Reflective writing N º 1: The School

The school I have now for VISE II teaching practice1, has been a new experience for
me in any way I see it, since the reality I saw during VISE I was not quite good as this one.
I have been observing the school environment in all its phases; teachers, students, location,
etc. and I find many attitudes which are not that positive in my point of view, for example,
some inappropriate attitudes from the teacher toward the students.
In all schools, such as private, semi-private2, and/or public we are exposed to find
different school environments. But what it is for sure is that every environment affects and
it is reflected on the students’ learning process.
Some of the ways the learning conditions of the school can be improved are by
ensuring the infrastructure of the school, which from my perspective is not safe in case of
an emergency evacuation this involves the school size as well. In the other hand, the
location of the school is very convenient for the citizens of Playa Ancha. Another issue that
I would consider is the manner the teacher gets along with the students. There has been
many times where the teacher has an unfair reaction with the students, and I believe that
really affects on the learning process of the students involved.
Despite having shown all those drawbacks during this short time, the school has
also positive facts which can be easily reflected. For example the equipment provided
inside the school (computers, data shows, print outs and library) is very useful. The amount
of students per form varies from 25 to 30 approximately. Also, the after school activities
provided by the school are really fun and attractive to children and they can be very helpful
at the same time.
The school organization is quite good; most of the students follow the rules and are
well-disciplined, of course there are some which have different ways of learning but none
of the students can be considered as a “lost” case.
As William Arthur Ward would say on one of his quotes: “The mediocre teacher
tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher
inspires”,3 everyone who teaches should do it with a goal of inspiration.

1
http://www.colegioluterano.cl/clcvalpo/index.htm
2
Semi-private: A school which education is paid half by the government and the other half by the parents.
3
http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_mediocre_teacher_tells-the_good_teacher/12378.html