Contextual Factors
Contextual Factors of Westlawn Middle School
Westlawn Middle School is a Title I school located in Tuscaloosa’s West End community. This school services students in Grades Six through Eight. Many low-income households make up the student population of this school zone. Because of this, 93% of Westlawn Middle School is on free and reduced lunch. The school is made up of predominantly African American students. There is also a minute population of Hispanic students enrolled at Westlawn.
Though the sixth grade at Westlawn Middle School does not have any English Language Learners, there are a number receiving intervention or special education services. Out of 108 sixth graders, nineteen students have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), twenty
students have a Response to Intervention Plan (RtI), and three students have tested as Gifted and Talented. We have a single collaborative teacher who is servicing both six and seventh grades. Due to the overwhelming number of students in need of services, in combination with the lack of support for our single collaborative teacher, students are being inadequately serviced. Westlawn Middle School’s in-house social worker plans many opportunities for parents to become involved at the school. For example, students had the opportunity to bring in a paternal figure to share breakfast with one morning this semester. A “Literacy Luau” was held in March to teach parents how to reinforce literacy practices at home. Participation for both of these events were mediocre. Contrasting to parent involvement is the community involvement in the school. Community involvement is great. Students from the University of Alabama, as well as other third party groups work as tutors, mentors, and advisors to the students often. However, other than the four interns currently working in Westlawn Middle School, volunteers come on an inconsistent basis.
Like any school, Westlawn has a culture unique to any other school. The youthfulness of the students lends itself to a general naivete in student decision-making. Due to the community culture that surrounds the school, many students bring the baggage from their homelife to school. These students are experiencing difficulties such as custody battles and unplanned pregnancy in their personal lives. They have witnessed imprisonments, substance abuse, and violence. These students’ internal noises are clouding their judgement and directly affecting their educational success. Westlawn Middle School has two talented counselors and an in-house social worker who continually open their doors to hear the problems of each student; however, many students are hesitant to share their difficulties. Consequently, pent up anger and aggression results in physical and verbal altercations often.
One punishment that is often administered is a “motivator”. Motivators are single-spaced, double-sided pieces writing assignments that students are to copy by hand. Since this assignment is administered as punishment often, writing assignments in general are viewed as punishment by much of the sixth grade. This punishment has tainted classroom writing experiences. However, the faculty and staff attempts to focus on praising and rewarding student achievement, rather than focusing on punishing student indiscretion. Positive behavior reinforcement has great potential; however, rewards and praises come sporadically. Inside the classroom, desks are arranged in four small groups, the “Lions”, “Tigers”, “Bears”, and “Falcons”. My cooperating teacher, Ms. Bell, often teaches in small groups to differentiate instruction. Though each group is distinctly separated from each other, the setup of the classroom allows for whole group, small group, and individual learning. At the front of the room, there is a Promethean Board and technology cart. The technology cart includes an Hewlett Packard laptop and an ELMO document projector. The classroom also has a mobile computer lab, which contains Hewlett Packard Chromebooks. There are also white boards mounted on opposite walls of the classroom. These resources are put to daily use in the Reading classroom.
Westlawn Middle School is a Title I school located in Tuscaloosa’s West End community. This school services students in Grades Six through Eight. Many low-income households make up the student population of this school zone. Because of this, 93% of Westlawn Middle School is on free and reduced lunch. The school is made up of predominantly African American students. There is also a minute population of Hispanic students enrolled at Westlawn.
Though the sixth grade at Westlawn Middle School does not have any English Language Learners, there are a number receiving intervention or special education services. Out of 108 sixth graders, nineteen students have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), twenty
students have a Response to Intervention Plan (RtI), and three students have tested as Gifted and Talented. We have a single collaborative teacher who is servicing both six and seventh grades. Due to the overwhelming number of students in need of services, in combination with the lack of support for our single collaborative teacher, students are being inadequately serviced. Westlawn Middle School’s in-house social worker plans many opportunities for parents to become involved at the school. For example, students had the opportunity to bring in a paternal figure to share breakfast with one morning this semester. A “Literacy Luau” was held in March to teach parents how to reinforce literacy practices at home. Participation for both of these events were mediocre. Contrasting to parent involvement is the community involvement in the school. Community involvement is great. Students from the University of Alabama, as well as other third party groups work as tutors, mentors, and advisors to the students often. However, other than the four interns currently working in Westlawn Middle School, volunteers come on an inconsistent basis.
Like any school, Westlawn has a culture unique to any other school. The youthfulness of the students lends itself to a general naivete in student decision-making. Due to the community culture that surrounds the school, many students bring the baggage from their homelife to school. These students are experiencing difficulties such as custody battles and unplanned pregnancy in their personal lives. They have witnessed imprisonments, substance abuse, and violence. These students’ internal noises are clouding their judgement and directly affecting their educational success. Westlawn Middle School has two talented counselors and an in-house social worker who continually open their doors to hear the problems of each student; however, many students are hesitant to share their difficulties. Consequently, pent up anger and aggression results in physical and verbal altercations often.
One punishment that is often administered is a “motivator”. Motivators are single-spaced, double-sided pieces writing assignments that students are to copy by hand. Since this assignment is administered as punishment often, writing assignments in general are viewed as punishment by much of the sixth grade. This punishment has tainted classroom writing experiences. However, the faculty and staff attempts to focus on praising and rewarding student achievement, rather than focusing on punishing student indiscretion. Positive behavior reinforcement has great potential; however, rewards and praises come sporadically. Inside the classroom, desks are arranged in four small groups, the “Lions”, “Tigers”, “Bears”, and “Falcons”. My cooperating teacher, Ms. Bell, often teaches in small groups to differentiate instruction. Though each group is distinctly separated from each other, the setup of the classroom allows for whole group, small group, and individual learning. At the front of the room, there is a Promethean Board and technology cart. The technology cart includes an Hewlett Packard laptop and an ELMO document projector. The classroom also has a mobile computer lab, which contains Hewlett Packard Chromebooks. There are also white boards mounted on opposite walls of the classroom. These resources are put to daily use in the Reading classroom.