It is human nature to make assumptions about things we do not know. Many times we assume things to prepare ourself for something, and sometimes we do it to fill in the blanks of a questionable situation. When it comes to teaching, or when it came to my Portrait of a Classroom, I assume for both reasons. Having never taken an education course in college, or worked at a school before, I had only my high school to compare to, and to look back on. I had no idea what to expect before walking through the doors at SDC, and even less at Center School. To be completely honest, I grew up in a very sheltered environment. I went to private school in the town next to mine from 7th-12th grade, and before that I went to a very elite public elementary school in my town. I knew virtually nothing of schools in New York City, and the things I did no were either from my friend who went to school on the Upper East Side at a private catholic school, or the schools from Gossip Girl. Needless to say, I did not know what to expect and brought many assumptions with me to my first few days at both SDC and Center School.

My first assumption I made was about the building itself. I believed that SDC and Center School were going to either a rundown building or be fancy brownstone buildings built in the early 1900's. Now, because I'm actually a smart girl, I knew it would not be the ladder of the two, I assumed that the conditions of this school were going to be terrible. I assumed that there would be limited resources inside the classroom as well as limited technology. I wondered how lessons would be taught if the teachers were unable to make copies of handouts, or if the students did not have books in the library. Or if the conditions of the classroom were poor. I thought that paint would be shipping off the walls, windows would be broken, and ceilings would be falling. I would have no idea how to teach in an environment like that. Luckily my assumptions turned out to be false and both schools are great.

My other assumptions were made about the students. I assumed that SDC and Center School would not be like the schools I went to. I thought that they would be full of kids who did not want to learn, who were rude and disrespectful to the teachers, and who did not want to be at school. I would have no idea how to teach kids like that. My friends and I in high school always wanted to be there. We were all involved in the school from sports to student council to community service; school was everything to me when I was younger. I think that assuming the kids do not want to be at school can be very dangerous. Like Pete said at SDC today, if you are not excited as a teacher, they will not be excited as students. I was not excited to work with kids who did not want to be there. School is only as fun as the teacher makes it, and if they are not excited, school will be boring and the students will not want to be there. If I am spending all class period dealing with discipline, how will the students learn the lesson? If the rowdy and disrespectful students are distracting their peers, will the other students pay attention to me? By assuming that the students are going to be bad in class, nothing in class will get done. No lesson will be planned, and the students will continue, or start, acting out.

These assumptions have been made by me about my experiences at SDC and Center School. Luckily they were proven wrong but I still do not think that this is the case of all schools in New York. I think that I have been lucky so far in my student teaching experiences. I look forward to spending more time with the kids and hopefully not making any more assumptions.