Ross Montgomery
EDUC 350
Spring 2017
Case Study Interviews
Students: Gwen Ramin, Tristan Spoul
Getting to an intimate understanding of how students truly feel about their education is extremely important. In order to get a better understanding and outlook of their middle school experience, we conducted case study interviews with two Webber Middle School eighth graders. I sat down with Gwen Ramin and Tristan Spoul on February 26, 2017 to answer a series of questions regarding their likes and dislikes about school up to present day. For these interviews I wanted to pick one boy and one girl to get a differentiated gendered perspective. Both students were white, which may have limited the diversity of the interview a bit, but both of the students were caught up on their assignments so their had time to step into the hallway to answer a series of questions. These answers were very beneficial to me as a future educator.
Gwen family originally moved to the United States from Germany. She was born and has lived her whole life in Fort Collins. We discussed her likes and dislikes about Webber. Gwen describes herself as a “quiet” student. Gwen is a intelligent girl, but didn’t expand very much on her answers. We talked about policies that were either beneficial or not, as well, Gwen told me about a past teacher she enjoyed. Gwen’s 7th grade math teacher, Mrs. Loomis, was one of her favorite teachers. Mrs. Loomis was “engaging, but it still kept the class challenging and interesting”. She didn’t go into much more detail about examples of her personality traits or specific things she did in class that were positive. English is Gwen’s favorite subject because she feels that she can really express her creativity. She participates in after school sports, running track and cross-country, as well participates in debate club. Gwen said that if she could change anything in the world she would strive for more diversity and open-mindedness from people. As for advising a new teacher, Gwen said that teachers should stray away from doing things the same way ever day because class gets really boring for the students. I think that routines in the classroom are extremely important for productivity and organization. I am taking away from this conversation that students like diversity in lesson presentations and activities. From my own schooling experience I feel a level of understanding in consistency.
The second student I spoke to was Tristan. He is an 8th grader in Ms. Thomas’s Digital Photo class. He described his personality as laid-back and normal. He thinks school is all right and the thing he likes most about middle school is lunch. I feel that most kids at this age are reluctant to truly open themselves in an emotional manor. One thing that Tristan was concerned with was the way grades are given to the students though the quarters. He felt that the grades should reset from quarter to quarter and not stick to their overall GPA. I am a little confused with that policy but to my understanding seemed like he wanted more of a growth style curriculum. Tristan learns better from teachers that aren’t always on his back about things. He said that his English teacher, Mr. Jenko, is really laid back, which allows him to actually learn more. One take-a-way from this conversation is that Tristan doesn’t get much of a worldview in his classrooms. He didn’t have anything that he would change in the world at this point because he “doesn’t know much about the world, so he doesn’t know what he would change”. I got the feeling he had somewhat of a wall built up and was embodying the “don’t care” or “too cool” attitude of an 8th grade boy. I asked Tristan if he had any advise for a new teacher. He said that new teachers should try to not come off to the students as annoying or mean. First impressions are extremely important and treating students like they are people is paramount. I think that personal interviews with students can be very beneficial to me as an educator. These answers can give good insights to how students feel about school policies. I think students need educators that they can relate to, in addition to, want to be respected by them. This is where we can break down the barrier students put up. There was a great moment while interviewing Tristan when he was describing his family and began talking about his step-dad’s band. He said that he played in a bluegrass band, but it “wasn’t that cool”. After further interrogation it turned out that I personally know his step and in-fact have played multiple shows with him. I could instantly see a positive change in Tristan’s attitude.
EDUC 350
Spring 2017
Case Study Interviews
Students: Gwen Ramin, Tristan Spoul
Getting to an intimate understanding of how students truly feel about their education is extremely important. In order to get a better understanding and outlook of their middle school experience, we conducted case study interviews with two Webber Middle School eighth graders. I sat down with Gwen Ramin and Tristan Spoul on February 26, 2017 to answer a series of questions regarding their likes and dislikes about school up to present day. For these interviews I wanted to pick one boy and one girl to get a differentiated gendered perspective. Both students were white, which may have limited the diversity of the interview a bit, but both of the students were caught up on their assignments so their had time to step into the hallway to answer a series of questions. These answers were very beneficial to me as a future educator.
Gwen family originally moved to the United States from Germany. She was born and has lived her whole life in Fort Collins. We discussed her likes and dislikes about Webber. Gwen describes herself as a “quiet” student. Gwen is a intelligent girl, but didn’t expand very much on her answers. We talked about policies that were either beneficial or not, as well, Gwen told me about a past teacher she enjoyed. Gwen’s 7th grade math teacher, Mrs. Loomis, was one of her favorite teachers. Mrs. Loomis was “engaging, but it still kept the class challenging and interesting”. She didn’t go into much more detail about examples of her personality traits or specific things she did in class that were positive. English is Gwen’s favorite subject because she feels that she can really express her creativity. She participates in after school sports, running track and cross-country, as well participates in debate club. Gwen said that if she could change anything in the world she would strive for more diversity and open-mindedness from people. As for advising a new teacher, Gwen said that teachers should stray away from doing things the same way ever day because class gets really boring for the students. I think that routines in the classroom are extremely important for productivity and organization. I am taking away from this conversation that students like diversity in lesson presentations and activities. From my own schooling experience I feel a level of understanding in consistency.
The second student I spoke to was Tristan. He is an 8th grader in Ms. Thomas’s Digital Photo class. He described his personality as laid-back and normal. He thinks school is all right and the thing he likes most about middle school is lunch. I feel that most kids at this age are reluctant to truly open themselves in an emotional manor. One thing that Tristan was concerned with was the way grades are given to the students though the quarters. He felt that the grades should reset from quarter to quarter and not stick to their overall GPA. I am a little confused with that policy but to my understanding seemed like he wanted more of a growth style curriculum. Tristan learns better from teachers that aren’t always on his back about things. He said that his English teacher, Mr. Jenko, is really laid back, which allows him to actually learn more. One take-a-way from this conversation is that Tristan doesn’t get much of a worldview in his classrooms. He didn’t have anything that he would change in the world at this point because he “doesn’t know much about the world, so he doesn’t know what he would change”. I got the feeling he had somewhat of a wall built up and was embodying the “don’t care” or “too cool” attitude of an 8th grade boy. I asked Tristan if he had any advise for a new teacher. He said that new teachers should try to not come off to the students as annoying or mean. First impressions are extremely important and treating students like they are people is paramount. I think that personal interviews with students can be very beneficial to me as an educator. These answers can give good insights to how students feel about school policies. I think students need educators that they can relate to, in addition to, want to be respected by them. This is where we can break down the barrier students put up. There was a great moment while interviewing Tristan when he was describing his family and began talking about his step-dad’s band. He said that he played in a bluegrass band, but it “wasn’t that cool”. After further interrogation it turned out that I personally know his step and in-fact have played multiple shows with him. I could instantly see a positive change in Tristan’s attitude.