simultaneously everyday. The community of staff and parent involvement is the effort behind it all. The amount of care and love that goes into each program is very evident. My experience at Mountain View was illuminated due to the support from every staff member. Kindness was encouraged everywhere all of the time, and it was truly imminent.
Demographics:
Mountain View Elementary is the only elementary school in Adams 12 for deaf and hard of hearing children. There are interpreters in almost every class, and the culture of sign language is huge. Most students that are not deaf or hard of hearing know a good amount of sign language as well. There is even a sign language choir. This has given me the opportunity to be exposed to such an awesome community and way of life. I was able to learn a few words in order to connect to my students better.
Classroom Culture and Students:
I spent my 8 weeks in Jennifer La's art classroom. Jennifer had moved this year from another school in the district. So her classroom was almost as new to her as it was to me. In this way, I was able to give my input towards the set up of her classroom. Jennifer is great at her job. Her systems and strategies have been through years of trail and error and they seem to flow effortlessly. Each wall decoration, drawer, table caddy has a purpose in her classroom and it is used to its potential.
Because this was Jennifer's first year at Mountain View, she had to start over with the curriculum in a way. In teaching elementary, it is extremely beneficial to have the same students for a few years in order to naturally progress them in their skill level and understanding of the classroom culture. I witnessed her setting up several routines for students and teaching them independence. It is her intention to create independent artists in her classroom.
The schedule operated as so that I saw each of the 608 students at Mountain View while student teaching. Learning names was a challenge. We saw each class for 3 days, then they would leave for two weeks and come back for another 3 day art period. This aspect was a positive one because I was able to reach a huge, diverse body of students and test my lessons a few times. Because we had each class for 45 minutes for 3 days, time was precious. The goal was to fit in as much meaningful art time as we could.
School-wide Policies for Management, Safe Schools, Conflict Resolution and Students with Special Needs:
Mountain View provides several opportunities for extra-curricular activities, such as: Advanced Chess Club, After School Basketball, Bell Choir, Kindness Club, the list goes on... In addition BASE camp in provided for after school care.
More Programs:
Demographics:
- 608 total enrolled students
- 33.5 full-time teachers
- 18:1 student - teacher ratio
- 427 students, or 70.2% of the student population at Mountain View Elementary School identify as Caucasian
- 25.3% of K-12 public school students at Mountain View Elementary School participate in the National School Lunch Program
- 14% of all students at Mountain View Elementary School are considered to have limited English proficiency
- 11% of all students at Mountain View Elementary School are learning disabled
Mountain View Elementary is the only elementary school in Adams 12 for deaf and hard of hearing children. There are interpreters in almost every class, and the culture of sign language is huge. Most students that are not deaf or hard of hearing know a good amount of sign language as well. There is even a sign language choir. This has given me the opportunity to be exposed to such an awesome community and way of life. I was able to learn a few words in order to connect to my students better.
Classroom Culture and Students:
I spent my 8 weeks in Jennifer La's art classroom. Jennifer had moved this year from another school in the district. So her classroom was almost as new to her as it was to me. In this way, I was able to give my input towards the set up of her classroom. Jennifer is great at her job. Her systems and strategies have been through years of trail and error and they seem to flow effortlessly. Each wall decoration, drawer, table caddy has a purpose in her classroom and it is used to its potential.
Because this was Jennifer's first year at Mountain View, she had to start over with the curriculum in a way. In teaching elementary, it is extremely beneficial to have the same students for a few years in order to naturally progress them in their skill level and understanding of the classroom culture. I witnessed her setting up several routines for students and teaching them independence. It is her intention to create independent artists in her classroom.
The schedule operated as so that I saw each of the 608 students at Mountain View while student teaching. Learning names was a challenge. We saw each class for 3 days, then they would leave for two weeks and come back for another 3 day art period. This aspect was a positive one because I was able to reach a huge, diverse body of students and test my lessons a few times. Because we had each class for 45 minutes for 3 days, time was precious. The goal was to fit in as much meaningful art time as we could.
School-wide Policies for Management, Safe Schools, Conflict Resolution and Students with Special Needs:
Mountain View provides several opportunities for extra-curricular activities, such as: Advanced Chess Club, After School Basketball, Bell Choir, Kindness Club, the list goes on... In addition BASE camp in provided for after school care.
More Programs:
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing
- "the program includes 65 students with mild to profound hearing losses. The students have a variety of primary communication modalities ranging from aural/oral to English-based to ASL. Each child's communication mode is respected and encouraged. In general, the sign system utilized for instruction and interpreting is C.A.S.E. (Conceptually Accurate Signed English)."
- Digital Literacy
- Extended Day Kindergarten
- Gifted and Talented
- Junior Achievment
- Learning Specialist Services