Crystal Davidson

MDSK 2100

Dr. Wiggan

4/13/2015

Clinical Report 2015: Phillip O. Berry Academy

Being able to join professionals and interact with current high school

students at Phillip O. Berry Academy was such a humbling and eye-opening

experience. When I switched my career path, I was not completely sure that I had

made the right decision to go the education route, but after my very first day at

Berry, I had a revelation. I remember the thoughts swarming around my head with

excitement and drive as I exited that humongous campus. I could not wait to be a

teacher. I am now extremely motivated and ready to begin my journey.

Phillip O. Berry Academy of Technology is one of thirty-four high schools in

Charlotte-Mecklenburg County. Berry houses 1,455 students, with ninety-five

percent of the student body being minority. Seventy-six of the students are African-

American. More than half of Berry’s students are in the Free Lunch Program and are

economically disadvantaged according to the US News & World Report: Education.

There are currently 474 ninth graders, 369 tenth graders, 321 eleventh graders and

291 twelfth graders. The student population declines as the grade level increases,

which means there are many students (possibly) dropping out. Many of the teachers

and faculty members I met are caring and seem to work very hard everyday to make

sure they decrease the drop out rate. Especially the three ladies I got to observe.

I had the pleasure of working along-side Mrs. Ashley, a ninth grade English

teacher who considers herself a “veteran”. She has been teaching for a long time and

still has many dreams. One of which is to become a principal of her own school one

day. I also visited with Ms. Collins who is a first year teacher (ninth grade English),

and someone I can truly relate to. She graduated from Johnson C. Smith and is the

dance team coach at Berry. I found that we have a lot in common. Lastly, I observed

Ms. Vergata’s ninth grade English class, and boy does she know how to command a

room. She’s a crack up, but she does not play around. Although each one of these

ladies has many different teaching methods, they all are such an inspiration in their

own way.

Multi-Cultural Education

Chapter three in the book focuses on “The Richness Of Classroom Cultures”

and I have found that multicultural education is a big deal at Phillip O. Berry High

School. To start, teachers adapt their methods to help ALL students succeed.

Teachers must use different educational strategies to connect and deliver

information to the diversity of their student’s needs and abilities. Mrs. Ashley and

Ms. Collins are women that are looked up to in their field, especially at an institution

that is predominately black. Ms. Collins and I sat down for lunch and we got to chat

about the advantages of being a young, black, female educator at an urban school.

She says that it is easier to connect to her students and for her students to connect

to her because they see themselves in each other.

I told her a story about me meeting a young man who works in shoe store in

my hometown, and is currently getting his masters at North Carolina A&T State

University. I asked the man where he was from and he said Oakland, CA. In return he

asked me what I aspire to be, and once I told him I wanted to be a teacher, he just

started grinning. Turns out, he taught math at a high school in Compton, California,

one of the most dangerous cities in the country. I was in shock when he told me, and

had over a million questions I wanted to ask. I first inquired, why Compton? And he

replied, “Those kids need more people who actually care about them, some of these

students’ parents are in gangs, or are prostitutes and these kids go to school as an

outlet. I wanted to be an inspiration. I wanted to help.” So then I asked if he was ever

scared working in that environment, and he replied: “No, because the kids that

wanted to be in school, came to school. The kids who could care less about school

were out in the streets. Those kids treated me with respect because I was a young,

black, man who was good at math. Many of the students thought, well, if he can be

good at math, I can too. So they aspired to be like me.”

After telling Ms. Collins about that story, she looked like she wanted to cry.

She continuously said that we need more ethnic educators, because they can relate

to many students. There are a ton of students who are struggling with fitting in or

not being “smart enough”, or “athletic enough”, or well, “white enough.” But what

many teachers fail to acknowledge is that these students are enough, and that they

are brilliant in their own ways. It is just all about bringing that intelligence out in

many different ways. Math and reading are the minimal ways to get students to

come out of their shell. Multicultural education can help students express

themselves.

Curriculum in Schools

I only observed ninth grade English classes because that is the grade area I

hope to teach in the future, and I wanted an insight on what it would really be like.

The curriculum has changed tremendously since I was in high school and that was

only a year ago. One thing I learned is that the curriculum changes often and that it

is important to stay on top of it. Ms. Vergata was explaining to me that she had a

whole years worth of lesson plans, and then “boom” out of nowhere, she had to start

from scratch all over again in time for the new school year. According to the text, 1)

Social Issues and Public Opinion 2) State Testing Programs and Local Priorities 3)

Mass Media and Educational Publishing 4) Professional Groups and Individuals 5)

National Interests are all forces that shape curriculum. Because the curriculum

changes so frequently, teachers must be prepared at all times for any changes that

may occur.

Ms. Collins is the youngest teacher at Berry, and is sometimes frowned upon

because the way she teaches does not really follow the curriculum precisely. She

says, “the curriculum is boring, my students do not learn that way…they just don’t.”

Mrs. Ashley encouraged Ms. Collins to follow the curriculum, but do it uniquely and

that is what she has does. She has done so, so well, that her students had the highest

test scores on their English EOC/Midterms last semester. Ms. Collins said that many

of the older teachers do not like her teaching style, but it is obviously working. I

have learned that a teacher must remain true to themselves and to know his/her

students. They must know what their students like or dislike, their learning styles,

what bores them and what keeps them interested and Ms. Collins, Ms. Vergata and

Mrs. Ashley do just that. They look at the curriculum as a guideline, but they teach in

very bright and creative ways.

Relationship between Teachers and Students

Like stated in the text, personal relationships with students help shape how

they behave and get along with the teacher and peers. Out of all of the classrooms I

visited, each teacher seemed to really, really care for their students. Mrs. Ashley has

a saying, every time a student acts out or is being disruptive, she’ll firmly say in a

caring way, “I see you and I hear you.” At first I was a bit confused when she first

said that to one of her brightest, yet troublesome students, but she later explained to

me what that was all about. She says that many students that make trouble just want

their teacher’s attention, almost like they are fighting for it, so she decided to take

other actions instead of disciplining her students. It was amazing how as soon as she

said that to her student, he immediately stopped acting out, and was quite for the

rest of the class period. They later briefly talked after class, and resolved their issue.

Ms. Collins is the reflection of my future self. When I become a teacher, I hope

to be just like her. The way she controls her room, yet has the “chillest vibe” (as her

students say), she has the perfect balance. Any person can tell how much her

students adore her, just by sitting in her classroom for about fifteen minutes. She

actually cares, and care is an understatement. That lady will go out of her way to

make sure her students are happy and contempt with their education. Everyday as

each student enters her classroom, she will ask how they are and if they are ready to

learn. Many students say that when their teacher cares, they care, and that is why

her class had the highest test scores last semester. As a first year teacher, I would

say that is amazing!

Course Theories

The course theories were pretty spot on in comparison to my actual

observations at Phillip O. Berry. Though I was placed at a predominately black

school with students who come from low-income families, I still noticed a lot of

diversity, because diversity is not just skin deep. Many of the students have different

ambitions and have a wide range of career goals. I asked one of Mrs. Ashley’s classes

to go around and state their name, what school they are thinking about going to and

what major they might want to study and those kids blew me away. Several of them

stated that they wanted to go to school on the west coast, and others said they

would not mind living up north. I saw so much potential in those young scholars and

I definitely noticed that anybody is capable of following their dreams as long as they

work hard.

All in all, I enjoyed my clinical. I had a blast and cannot wait until I can begin

my teaching career. Mrs. Ashley, Ms. Collins and Ms. Vergata are amazing women

who are striving to be the best teachers they can be. The way they took me in and

treated me as if they had known me for years was what made my experience

unforgettable. I will always remember Mrs. Ashley’s powerful words: “I am going to

take you under my wing. I’ll be your teacher mom; any questions you have, or if you

ever want to stop by my classroom, you are more than welcome. And hey, if you

keep up the good work, there may be a spot here waiting for you.” I could not

believe how unbelievably nice these women were to me. I will always cherish those

moments, and believe me; I will be going to Philip O. Berry Academy of Technology

often.