Community Observation

Rudolfo Anaya Elementary School

Community Exploration Project

The elementary school that I have been assigned to is Rudolfo Anaya Elementary School on the west side of Albuquerque on Blake and 98^th street. The school was opened by the current principal Mrs. Gionna Jaramillo who states, “Rudolfo Anaya Elementary School is named for a world-renowned author who writes about New Mexican culture and traditions. Mr. Anaya’s background and education make him a role model for the students who reside in the attendance area of this school. He grew up with English as his second language and, after overcoming the challenges of his language barriers in a predominantly English school environment, he went on to earn three college degrees, become a teacher, a university professor and an established author.” The mascot of the school is a Jackalope which is described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns, the mascot represents diversity and extraordinary potential, “The legend of the Jackalope indicates that, despite his timid, humble, unusual appearance, he is said to have unexpected speed and strength as well as the ability to fool people with his unexplained voice and trickster traits. We believe that the students of this community fit the profile of the Jackalope in that they have extraordinary abilities that outsiders may not notice or have awareness of. We believe that these children have unique characteristics that contribute to the beauty of our New Mexican culture and, not unlike the Jackalope, have an important tale to tell.” (Jaramillo)

The school takes many precautions to ensure the safety of the students. Since the school is located on the east side of 98^th, the students are not allowed to walk to the neighborhood west of 98^th because 98^th is busy street and it is dangerous for the students to cross the street, it is what they consider a “no walk zone”. The school also participates in a program called Watch DOGS (Dads of Great Students) which allows fathers to serve in the elementary school in assignments provided by the principal. Afterschool, the teachers are also assigned a certain duty; bus, drop off, walk home, and afterschool program. The teachers are required to be familiar with the route home that students take in order to ensure the safety of all students.

The overall grade of the school is a D and has a review of 2 out of 5 and the population is made of 51% female and 49% male students. The student population is as diverse as the population in New Mexico, there are Hispanic, White, Native Americans/Indians and African American students. The students at the school speak a variety of languages such as English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic and several of the Native American languages. The school and its members take great pride in the diversity of the school and it embraces the diversity by making as many possible accommodations for those students as possible. Another important aspect of the school is that the students that attend the school are often from low-income families. About 68% of the students get their meals mainly from the school cafeteria, so when students are late and are not able to get breakfast before class starts, they are given the opportunity to go get breakfast, no matter how late they are.

Demographically, the school is located on Vermejo Park Drive on main streets Blake and 98^th. The middle schools that are nearby are Truman Middle School and George I Sanchez Middle School, the nearest high schools to the school are Rio Grande HS and Atrisco Heritage Academy HS. The school is surrounded by several trailers parks and communities. The closest hospital is the Presbyterian Hospital on Isleta. The easiest way to access the freeway is taking 98^th street and going North.

This project has taught me many things about the school I student teach at, and it allows me to reflect on the lives of my students to understand them better. The more I understand my students, the better teacher I can be. I can incorporate the community into my lessons and teach the students to become more aware of their surrounding and to make the best use of their community.