|
RENEE
LYNETTE WILLEMSEN-GOODE
|
|
|
swarthmore-rutledge school summerbridge cambridge resume contact me |
Description of the School Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary School (SRS) is located in suburban Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia. Designated as “Blue Ribbon School” by the National Department of Education, this first through fifth grade school serves approximately 450 students with 23 classroom teachers. The teaching methods and philosophies vary widely from teacher to teacher. Most of the teachers employ progressive methods, though to quite different extremes. The school wide curriculum is not rigidly enforced, thus, teachers have time for both independent projects and creative methods. In addition to its classroom teachers, the school has a strong group of support teachers and non-classroom staff. All staff members are in constant contact and collaboration with respect to students and learning environments. The neighborhoods that are zoned for SRS are primarily white middle and upper-class, and include a college town. Only a small handful of students in the school qualified for free or reduced school lunch. While there are students representing minority groups in a large a range of ethnic identities, a majority of the students are white. Within in my own classroom of twenty-two students, two students were multiracial (African-American and Causausian and African-American, Native-American and Caucasian) and one student was Asian-American. Religiously, the classroom had more diversity, and though while most of the class was Christian or Catholic, at least four students were Jewish and many several students whose families claimed n religion. Most students in the school are involved in extracurricular activities, including going to Hebrew school, attending foreign language classes, playing sports activities including football, soccer, basketball, ice skating and hockey, and playing musical instruments. Many of the students are engaged in at least two different activities outside of school. In general, these students are looking to succeed, and in the fourth grade all already concerned with the grades they are receiving on tests and papers. In general, the students come to school the expectation that they will succeed in school. Parents are constantly in the school environment. Whether they are volunteering for school trips, helping in a classroom party, or bringing in something that their child forget, parents figure strongly in the day-to-day life of the school. They also wield a lot of power over teachers and administrators with their not infrequent requests of changes in curriculum and methods. While teachers can be overhead complaining about resources at the school,
the school is rich in both material and people resources. Most of the
children in my class were above grade level in reading and students are
motivated to learn before they set foot in the classroom. Link to Official Swarthmore-Rutledge Elementary School Website
|