Fieldwork Experience

Program Site: Irvine Art and Music Center

The program site contains a lobby with 11 studios/classrooms and a back play area.
The lobby contains the main front desk as well as an instruments repair station
where parents/kids can bring in their broken instruments. They can also purchase
music books and instruments here.
The 11 classrooms are utilized for Chinese lessons, music lessons, private tutoring,
and homework time. For homework time, three classrooms are divided into grade
levels of K-2nd, 3rd-4th, and 5th-8th with one to two teachers per classroom. The
remaining classrooms are used for instrument, music, private tutor, and Chinese
lessons.
Once the majority of the students are finished with their homework and are in the
back play area, the unfinished students all file into one classroom (usually
Studio/Classroom #4).
In the back play area, there is a large TV, bookshelf, chairs, plush pillows and seats
where students sit down to either read, color, or watch a movie as they wait for
their parents to come pick them up. There is also a prize station where students
collect tokens and get to buy a prize (such as candy, toys, stationary, etc.) after a
certain amount.
Students Served:
Grades K-8th (Elementary-Middle School)
Demographics:
o Asian (majority of ethnicity); 80% of students Chinese
o Middle Eastern, Caucasian (remaining ethnicities)
About 40 students served per day (for homework support)
About 150 students served per day overall (including homework support, language,
music, and art)
Staff:
Two site coordinators: Chinese female and Chinese male
o Female coordinator regulates entire center around academics aspect of
students and parents.
o Male coordinator regulates entire center around instruments and music
lessons.
About 13 staff members per day
o 4-5 staff members per day regulating classrooms (teachers)
o 3-4 staff members working at front desk taking calls, appointments, etc.
o 1 staff member regulating students in play room in the back
o 1 staff member (who repairs instruments) working in lobby at instrument
repair station
o 2 site coordinators
Demographics:
o All staff members Asian (85% Chinese)
Strengths/Needs

o Female staff members are very strict, active, attentive, and regulate the
students extremely well. There are approximately 3-4 females working at the
front desk with the remaining 2 female staff constantly walking around the
classrooms ensuring that the teachers are doing their job and regulating their
students.
Jennifer & Cassie: These are the two main female staff members who
are always active with the students and circling the center. Jennifer is
the authoritative site coordinator who mainly handles parents. She
also regulates the students and makes certain that Cassie takes care of
the teacher staff members. Jennifer is very caring for her centers
students and ensures that parents are happy with her program. She
does get verbally aggressive with the students and with Cassie, but
only when necessary. Cassie is Jennifers assistant whose job is to
handle the student teachers and children. She generally double checks
to see if the teachers have done their jobs and verifies if they are
regulating and taking care of the students well in each classroom. She
helps guide the students around the center and confirms to see if each
students homework was completed. While many of the students seem
to fear Jennifer more due to her verbal aggressiveness, they still
respect her for her caring nature. Cassie who is calmly aggressive and
very kind is also respected and liked by many of the students.
o The one male staff member, who is one of the program site coordinators,
takes care of the centers music and instruments inquiries from parents and
students. He fixes and looks after any broken instruments that are brought in
and guides students to their music lessons. He occasionally comes by the
classrooms as well to check to see if things are running smoothly.
Daily Schedule: (Depending on each student, everyone finishes at a different time)
ARRIVAL 2:45-3:00 pm: Students arrive to the center from school and immediately
go to their designated classrooms by grade level. They leave their backpacks outside
and pull out their homework.
HOMEWORK TIME 2:45-3:30 pm: Students complete school homework and get it
checked by the teacher.
SNACK TIME 3:30-3:40 pm: Students whose parents have pre-paid and signed up
their children to receive snacks during this time choose a snack and get a break.
Other kids retrieve snacks from their backpacks.
MUSIC/CHINESE LESSON 3:30-4:30 pm: Students who have music or Chinese lesson
leave at this time then return afterwards to finish any homework or packet they
have not finished.
ENRICHMENT PACKET 3:40-4:10 pm: After completely finishing homework,
students complete the days enrichment packet (either math or reading) that the
center provides and get it confirmed by their teacher.
READING TIME 4:10-4:40 pm: After packet, students must choose a book from the
back play area and read for thirty minutes and write it on their reading log.
PRIVATE TUTOR 4:00-5:30 pm: Middle school students who are enrolled into
private tutor come during this time to receive an hour and half private tutor lesson
in reading and/or math.

FINISHING UP 4:40-5:30 pm: Any student who had music/Chinese lesson that did
not finish their homework or packet spend this time completing their work until
their parents come to pick them up or if they finish, they go to the back play area.
ACTIVITY/PICK UP 4:40-5:30/6:00 pm: Finished students spend their remaining
time at the center waiting for their parents in the back play area either watching a
movie, reading a book, or drawing.
Student Needs:
Irvine Art and Music Center is a very learning intensive after school site where
parents can drop off their kids to effectively spend quality time after school while
they work. Not only does it meet student needs in terms of homework completion
and enrichment packets, but it also enables kids to express themselves and explore
their talents by taking music, art, and language lessons. It enriches students in an
academic and self perspective.
What worked?
o Homework Time: Students would want to finish their school homework
knowing that they can go home, eat dinner, and relax.
o Enrichment Packet: Students also thoroughly enjoyed doing packet and
never complained because it was challenging, but fun to work on with their
classmates.
o Snack Time: Kids were extremely eager for snack time and it was a form of
motivation for students to finish their homework and packet because they
were not allowed to grab a snack unless they were being productive.
What didnt work?
o Reading Time: Once students finished homework and their enrichment
packet, they were already tired and reluctant to read for an extra thirty
minutes. Although everyone would grab a book to read, very few actually
read for the full thirty minutes. Most kids would spend most of their time
talking to their seat partner or talking to a classmate from across the room.