HS Field Experience Student Program and Child Development Class Provide Unique Learning Opportunity For Both JHS and Warren Street Students
Started over ten years ago by JHS teacher Mrs. Ann King and currently run by Family and Consumer Science teacher Mrs. Sharon Humphrey, the Field Experience Student Program provides JHS students the opportunity to work firsthand with Warren Street Elementary School children. What’s wonderfully unique about the program is the win-win situation it creates for both the high schoolers and the elementary students.

JHS students enrolled in the program benefit from the interaction with the elementary students, as many of the high schoolers will go on to work with children in various fields such as teaching, daycare, pediatrics, and occupational therapy.

For approximately 16 weeks of the semester-long course, students are in Warren Street classroom, working alongside elementary teachers and learning exactly what makes children tick and the best way to nurture, guide, and interact with children. Warren Street Principal Anne Christiano couldn’t be more pleased with the program and how much it benefits the children at her school. “The students look up to the field experience students. The high school students become role models for our students and have a tremendously positive influence on them.” In fact, strong bonds are often formed and the Warren Street students become quite attached to the field experience student assigned to their classroom. “It’s common for the field experience student to come back and visit the classroom after the semester is over,” Christiano notes.

Field Experience students first enter the elementary classroom as an observer. They diagnose the schematics and dynamics of the classroom, preparing themselves to become an asset to both the classroom teacher and the students. Upon learning what role they will play in the classroom, as set by the teacher, the student then begins to interact with the Warren Street students, working one-on-one with them, answering questions, and assisting the teacher in activities as well as developing a few of their own.

“The high school students love the program,” Humphrey states. “There are those few who find out that working with younger children just isn’t for them, but this is also a positive outcome of the course. It is much better for them to find out here that they’d like to change career paths than when they are deeply involved in their college endeavors.” At the end of the program, Humphrey has her students write a letter to her reflecting on their experiences. She is always amazed by how much they’ve learned about children and how grateful they are for the experience.

Students earn high school credit for the course, but should they enter the Early Childhood program at F.M.C.C., they’ll also get college credit for the hours in which they were working with the children at Warren Street Elementary School.

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Along with the Field Experience Student Program, JHS teacher Mrs. Carol Miller’s Child Development Class also allows for high school students and Warren Street children to share a rare learning opportunity. The class teaches HS students about children from conception to age 5. Among other topics, the class focuses on the physical, social and emotional development of Pre-K and K children, and parenting skills. As with the Field Experience Student Program, “the class is a great experience for any student who plans to work with children in some capacity in the future or plan to have children,” Miller notes.

Warren Street Elementary students visit the class throughout the year, and participate in a variety of activities that are both educationally stimulating and just plain fun for them. The Pre-K students partake in a puppet show and food activity, while on separate visits, K and Gr 1 students enjoy a holiday food activity and story time. Of Warren Street student involvement with Carol Miller’s Child Development class, Anne Christiano says, “The students at Warren Street School are fortunate to be located near the high school. When students are invited to the high school for a special class they always get excited. Many times when the students return they comment on going to ‘school’ at the high school and how much fun they had working with the high school students. Mrs. Humphrey's Field Experience Student Program and Mrs. Miller's Child Development Class are two examples of some of the unique programs in which the students at Warren Street School participate.”


Photos: (Top) A JHS student works with Mrs. Paula Heroth’s Gr 6 students at Warren Street School as part of the Field Experience Student Program. (Bottom) A JHS student enrolled in the Student Field Experience program helps Mr. Jason McCallough's Gr 6 student with an in-class assigment at Warren Street School.

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