Welcome to the "Case Study Blogpost."
This assignment is designed to assist you in becoming better observers of students and to assist you in the process of anecdotal documentation. It is through better understanding and assessment of our students that we become better educators.
1. Begin observing the students in your classroom and after a few visits select one student that intrigues you for whatever reason.
2. Using a pseudonym….write down your first impressions of the student on our Blogspot, Blog “Case Study”. Give a full description of the student (age, gender, and ethnicity)and why you chose that student for your case.
3.Observe this student over the next few weeks and record your daily observations on our Blogspot, Blog “Case Study.” Make a habit of documenting and dating each day’s information concerning the student. Good day…tell why. Bad Day…explain. (i.e. academic behavior, unusual behavior, unusual situations, discipline situations, patterns of behavior, study skills, etc). BE SPECIFIC.
4. When observing, pay especially close attention to the following:
a) Describe the way the student behaves on the playground, in hallways, in the lunchroom (or in an environment outside of the classroom).
b) Describe the way he/she acts in class:
c) Where does he/she sit?
d) What kind of student is the child?
e) How does the student interact with the teacher and other students?
f) How does the student interact with you?
5. Try to observe the student during class instruction and detail the event.
a) What was the lesson?
b) Was the student involved in the lesson? How was the student involved?
c) Did the student understand the material?
d) Did the student complete the work or assignment?
6. Ask the teacher about the student. Record this information on our blog.
7. Try to spend individual time with the student (i.e. tutoring, time at recess or at lunch). Record the conversations in your blogs.
It is very important to date each blog entry (i.e. Tuesday, October 4 at 10:15 a.m.) This will enable you to better identify patterns of behavior.
* Blogging can begin now and continue through Sunday,November 28, 2010.
A minimum of 10 Blog entries must document your case study’s day (you can certainly do more). 5 additional blog entries must be responses to others’ case studies. These responses can be comparisons to your own case study, suggestions for modifying or accommodating to assist the student, etc.
Your final report and 5 work samples will be due on Monday, November 29 at 3:30 p.m.
The child I designated immediately as my case student was Tyson. I noticed him the first day in my c/t class. He is a 3rd Grade African American boy. I noticed that he arrives tired in the mornings, and has no desire to be in school. He will waste the first part of the day doing absolutely nothing. I usually have to hold his hand and get his pencil going. I have noticed that the more I pay attention I am able to get him going. He needs that extra attention, I see him as a fragile child, and I so want to make a difference and get him going in the right direction. I often think of him when I leave the school, I thought about him this weekend. I wonder how he is doing out there not in the classroom setting. Tyson has been to the principals office 3 times for refusing to do any work in class. He has been moved 3 times as well as far as seating arrangement. His mother has been called numerous times as well. I constantly wonder about him!
ReplyDeleteVirginia,
ReplyDeleteDoes his mother respond? Usually African American mothers are very strong and the head of the household, especially when dealing with the children. I hope he stayed dry this weekend, perhaps you'll find out today, Tuesday.
Thank you for beginning your case study so quickly.
DH
John Hogan Sept.21, 2010
ReplyDeleteThe child I will blog about is Alquinz, a 2nd grade African American boy. I first met him during fall expierience, he came with his mother. At that time I noticed that he spoke with confidence that seemed to be beyond his years. I even remarked to my CT that he would probably be someone who would either help or hinder with his outspoken behaviour. She remarked back to me that he had been telling her how to work with other students in the class that he knew.
On the first day of school I noticed that he was much quieter when in the classroom setting with all the other students. I also noticed that he didn't seem to be paying attention to the teacher during lessons. He seemed to respond to change in classroom activity a couple of minutes after everyone else. He consistently is the last student to move to the carpet for reading time, or to get in line to go to lunch, or even to get ready to leave in the afternoons. I was intrigued by him after seeing two very different student personalities.
I have noticed that during lessons he "seems" to not be paying attention, playing with his pencil and paper or finishing the prior task while instructor has already moved to tne next.
The teacher and I have both had the expierience of redirecting him to current task and he is able to do the work. When he is able to remain on task he does well and his work is probably in the top half of the class. So needless to say there may be a multitude of issues involved with this child and I am VERY curious as to what makes him tick. Through this blog and case study I intend to stregthen my relationship with him so that I may become more aware of "things" that may be effecting him and his behaviours.
I have chosen a hispanic boy named Jacob who is in my CT's kindergarten classroom. I noticed the first day i was in there that this child has some type of learning disability. He lacks in social and communication skills, and look foward to working with him to find out what are his strengths and weaknesses. Also would like to identify things or situations that trigger his unacceptable bahaviors. He has been taken out of the classroom for being disruptive, mostly he starts to have outbursts of repeating the teachers intructions and names when she calls upon a student for and answer. I want to try to try modifications, within the classroom to see if i get positive results, perhaps some mini lessons with few distractions.
ReplyDeleteThe child I have chosen to observe has already managed to leave an impact in my life and I know without a doubt that this blog may not give this experience justice.
ReplyDeleteJakob is a fourth grade boy who has caught my eye from day one. Had I not spoken with his teacher, (one of the three of my CT's team teachers) I would never have assumed Jakob to wear a hearing aid. Jakob would walk by, ask questions a little more than everyone else, and occassionally be disruptive. Obviously, it's not really out of "character" for a fourth grader.
I began asking the teacher about his hearing aid...etc. Come to find out, this child has been held back all of these years, because someone failed to acknowledge this child's inability to hear. Jakob is not only in the 4th grade, but this is his first year in a public school. There is so much more to this story but this will unveil as the documenting progresses. Jakob left me in awe last week. He has been held back for so long, so now he is enjoying school. According to his teachers, he now has the chance to learn how to read fluently, which he is very excited about.
From a distance, I would like to tap into Jakob's ability to socialize with his peers. There are days when Jakob is out of the room to work on speech. I would like to see Jakob's ability to work with others. I would like to identify if the isolation is just his personality, or if he is having trouble communicating. After not communicating effectively the past years, this may be a reason. I have so many things I will observe.
What really amazes me is to see this kid PUMPED about being in class ready to learn and still excited to show his completed assignment to his teacher. It really is so inspiring. And to think this is just the beginning...
Unfortunately Dr. Hill, she will not answer the phone when Mrs. Webster calls her, her work tells Mrs. Webster when she calls there, that she is already gone for the day. Tyson is picked up after school, so Mrs. Webster will walk Tyson outside and walk to the car when she gets up to the curb and she is not a happy camper when Mrs. Webster does that. I honestly think that he is not her priority for lack of saying other words. Mrs. Webster has spoken with Tyson's teacher from last year, and Tyson was the same with her. I don't think any teacher has yet to make accommodations, would it be wrong for me to suggest? Or suggest an ARD? I think the boy needs help. Yesterday, Mrs. Webster left the classroom and I taught target math and let the children use math manipulatives, and he was not done with his math work, so I said he had to wait. After 5 minutes he sneaks up and grabs a handheld computer game, I told him no and took it from his hands, he tried to grab it out of my hands very sternly, I told him no. He started to cry and I felt soooo B-A-D!! I gave him a few minutes and I pulled him aside and had a talk with him, but my heart was broken!! :( I think he has emotional issues as well.. I am so concerned about him!!!
ReplyDeleteI have choosen a girl named mesmoriah. She is a hispanic girl in 7th grade and i belive is 11 or 12 i have not yet confirmed her age. The first day i saw her I noticed how mean she was. She was rude to all of the other students especially the boys. When asked to do assignments, she would wine and complain. She had to do a skit infront of the class about theatre safety. She sat there the whole time refusing to say her lines, she did however let everyone know how stupid it was. She is constantly late and in some cases has been escorted by teachers to my class. My teacher has pulled her aside a couple of times and sent her to the office once. She was always very stand offish toward me until one day I sat down next to her while we were making puppets. She was getting off task and complaining. I grabed some materials and sat down next to her, i started to make my own puppet and talk to her. She sat down and started working on hers too, I noticed a change in her attitude. We had a good conversation and she actually got her work done. I feel like she enjoyed having an adult just talk and be friendly with her. I have not once seen her responde like this to anyone. She asked me questions about my school and we talked about theatre. She is a tuff kid, but for a minute i caught a glimps of a sweet little girl. I hope i can continue to get through her hard exterior and find out whats going on. I am looking forward to making progress with her.
ReplyDeleteMy case study is going to be a little different. As a music major, we don't see much of the academic side of students in choir, band, or orchestra. I have decided to do my case study on a set of twins I have in my junior high choirs. They are caucasion females in the 7h grade. Emily is in the advanced choir and Ashley is in the beginning choir. Both seem like pretty bright students, Ashley was accepted into the Duke Talent program (it allows 7th graders to take the SAT test) but one of the interesting things I have found with them is that unlike many sets of twins that are best friends, they do not get along that well. when they came in for meet the teacher while I was there for fall experience their mother made a comment about one being on one side of the room and the other being on the other side. Their cousin in the high school choir and when the director made a comment to her about having her cousins in the junior high, she said o yeah, and they hate each other right? I think it will be interesting to watch them both develop and see how they each interact with their classmates as the semester progresses. Already, Ashley seems to be the more social of the two, though both are social. I look forward to getting to know them both better and watching them grow.
ReplyDeleteI went to Barnes today to ensure my technology part of my lesson plan would go off without a hitch today,I got to give the kids their spelling test, Tyson asked me to slow down so I did , i stuck around during lunch as well to observe him during lunch, and he is very social with the kids, he had kids sitting around him, they ate lunch, they were joking all together, he did great. However, on the way out to recess he pushed a little girl, because he stoppped in the line and was holding up the line so this young girl went around him so he caught up to her, got in front of her, she got in front of him, and I was telling them to behave and by the time i got to the front of the line, he was pushing her out of the way with great force, Mrs. Webster had to intervene because now he wanted to argue about it. This was the first time she had witnessed Tyson being this way. It caught me by surprise. I am growing more and more concerned about him :(
ReplyDeleteMs. Adams that is soo hard to believe. Hearing immpaired and no one noticed. At what point is it safe to say the parent(s) dropped the ball?? My son gets yearly physicals and one of the physicals at age 4 is hearing and vision. Also at 4 years of age the physicians start recording blood pressure (off subject just a good bit of information) Another reason for the physical is to be allowed into daycare. This is soo sad.. I can't imagine as a parent myself not to pick up on this.. Heart breaking!!
ReplyDeleteVirginia, I wish I could say I had the answers but of course I will have to learn about them day by day. I can't understand why Jakob was the one that suffered all of these years and STILL had no diagonsis...or if he did, the parents/doctors were in denial. Of course, those are only assumptions and as teachers, we can only assume that both parents and the teachers want only the best for the child.
ReplyDeleteThat's definitely what I'm having to keep in mind but I will need to look into more information about him before I document my final observation... (obviously). This will be such an interesting semester with him, that is for sure.
OK so today was a crazy day at school and I didn't spend much time with Al. I do have one example of his behavior;I was assisting another student with folding a piece of paper and when I said fold it taco style I hear HORIZONTAL, and there is little Al with a smile on his face looking at me. Now mind you he had not started the lesson as usual he was 2-5 min. behind his classmates but he was watching what I was doing and corrctly identified the direction I was folding the student sitting in front of him's paper. I really am looking forward to observing more of that!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have recently chosen the student I would like to observe and he is 7 years of age. He is at my field base sight and he is very emotional. He seems to cry over anything and he was the first cryer my teacher had ever expierienced on the first day of school. Because I am PSTing in the first grade, I guess this is unusual because most students have gone to kinder and have already cried all their tears there. I chose him because I actually made him cry once myself. I was not being mean, but I told the child that I was not going to help him do his work if he was not going to co-operate with me, therefore he started crying. It was awkward and hard for me to walk away from him, but my teacher assured me that it wasn't my fault. He is an interesting case, and I plan on monitoring him closely.
ReplyDeleteSept. 28, 2010
I did not get to observe much of Emily or Ashley today as I ended up being in charge of running the entire rehearsals due to my clinical teacher being out and having a sub, although the god news is I did get to run rehearsal for both junior high choirs and step into the full teacher role. Emily is definately the more reserved of the two with her classmates. She has opened up more with me however. She is also very kind and considerate. I went on Friday to observe a cultural day they were doing on Sweden because they were learning a Swedish piece, and as they were eating the food, all of the sudden I look up and there's Emily bringing me a butter cookie one of the sudents had made. And today when she came in, I was telling the class the director was gone, and here she is offering me gum.
ReplyDeleteAs for Ashley, she is more open with her classmates and excited. At the beginning of the semester she was having trouble with sightsinging, and as the semester has progressed she has made progress and is getting better. She gets so excited about it too. After they sightsing in her class, almost every day it's I got it better this time! or I got it! or something like that.
ReplyDeleteTyson was absent on Tuesday, parent hadn't called in at the time roll taken. So this left me wondering why he was not in class.. I am hoping everything is ok. with him. I am really looking forward to seeing him tomorrow...
ReplyDeleteNaomi you did the right thing. I have also felt like the kids have taken advantage of my generosity. My CT had to tell me, they are going to try and pull fast ones on ya!! I thought noooo, but yes ma'am. The will ask me to go to the bathroom 4 times or go the library they are always looking for a way to leave the class, when my CT leaves.. It's kind of funny. Tyson have trouble with too.. I have literally had to hold his pencil with him so he can write a sentence. But he also expects me to give him the answers and I don't, cause I know he can do it himself.
ReplyDeleteJTTwaits, I think it is sooo sweet when the kids offer things to me. I had one girl Izzy yesterday give me her art drawing, she was thinking of me while she did her assignment. This same child also gave me a little pink heart sticker that is on my PST tag. I have two other little girls that offer me things.. I can say no boys though.. The little girls are so sweet and I can honestly say they are doing these out of the kindness of their hearts and not looking for special attention. When we reviewed fact and opinion, two students made sentences with my name, their opinion, I was the nicest teacher in 3rd grade :) That was nice.
ReplyDeleteVirginia,
ReplyDeleteYou are doing an awesome job on your posting. I am so sorry to hear about JTT's mother, but am not surprised. I agree, he is not the priority for her. This is very common; and unfortunate. These are the children that you build the strong relationship with in order for them to be successful. And it would not hurt for you to ask, "has anyone ever had JTT tested?"
Tyler,
ReplyDeleteI remember a young lady I had in the 7th grade at Driscoll. Almost exact same story. You have to earn her respect, because she's learned to not respect anything or anyone in her environment. And she's learned to be tough to stay alive and to keep from being hurt. You did the right thing. You begin earning her respect and her trust with simple, calm conversations. Slowly, you develop a relationship with her, and then you can influence her. Most important, always remain calm and speak softly. She has not had this modeled for her. You must teach her.
Jessica,
ReplyDeleteYour case study is going to be fun to see how it unveils itself. You are the first to have a pair of twins as the case study.
DH
Alexis and Virginia,
ReplyDeleteI agree with both of you concerning how this child got this far without a hearing aid. All that has been lost...tragic. But what a sponge he will be now.
I find it hard to believe that a school nurse didn't catch it. They are supposed to be tested every year.
John,
ReplyDeleteAl sounds like a precious child. But perhaps a little like a "cypher in the snow." Doesn't always get the attention he deserves.
Naomi,
ReplyDeleteYou did the right thing with your little crier. Virginia you did too. Sometimes children learn at a very early age that crying can sometimes get them exactly what they want, and so they learn to manipulate and control their environment with this tool. Be aware of the antcedents that cause the crying. Look for patterns. There probably is one.
I was in the classroom this afternoon. I didn't even have to ask about Tyson, Mrs. webster immediately showed me his work or lack thereof and gradebook for the grades. I was aware of the grades since I did alot of it. . Today was not the greatest day but not the worst. Tyson did not want to do his work, I had to literally sit beside him and guide him through each triple digit math addition problem.. He just does not want to do anything. I sit there and guide him and I this kid can do the work, I am starting to think that he just does not want to.. absolutely refuses... UGH!!! I already knew he had a baby brother but Tyson talked about him today and he got all excited when he talked about him, first time I had seen him get excited about anything. He loves that little baby boy. I am soo glad that there is something positive in his life that he obviously cherishes. Mrs. Webster now has him sitting in the back all alone, he is isolated from everyone, i don't particular like that he is being well excluded!!! He is in the same classroom but he is not in the the three rows with the other children he is in the back alone. Which I think is odd, he needs the most help... I don't want to ask if this is really the best situation for him... GEEZ!!! I feel like i am afraid to ask I don't want to step on anyones toes.... :(
ReplyDeleteI have chosen Joe as my case study student. From the first day I met Joe, he has put a smile on my face and every day since. Joe is a male Mexican- American students in my kindergarden class. Joe has a very loving persaonality and is always willing to help out in the classroom. On the first day of school, I had found out that Joe is frequently prone to have seizures, everyday he goes to nurse Betty's office to take his med at 1pm.I have not actually seen Joe have a seizure in classroom and hope that I never will.He has a innocents about him that draws me in.I have never seen him get upset or get angry. He is very mellow and very easy going compared to his peers. My Ct had told me that she had recently had a teacher/parent conference with Joe's mother.Come to find out that she had major concerns for Joe. Joe's mother has a learning disability and so does Joe's older sister. Joe's mother is very concerned that Joe may have one as well.
ReplyDeleteVirginia,
ReplyDeleteI agree I don't agree that Tyson should be isolated from his peers. The issue that he doesn't even want to work in class is not being solved by seperating him from the class. I really feel for Tyson,if it was my child I would be thankful that someone like you is doing all you can to make him feel part of the class.
Ms. Adams,
I cannot believe that Jakob was held up all those years. It is amazing how children have that ability to bounce back and overcome challenges. I love the fact that he is excited about being in school.
I spent extra time with Jakob's class on Thursday. I walked in expecting to sit with the class until the teacher came back from running to the office. I found myself sitting in complete shock. The students were asked to read a story (to talk about with the lesson) silently until their teacher returned. I walked around the classroom, all students following direction.
ReplyDeleteI come around to Jakob. He is reading with an special needs assistant who occassionally comes in to help him. Well, the part that bothered me was before the teacher came back into the room, I saw the right side of Jakob's face. It was as it he had been burned because his ear was just terribly scarred...peeling...very red...etc. I looked on his cheek and he even had blotches on the same side of his face. As I walked around to the other side...I noticed...
The burned side of his face was the same side he should have been wearing his hearing aid.
Obviously, I couldn't leave without getting answers. For many reasons. One of which...what happened?! The teacher informed me that over the weekend, Jakob's family went to a family friend's house. The children were playing with kerosene and apparently it made it on Jakob. She also explained how the stories aren't straight...but my next question was: How is he supposed to work in class without his hearing aid?
Her response was as if she hasn't been informed on how to handle the situation just yet. The teacher is a permanent sub but she is also certified. When I left the room, he smiled as if there was not a worry in the world...
Dr. Hill,
ReplyDeleteThis is Jakob's first year in public school. But even being home schooled or in a daycare...or wherever he was before this school, wouldn't SOMEone have caught this? Well, it's a sad story but it makes it worth observing because this child is so inspiring!
Naomi,
ReplyDeleteI am so amazed at your experience thus far. Even outside of this class, I have enjoyed "PSTing" with you.
I think you handled your situation appropriately. I also remember being one of those children who cried...but the reasons weren't for attention. It was more of a transition phase or not feeling comfortable after moving to a new school. I wonder if the child is looking for attention...or if there is more going on inside, as opposed to what it appears on the outside?
PAM:
ReplyDeleteOh I am soo terrified of seizures, I have never seen it firsthand, but as a parent, when my little ones were infants, I would panic if the were chocking or a bump on the head, i just freak!! I am hoping I find a way to deal with these situations, I can not have an incident and panic and terrify the other students.. As a first year teacher i will ensure those letters go out, I must be aware if there is any medical conditions I need to be aware of and if so, my students will be also. so we can have a plan should the situation arise... of course with parents permission.. I feel for Joe, I hope he escaped the gene and will not have their disabilities!!!
Alexis:
ReplyDeleteOMG... How terrible... poor baby... Ugh!!! I can't even explain how I feel at this moment. As a parent i think of my children and this is soo sad!!! Being burned is very painful I am sure we can all attest from a curling iron or iron, but to be burned like your student. Pain!!! good thing in giving him extra attention, he will need it.. and as for the parents, was cps maybe considered as being notified? i am sure hosital has report... I know things happen and I can't say negligence on the parents, but I do wonder!
I made it to Barnes on Friday again. I went out there to get my writing and art activities together for my lesson plan #4 i will be conducting on Thursday. I gave the children their spelling test (I also did last Friday i was out there preparing lesson plan #3 that included our technology for Elwood) any hoot... I kept my eye on Tyson, I gave the test I had to go a little slow to ensure Tyson got all the words but as i walked by looking he was spelling them all correctly.. Tyson has me wondering.... does he have a disability or not... I am on the fence on some days.. He asked me when I was leaving when I would be back... This brought a smile to my face, I am making a connection with him!!!
ReplyDeleteThe student I am doing my case study on is a Hispanic boy named Andrew. Andrew is always moving! He doesn't like to sit still. During lessons, he is constantly playing with his pencils. It never fails, somehow his pencils always end up on the floor at least four feet away from where he is seated. His desk is very close to mine, so I can see what he is doing usually. I don't know if he tosses his pencils so he can get up and move around or if he is just playing with the pencils and they fly from his hands. I asked my CT about him and she says that he is still paying attention. She said that she will call on him during a lesson to ask him questions about what is going on in the lesson and he will correctly answer her. I have noticed that although he will pay attention in the lessons, he talks to other students that sit near him. I think he is very distracting to the other students. From what I have seen, Andrew plays with his pencils and sometimes talks to others during lessons, he talks to others a lot when doing independent work unless he is reading a book, and he focuses on his work when he is working together with his group. I am very interested in seeing what this semester teaches me with Andrew.
ReplyDeleteMy student was assigned to me by CIS to tutor. No information was given to me except that the grandmother was very involved and he needed extra help in algebra. When he came to tutoring he had just got out of ISS, so he didn't have any work. I started asking him questions and he said his grandmother made him play golf, he wanted to play football. Apparently, she caused a big scene in CIS about him playing football. Seems strange to me. I plan on going to the special education diractor to see what I can find out. CIS printed out a bunch of information, but I don't know what they mean.
ReplyDeleteKelly
Liz,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like ADHD to me. See if The Special eduaction director will give you information. He help me alot.
I have chosen Christian, he is a 8 year old, caucasion child. Christian is in my CT's classroom and I have been observing him since day one. My CT had told me that I should always keep extra attention on him. Christian is a very talkative child, he always is looking to correct the teacher, or talking to his fellow classmates. He tends to work at a slightly slower pace from the other children because my CT and I have to read the classwork or the questions aloud to him. He especially has trouble looking at a the textbook. We know he has dyslexia but we have no idea what degree of dyslexia he has.
ReplyDeleteI chose Samuel, he is a 8 year old third grader who is Hispanic. I have been watching him in class the last couple weeks and find him very interesting to follow and observe. He has certain modifications that my teacher follows for him like extra time on assignments and allowing him to finish in content mastery. I have noticed that he is very to himself and does not interact with other children. If he interacts he is sneaky about it and usually starts a little quarral. He seems to be very sheltered at home and does not like to try any work by himself. It almost seems like he has never had to do anything alone, therefore now he is struggling at school trying to make friends and learn. On September 21st I noticed that Samuel whispers to himself a lot when he is thinking of an answer. I am curious to figure out why he does this so often? When given his modified spelling test he answered only 3 out of 11 correct. His words were chosen for him and he did not have to do as many, but he still had trouble. On a worksheet about a story they were reading he made a 50. I am wondering if he is not paying attention and or just answering random to some questions. When the whole class sings jingles to remember their adjectives and nouns Sammy did not sing along he just sat there. But the one thing that really bothers me is during recess when all the boys were playing football, Sammy was the only boy by himself. I have taken an interest in Sammy because I feel that he is a good child, but needs extra help and attention. Maybe there is some way to help him interact with others.
ReplyDeleteIn response to JouHee. I would say maybe try and accomodate Christian by doing more hands on materials with him and letting him show you how he learns through manipulatives. I know this could be hard to do because it is not our class, but maybe one day just try and let him explain an answer to you or show you with items. I really like the way you read things aloud to him that is a good way to help him learn. Christian sounds like a fun child to observe because he may have dislexia, but also maybe just needs that extra attention.
ReplyDeleteAt the beginning of semester you mentioned we would have to do a case study so i had previously wrote down some observations so a coupls dates are from september. My first entry was on Tuesday, September 7, 2010 at 9:10am. Jacob was to himself playing with objects around the room. When Ms. Reyna mentioned station time, he immediately went and sat on the carpet with the rest of the students. So it appears that even though he was doing his own thing by himself he was still listening and when something interested him he became attentive. But within several minutes he was no longer interested and would not follow simple directions such as go sit on the carpet.
ReplyDeleteMy second entry was from September 9, 2010 at 10:55am. The children were on the carpet and were taking turns sharing their favorite story from writers workshop. As the first student began to share, Jacob got up and went to the folder bins, began taking out folders, not his of course, got a pencil, put on some glasses from the library center. He was walking around as if looking for something yelling out, "I did not." He continued to wander around the room until the teacher stopped him and re-directed him back to the carpet. The student sharing was to choose who would share next and the student just pointed not knowing his classmates name. So the teacher asked what is his name, she replied John, and immediately Jacob yelled out John. He is always repeating what she asks another student to do or the name she calls out.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jenniel. I enjoyed reading your post and found Sammy to be very interesting. It makes me sad that he does not have many friends, there might be somehing going on at home. I'm sure he would greatly benefit from you reaching out and taking interest in him. I also found it interesting that he whispers to himself. He might be whispering to sound out words or put sentences together. I think it also helps students remember things when they hear them outloud, I use to do the same thing. I look forward to hearing more about your case.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Liz. I have a few students in my class that are very active too, maybe not as much as Andrew. I find it very distracting when a student is constanly moving around and talking to others. I can see that it is very distracting and disruptive to other students. I think it is interesting however that he pays attention and answers the teacher correctly. Maybe find out if he is on any special medication for adhd or something like that. What I would like to know is if the teacher is patient with him. I know it is disruptive in the classroom to have a student constantly moving around and teachers might get annoyed with it.
ReplyDeleteMy second observation entry. My student, Mezmoriah is still very distrought about being at school. I had a conversation with her and she shared some interesting information. I noticed that she was not rehearsing her puppet skit with her group. She was only given one line and it seemed to hurt her feelings. When asking why she only had one line she told me that at first she only wanted one, but as she got into the skit she felt she wanted to be more involved. Because she is a tough little girl she did not share this information with her group. Instead, she sat there with her arms crossed and repeatedly told them how stupid she thought the skit was. I asked her if she like school and she responded with a, "no I hate school, it's so boring". I get the feeling that she is not encouraged about school at her home. She asked me why I wanted to be a teacher and I told her why I loved school. I tried to give her some encouraging words but nothing seemed to help. I got a few smiles out of her but not much. When she smiled I noticed she had braces which I had not seen before. She told me she had just got them the week before and they really hurt. I was thinking that this could have contributed to her bad mood that day. Hopefully I can learn more about her and find out why she does not like being at school, maybe she has trouble with learning the material which is discouraging?
ReplyDeleteMy second observation entry. My student, Mezmoriah is still very distrought about being at school. I had a conversation with her and she shared some interesting information. I noticed that she was not rehearsing her puppet skit with her group. She was only given one line and it seemed to hurt her feelings. When asking why she only had one line she told me that at first she only wanted one, but as she got into the skit she felt she wanted to be more involved. Because she is a tough little girl she did not share this information with her group. Instead, she sat there with her arms crossed and repeatedly told them how stupid she thought the skit was. I asked her if she like school and she responded with a, "no I hate school, it's so boring". I get the feeling that she is not encouraged about school at her home. She asked me why I wanted to be a teacher and I told her why I loved school. I tried to give her some encouraging words but nothing seemed to help. I got a few smiles out of her but not much. When she smiled I noticed she had braces which I had not seen before. She told me she had just got them the week before and they really hurt. I was thinking that this could have contributed to her bad mood that day. Hopefully I can learn more about her and find out why she does not like being at school, maybe she has trouble with learning the material which is discouraging?
ReplyDeleteIt has been very interesting watching Emily and Ashley. I previously stated that Emily was more open to me, but in the last couple of times I've been in my classroom Ashley has really started to open up with me too. I was sitting by the office one dayand she walked by and looked and said hey! I know you! you're Miss Twaits from choir. and we talked for minute before she continued on to class. and yesterday when she came into choir, she came into the office where I was talking with my clinical teacher and said hello to both of us and was the only one that said bye when they left. Emily is also starting to open up with her classmates. I love watching these two girls. They are probably two of the most social with me and the choir director. They are both making progress in the music too.
ReplyDeleteI had been interacting with the children more often and have had an opportunity to teach in my CT's classroom. I am a strong believer of hands on activities, today I got to do a science lesson, I had a hands on activity in the focus where the classroom get in a large circle and we passed around yarn to make a large classroom spider web. Then, the students were able to make their own webs on a black construction paper and yarn. Most of the students were engaged, and Christian was very intricate on how he had to make his web. Christian's web was very organized, while the other students doodled other details into their web with a white crayon. He absolutely loves math and loves to discuss science but I noticed that he easily gets frustrated with reading. Especially, when it came time to do a benchmark test. I haven't had a chance to ask the CT yet, if she is going to modify his TAKS.
ReplyDeleteToday I observed an ARD it wasn't for my case study child but I thought i should mention. If you have the opportunity to observe I highly recommend. I'm trying to observe Al as closely as possible but those other 20 students keep getting in my way...Imagine that! :) Today I watched as my CT gave specific instructions to him at her desk to go and get his paper and bring it back to her. He made it to his desk and sat down and started writing on the paper. He then became involved talking with the student in the desk next to his. This went on for a good 4 min. before the teacher called his name to come back to the desk, my Ct does not speak softly and she called his name at least 6 times with absolutely no response from Al. She then went over to his desk took his hand and walked him to her desk. She asked him what he was doing and he said working on my paper. She asked him if that was what she asked him to do and he didn't respond. It's as if he can not focus or stay on task for more than 2 min. I need to spend more one on one time with him and talk to some folks about him. I put awards and paperwork in the report card envelopes today, he had perfect attendance, but he averaged about a C in everything. He seems more intelligent than that. like I said I need to investigate further.
ReplyDeletePam, don't be afraid of seizures, if you know about them you can be very helpful if he has one when your'e there. I know a lot about them from working with folks with developmental disabilities. One day a 26 yr. old male that lived in the group home I managed in SA had a gran mal while in the front seat of the suburban i was driving and fell over in my lap!!! I will give you info I have and you can look online as well. They look scary but many people have them and you never know some respond well to medicine and others don't, but like i said if you know about them you can help and sometimes they don't have anybody around them that can.Just ask if you want to know more
ReplyDeleteSamuel did better today in class. He seemed to get along with all other children. I noticed that he was twirling his hair during instruction today. I think this may be a way to soothe his mind and keep him busy because it only happens during lecture time when the teacher is talking. Samuel is making "not turning in his homework" a frequent event and this means that he is going to fall behind the other children and also is not getting pushed at home. We did a science project today where they poured vinegar and lemon juice in bottles and he was very engaged with this hands on learning. I went over to his group and let him do many things like hold the funnel, and pour the juice into the bottle to make him feel a part of the group. He did really good today and I think teaching him with hands on activities is what is going to help him feel more accomplished.
ReplyDeleteJMH I also got to observe an ARD. Mrs. Webster my CT stated it wasn't the best ARD for me to have observed, but I had to jumped at the chance. This was not for Tyson, but it was for another child in my class, I also thought about designating him as my case study. But this child's father requested the ARD, he wanted Aidan to have a second day of speech therapy added to his current plan. The father was also concerned about bullying. The ARD only lasted 15 minutes since therapist, teacher, and principal agreed with father on adding a second day of speech therapy. Therapist, teacher, prinicpal were so great, awesome to have made the dad feel so welcomed. Communication is imperative!
ReplyDeleteI spent time in the classroom this morning instructing. I got to work more with Tyson and he just continues to surprise me. Today was a good day, well morning. I went out of his way to tell me good morning. I had my lesson on bats and he was so interested just totally engaged. He asked questions. He was involved no problems. I am also happy to state that he his made his way back into the general area of the classroom with the rest of the kiddos...so he is no longer isolated!!!:) I showed the kids a video clip of bats and echolocation, it was sooo cute the video and song, the kids were singing and Tyson got up and did a quick dance, 5 seconds, I was so surprised, he was smiling from ear to ear. I just felt soo good!! The kids chanted go tyson and he sat down, but they were all laughing and having a good time. But this video and their great fun threw me off my lesson plan, I couldn't get them back for a good while:(
ReplyDeleteTyson participated, completed my assignments, and just was great today!
I observed a self contained (SC) special ed class this morning (Auditorily Impaired). I wanted to cry within the first few minutes, the children clearly were having a great difficulty communicating. I was immediately heart broken !!!!!:( The beautiful children were: Esmeralda, Julian, Rashan, Dulce, and Jermiah. They are between 3-5 years of age. I thank god for people like Mrs. Belma and Mrs. Debbie. So full of patience and sincere love for these kids. It takes a very special person to fill the "teacher's shoes".I began to wonder if this is where I should be??
ReplyDeleteThe last time I was in the classroom was Thursday (10/7) and I was presenting a lesson. My lesson was on spider webs and I was careful to watch Andrew to see if he was paying attention or being distracting to the other students. Andrew acted great! He paid attention, he raised his hand to answer questions, he didn't do anything distracting to others-it was like he was a whole new student.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this was because he was interested in the lesson? I didn't get a chance to ask my CT if he was ADHD or if he was on any medication. I'm going to look into it the next time I go to the classroom.
Virginia,
ReplyDeleteI can so relate to your observation in the special ed class.It can be very heartbreaking. I recently observed a special ed resourse class with 3 special students.One in which the teacher had labeled MR( mentally retarded.)I was so shocked that the teacher used that term to me, my heart went out to that child which was labeled MR. After seeing the observation I found out that the child was very capable of doing the same things you and I are capable of doing. He was very smart in answering the problems the teacher had given.
I was able to see Joe on Thursday.This boy has just a wonderful spirit, he is such a pleasure to have in the class. This week he was nominated tiger of the week, which means he get to stand in the front of the line and do a lot of other special duties.I don't think Joe really comprehends the that he is tiger of the week, I had to remind him through out the day. Usually when a student is tiger of the week they know it, you do not have to remind them of anything, kind of like its thier birthday.Joe was given a ribbion to wear around the school saying he was tiger of the week, he was showing everyone his ribbion. I had watched Joe take his tpri test on thursday which he did not do well in. The manner in which he answered the question he seemed as if knew every question and it was right.Joe has the ability to impact my daily experience at Kostoryz.
ReplyDeleteI watched my student in class today and I noticed while taking notes he writes, erases, and rewrites all the time. This is interesting because i learned he is emotionally disturbed. I plan on getting copies of his notes to document this behavior for my report. Can OCD make a student emationally disturbed, or is he just a perfectionist? i'll try to find out.
ReplyDeleteTyler,
ReplyDeleteI had a converstaion with a BI paraprofessional at my school and she told me its usually not the subject or the teacher, they just haven't been raised to appreciate school at home. Also, many kids are so used to entertainment they don't like it when they are made to work. Keep talking to her, maybe you can help change that.
October 7th, 2010:
ReplyDeleteJakob seemed to be having a great morning, so far. Unfortunately, the time spent observing wasn't as long as I normally would have spent with him. This was because it was my turn to teach one lesson for all three of my CT's classes.
Jakob was definitely on his game today. He participated in the lesson and once I acknowledged his willingness to distinguish abbreviations apart, the rest of the class was ready to participate as well. The students, as a class, were encouraging each other to get the assignment done so that we could play Ms. Adams' version of Abbreviation Bingo. In order to play, they would have to complete the assignment and patiently/quietly wait for the others who were still working.
While this was going on, Jakob began interacting with his group. I noticed that was the first time I had actually seen Jakob make a connection with anyone other than myself or another instructor.
But then again, having to follow 3 different classes figuring out if Jakob is his homeroom, LArts room or Math/SS, Special Ed...etc. just proves there are more opportunities for social interaction aside from the little time I see Jakob.
Needless to say, my assumption from one of my first blog observation/entries mentioned Jakob's lack of interaction with his peers.
Thinking about it now, I will admit that my assumptions tend to overanalyze more than the usual. With that said, I wonder if my observation of Jakob in the beginning may have only been a bad day?
Tyler,
ReplyDeleteI am very interested in your case study. I find it very interesting to hear about other students and their attitude toward school. This is not to say that it is a negative attitude but it seems like your student may not be getting the positive feedback at home as you would give a student in the classroom. I don't know if that makes sense. But then being considered the "tough kid," could the student feel obligated to fill the role of the "tough kid" with the cold response? Hmm. I'm really interested in learning more through this observation. :)
Liz,
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your first entry...I thought to myself, "Oh goodness. I have an "Andrew, too!" I was informed about my "Andrew" because of his inability to complete his assignment and his AMAZING ability to find everything else to keep him from doing it.
For example, my third lesson was observed by my CT on Thursday. I have learned how to handle this student and make sure that he and I are on the same page. With that said, "Andrew" knows when Ms. Adams says, "C.J...Park it," that means he should be in his seat doing his work. Well...after this lesson about abbreviations, CJ asked if he could go to the restroom. Of course I knew it was work avoidance, but at the same time I can't tell a student they aren't allowed to go to the restroom. So I allowed him to go...but insisted his return in a time limit to finish his work.
In the mean time, I am walking around helping the students with the assignment... knowing my CT is amazing at the great participation of the class...she whispers for me to come over.
To make a long story short...CJ was gone for more than 10 minutes. After a few suggestions, CJ opened the door.
Once C.J. returned, he asked if he could go get some water. I kind of chuckled and insisted he get to work.
This kid is a great kid, full of personality...but he just can't keep still. He is constantly throwing away paper...or sharpening a pencil...asking the exact questions when the teacher has repeated what was just asked by others. Sometimes it can be funny because the random things that leave his mouth make for a good laugh but there is a time and a place and it isn't all day, everyday! :)
J- As you know, I did the same activities with my third grade class. You said that Christian did a very intricate web. The student I am observing, Andrew, did the same thing! Out of all the students' webs, Andrew's was by far the most intricate and creative! I wonder if there's a connection there...
ReplyDeleteOctober 12, 2010:
ReplyDeleteI spent the morning with Jakob. I was actually doing some observation hours and Jakob happened to be scheduled to be in the Special Education room at this time. I spoke with his teacher and she revealed SO much about Jakob...and I finally got the full story about the kerosene incident. When I asked questions, the teacher informed me that there must have been some report filed when he was taken to the hospital. I also asked how Jakob has been learning and/or keeping up with everyone considering he couldn't wear his glasses or hearing aid because of the burns. The teacher told me they have to do things a different way until his ear gets better. It was interesting because the two of them were still so encouraging about the temporary learning fix.
I thought this morning was quite entertaining. The teacher has such a great relationship with her Special Needs children. Of course, I've grown to love Jakob...but it's because I've been watching him a little more than the others. I was watching for a while and noticed Jakob starting to get a little anxious. I'm not sure what the cause was but when they were working on his assignment, he had a small meltdown. His teacher asked him if he wanted to go for a walk and he just stared at her before she asked him again, and they left for a walk. When they got back in the room, the teacher made a remark about lunch in a little while and Jakob mentioned that he didn't eat breakfast. The teacher made a reference to a car without gas. "if the car has no gas, it won't work...if your body doesn't have food, it won't work." She encouraged him to eat the breakfast his mom makes him (she knows from speaking with the mother that he chooses not to eat.) She then gave him a snack, took a break and they continued on their way to finishing the assignment.
The teacher came to speak with me about the background of Jakob and let me know that there is SO much she would like to share with me. It turns out, Jakob has an ARD this week and he was in the middle of doing some tests. The teacher showed me a test prior to this year and Jakob tested at a Kindergarten level. In a couple of months, this child is already testing first grade level. He is showing a large amount of improvement...
I'm amazed at the way Jakob has learned adapt to what life has thrown at him. He is such a fighter! And he is always smiling...it just makes my day even better.
Samuel did well yesterday in class. He got along pretty well with the other children and completed a worksheet for homework. I have noticed though that he cannot follow along as well as the other children when listening to a lecture. He just stares at his paper. I noticed that when he was given a worksheet with 15 problems to do he took a lot of time to fill it out and then never finished. when all the others went to read AR reading, Sammy still sat there and did his worksheet. I kept going by and asking if he needed any help because he seemed to be stuck on certain problems, but he said no he understood. Then he went to Content Mastery to finish the worksheet. I think that he knew he could go there so he didn't try that hard to finish the worksheet because I did a problem with him and he knew exactly what to do. Also when they came back from PE somebody ran into Sammy in line and overreacted saying watch out and seemed to get really upset and irritated. When all the other children did their jingles for language, Sammy did not say them at all he just sat there. It seems to me that he doesn't like to participate and doesn't feel he has to be a part of the class.
ReplyDeletePam
ReplyDeleteI can't believe she actually used that term in front of you. That is very sad!!! Even worse, you could see how much this young man was capable in one day, probably within a few hours.
Ms. Adams- The situation with Jakob not interacting with peers could have been a bad day or maybe he goes back and forth. Jakob seems interested in group work so maybe he enjoys working more with groups then by himself. He may just not have much experience with group work like other children and may just need some time to interact and catch on. Maybe because they had to finish Jakob had an incentive to work with other children so that he could go on to the next activity. Jakob seems interesting and following him will be good to see if interacting with others is continuous or just once and a while.
ReplyDeleteI spent some time in the classroom on Tuesday October 12. Tyson was in a bad mood that afternoon. He was not doing his work and just did not want to listen to anyone. He sat out of recess for having his 3 crayons taken away. I tried to talk to him and he would just stare at me, and wouldn't acknolwedge me at all! :( Mrs. Webster stated it was just one of those days, he came in very tired in the morning, and just had no care in the world... I couldn't reach him yesterday :( makes me wonder, if its something going on at home... Looking forward to tomorrow to seeing Tyson, hoping he has a better day.
ReplyDeleteTuesday I was able to see Joe again. I have noticed that every time Joe tries talking to me he constantly ask “what’s your name again”. I have made it my intention to spend time with Joe, on a one to one level. I keep repeating my name to him every time I see him. I am not sure why, he seem to be able to recall names pretty well and I do fill that I see him throughout the week for him to remember my name.
ReplyDeleteThursday we went on a field trip to the aquarium. I noticed that Joe was very distant from group. He was very scared of the fish that was displayed at the aquarium. When we went to the dolphin show he had sat right next to me and I saw that throughout the show Joe had placed his fingers in his ears. He acted as if the noise was bothering from the show. I have never seen him to do this in class but when I showed my ct she had seen him do it before. I am still not sure why he was doing it because when I asked him if he was okay he would reply that he was okay. The rest of the trip went well. I have also noticed that Joe is always wanting to hold hands with either me or the ct. while we were walking around the aquarium he was constantly asking If he could hold my hand. Other than that Joe has no signs of bad behavior he really is a wonderful student.
I spent time in the classroom on Thursday October 14. I spent some more time with Tyson, he was excited about Friday, he was going to hold the pig for his class in the school pig race. I was beyond thrilled when Mrs. Webster advised that she had designated Tyson to be the child representing her 3rd grade class. This is going to be great for Tyson. He needed help doing his work but I just had to sit there and work with him, he would say he didn't get it, we were working on math, multiplications, but I was patient and worked with him and he did well. He observed him on the playground for recess and he did great, he was talking and running with the other kids, he didn't isolate himself at all from the others. Tyson had a good day.
ReplyDeleteI am soo tired today, I arrived at Barnes at 9:00 this morning, but I was out getting their hotdog buns for the festival before I even arrived at the school. The Festival was great today.. I also got to spend a lot of time in the class with Tyson. He hugged me this morning, after of course 3 girls had hugged me but he was the only boy, so that made me feel really great. I am reaching him, making that connection and that feels amazing. He got to watch him today as he raced the pig for Mrs. Webster's 3rd grade class. The boy was glowing.. I got to take pictures and videotape. Awesome experience... He was simply excited the rest of the day. I got to meet his mom this evening at the Festival and her boyfriend and Tyson's infant brother.. Tyson was just on cloud 9 today. He had a fantastic day.. I got to also watch his interaction with his mother, the boyfriend and the baby. Tyson was very relaxed around his mom and the baby, but I did notice him tense up when the boyfriend would look at him or just the way he would say his name, i think there maybe something with the boyfriend but I am really not sure... This was one observation, so i just thought i would mention it, really hoping it's not the case.. I've got a little more time with Tyson before the semester ends...
ReplyDeleteCase Study Intro
ReplyDeleteThe student that I have decided to do my case study on is in sixth grade, and I will refer to him as “Tom”. For the first six weeks Tom was very quiet and unwilling to do his work. At first I thought he may be an ESL student but after speaking with the clinical teacher we found that he had no special services. She was as shocked as I was. We had been working with him one on one all six weeks with some improvement. Near the end of the first six weeks a new student was placed in that class and was assigned the seat next to Tom. This seemed to help Tom want to work on the assignments because his new classmate was doing his work. Tom also started to speak in class. I was surprised that his cognitive ability is very undeveloped. His speech was not impaired by a language barrier because he has no accent and speaks no Spanish in class. His voice is quite high pitched and he has trouble staying on task. These symptoms bring to mind ADD, ADHD, or perhaps Asperger syndrome.
Pam
ReplyDeletei also have a student that isfrequently prone to have seizures. she has had two in class when i have been there. it is sceary but i try my best to not react to it they come and go very quickly and Mrs zimm checks on her as will as her three friends in the class.
October 14, 2010:
ReplyDeleteI was SO excited to spend the day with Jakob. The special education teacher went out of her way to help me today. I mentioned that Jakob was my case study and Ms. Williams (the SE teacher) actually sent Jakob to come and get me from my class with my Site Professor. Ms. Williams encouraged me to sit in with Jakob as they went over some tests before the ARD meeting that was scheduled. As much as I would have loved to attend that ARD meeting with Jakob, I felt I could see more if I were to sit in on this testing with Ms. Williams and Jakob.
First, she handed me a paper that had about 6 columns of assessments. They were ranging anywhere from sounds of the alphabet, to reading words, and counting numbers etc. I was able to see the exact results from last years testing and how Jakob's level had progressed over time. In the midst of these assessments, Ms. Williams decided to tell me more about Jakob as far as when he came into the school, and how long he had gone without wearing his hear aid.
This is where I learned that I misunderstood Jakob's situation. I learned that Jakob comes from a VERY large family and because he is one of six children, he was never forced to wear his glasses or his hearing aid. Jakob came to this school at the end of last year and was in the first grade, but at a Kindergarten level. Due to age appropriateness, they moved Jakob to 3rd grade with hopes of peers helping his progression overtime. When this year came, Jakob's testing proved that working with him in the SpEd room was incredible. I could go on and on about how much this child has encouraged me.
Jakob spent those next 45-55 minutes recognizing numbers on index cards. The way Jakob was counting left me speechless. He was staring at the numbers and apparently had a mental image of a counting chart in his head, which was how he knew what number was in front of him. It was truly remarkable.
After he went through his alphabet, Ms. Williams explained the services that Jakob has. She said that he is labeled 'MR.' She made sure to acknowledge the fact that Jakob had a hard time distinguising the 's' sound and the 'x' sound, but he knew where each letter went in the alphabet and knew what they looked like. She explained that in the upcoming ARD meeting, she hoped for more assistance because there was an obvious auditory barrier.
I was asked to return later that day to see if I needed any more information on Jakob. I am enjoying this case study so much and I love seeing Jakob's smiling face when he completes his assignments. It's incredible.
10/12
ReplyDeleteToday was a rough day with Andrew! On this particular day, I had seminar in the morning and clinical time in the afternoon. It started out pretty normal with Andrew doing his normal thing (playing with whatever is in his hands while the teacher teaches), but after I picked up the class from P.E. I noticed something...instead of being tired, Andrew gets more active after P.E. he can't stand still in line! He is talking to classmates, swinging his arms, sometimes skipping-never lacking energy. Anyway, when I picked up the class, Andrew was the first student in the line and her was standing next to one of his closer friends in the class. I was monitoring the class while they were getting water. While another student had my attention, Andrew did something (probably just getting more energy out by jumping or skipping), whatever he did, he got the attention of the art teacher and another third grade teacher. They were both next to him telling him he will lose his water privileges if he "cannot act appropriately in line." They were both very serious with him, apparently this was not the first time the art teacher saw him misbehave getting water. After they left, I told Andrew it is important to be quiet and act calmly in the hallways when we get water because there are classes very close to us trying to learn without us disrupting them. Naturally, I told my CT what had happened when we all got back to the classroom. She also told him he needs to stop playing around at the water fountain and made a note in his behavior chart. After that, Andrew was NOT happy with me!
I needed to work one-on-one with him that afternoon to go over some worksheets he didn't do well on. He would not look at me, he only responded to yes or no questions, he made it very clear he was not a happy camper! I felt bad, but I knew there was nothing I could do except keep trying to help him and I did the best I could. I just hoped he would get to go home, relax, and put it behind him.
10/14
I had clinical time in the afternoon again. This time I had a plan to keep all of the students well-behaved during water time after P.E. We played "Simon Says...". I was "Simon" and this worked great! Andrew played along, too! Of course, for extra measure, I placed Andrew away from his friends in line. During math time, I played "Around the World" with their multiplication flash cards. Andrew behaved during this activity, too. I asked Andrew and some of his other classmates near his table if they were going to Sunny Fest on Friday. He said he couldn't because his parents were busy and he'd be with his aunt and cousin that evening. He was actually pretty talkative that day. I was very happy that he was able to put Tuesday behind him.
10/15
I don't normally go the school on days I don't field base, but my CT said she really could use the help getting ready for Sunny Fest. Friday afternoon in the classroom was super busy! I didn't have much time to observe Andrew closely, but from what I saw he was behaving well... he wasn't very talkative to his classmates, didn't get off task, but that was probably because the day was so busy! I asked the class again if they were coming to Sunny Fest and most of them said they were, some said they weren't. Andrew again said he'd be with his aunt and cousin.
That evening, I helped at Sunny Fest by working at the candy booth and I saw quite a few of the students. I was most pleased to see Andrew there! I was getting another student's candy order when I look up and there's Andrew with a big smile right in front of me! I told him I was so glad he got to come and asked if he was having fun. He just gave me a big smile and nodded his head! That made me really happy that he stopped by jst to tell me "Hi!"
On thursday, October 7th at 9:45am, Jacob was sitting on the carpet saying, "his stomach hurts, bad, repeats bad" while rubbing his stomach. Then shouts Ms. Reyna his stomach hurts. He was refering to a student who was sitting next to him who had said he did not feel good. This was right before a sight word worksheet activity, then jacob went to the writing center to get a pencil for his paper. He reapeats quite a bit, he sat down at Ms. Reyna small group table and shouted, "Ms. Reyna come here, sit here, come here." Followed by, "I need my scissors, I have to get my scissors," and grabbed a random pair of scissors. He will just get scissors and start cutting whatever paper he finds to cut, so he must monitor constantly. Ms. Reyna tried to get him to circle a sight word, knowing he can't by asking do you see it? Jacob said yeah, so she asked where, and he said right here. He was just responding verbally with no comprehension of why he was saying that response. When she pointed to the word, her ring grabbed his attention and asked, "can i have it?" He has a fascination with rings and bracelets. Once Ms. Reyna stopped with the one on one instruction Jacob began scribble scrabbling all over his paper.
ReplyDeleteThursday I had spent some time at Kostorzy. Kostorzy was celebrating Grandparents day and had planned for the students to perform for the grandparents. I really wanted to see my class do their dance so I went. As I walked in, the students were on the carpet getting ready to go to P.E. I noticed as I waited for my Ct, Joe was at the carpet winking at me. I remember the first couple of times I was at Kostorzy , Joe would turn around on the carpet and I would wink at him and now he greets me with a wink at the carpet. Throughout the day while Joe is on the carpet he will occasionally turn to me and winks. This is just one more ways Joe makes me smile at Kostorzy.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete10/14/10- As I watched Sammy today I noticed during language time he started saying his jingles like all the other children. He says them low, but at least he said them because usually he just sits there. He did lose his homonym worksheet and another student let him borrow his copy which was nice of him. Sammy liked going to computer lab and got a certificate which allowed him to move on to the next level. When they did an assignment the teacher paired the students up and Sammy made faces when his partner was called which was bad for the other student. The teacher addressed the issue with the whole class because a few of the students did the same thing. He is making some progress everyday, but still seems a little sheltered and scared to learn.
ReplyDelete10/19/10- Today was an interesting day. I gave my lesson on the 5 regions of the United States and Sammy seemed to like it. I called on him during guided practice and he got the question right which shows he knows the information, he just sometimes doesn't apply himself. Even if he doesn't raise his hand I still call on him to make him gain responsibility and to make sure he is paying attention. I then laid down a shower curtain with the whole United States on it and had the children step one at a time on each region and Sammy did good. When it was his turn he participated and seemed to like the hands on learning and being able to move around. I had 4 different centers set up and sammy did not have any trouble doing them. He wrote a short story and made a booklet about the regions. I think that if I continue to check on him and build his self confidence then he will continue to try hard. The only thing that I can see so far is that he questions his answers a lot and seems to run it through his head many times before giving an answer. Also his parents wrote a note today telling my teacher that she needs to be on top of everything he does in the classroom. She agreed to do that the 1st 6 weeks to get him started, but said after that she will not do it because he is capable of learning. The parents are holding his hand way too much so he never gets to do anything by himself. If we make him do activities more by himself instead of him not doing them then he will gain self confidence and want to learn.
ReplyDeleteI spoke to my CT today and he said that they used to only be able to give out 50%, but they dont do that anymore.
ReplyDeleteAs for my student, I looked at his notes and they were meticulously written. I wish I wrote such clear notes. His average in Biology is a B. So, I really think he has problems with numbers and math. During tutoring it is clear he can't grasp the concept of positive and negative.
Ms. Adams,
ReplyDeleteJakob is lucky to have you there.
I have chose to blog about a 5th grade student named Gabby. She has been diagnosed with a mild form of autism and fine motor function issues. She is a good student and only rarely disrupts the flow of class. I think it will be really interesting to see her progess through the year or months. So far she has mostly just made the students laugh with her out burst. I am curious to see how her work will develop or if she will follow along and be able to function with the rest of the class.
ReplyDeleteOctober 19, 2010:
ReplyDeleteToday was a great day to spend with all three of my fourth grade classes.We took a field trip to Sinton to spend the day on an Ag Farm. Jakob actually sat right behind me on the bus and shared his enthusiasm about getting to see a cow! He amazed me (as usual) when we pulled up to the gate. As the big bus drives through, Jakob begins to read a number on a sign as we passed through. He said, "Ms. Adams...look!" Jakob started reading a telephone number on the sign. Seeing as I just sat through an assessment given before his ARD, I was simply excited to see Jakob using his skills outside of the classroom. He is constantly going out of his way to allow himself an opportunity for a real life experience. Jakob spent the day walking either behind, or in front of me. To be honest, I never realized how much he and I had connected until yesterday.When he had to sit down, he sat with me. When he needed to use the restroom, he asked me if he could go. He also came to me to let me know his belly was hurting because he was so hungry. Although two sp.ed teachers went along, he seemed to respond more to me on this field trip than we had on campus.
It was such a great experience...and I loved being able to work with the students outside of the classroom. I am really enjoying this case study with Jakob.
The student I have been observing is a 16 year old named Matthew. He is anglo saxon and living with down's syndrome. The reason why I picked Matthew is because he is not shy and always greets and leaves my adaptive P.E. class, giving my high fives. Over the first few weeks at Miller, I have definitely seen many unique moods from this young man. He can be sweet to others, and in seconds turn angry. It is hard to understand him speak for the most part but his actions have been clear as to whether he is happy and willing to participate or angry and uncooperative. The teachers that are with him everyday seem to be doing a great job figuring him out to a point and I look forward to my time with this class and all the experiences I will have especially those with Matthew.
ReplyDeleteSo I worked with Tom yesterday, he is having trouble staying on task. He didn’t get any work done and the project is due today; Mrs. Zimm and I know he wouldn’t finish it on time but I was hoping he would have gotten more done on it. She gives him extra time on his work even though he does not have any special services. We think he was probably a 504 case and his parents just don’t want him to receive special services. He has definitely come out of his shell but his speech still suppresses me; his speech is at maybe a 2nd or 3rd grade level. He has also become disruptive in class would I think is just a way of getting attention. He seems to have a fare of authoritative figures; when I walk over near where he sits, and I only say sit because that’s what he is supposed to do, he stops talking and covers up his work or if his paper is not in front of him he will pull it in front of him and just stare it the table. I am at a loss at what to do to help him.
ReplyDeleteAny suggestions you have would be welcome.
I wasn't in my clinical classroom today because we were taking our midterm. But it's been awhile since I've blogged so I'm going to update. Both Emily and Ashley are opening up even more with their classmates. They were new students at the beginning of the year if I remember correctly, so they've done great. They've also opened up with me. Of all my students, I would say that they are two of the most open with me. Ashley is one of my only students that always say hello and bye to me whenever she sees whether it's in the hall or in class. She always seems so excited to see me, it's really kind of cool. I always said I wanted to teach elementary school music, bt through field basing at the junior high and high school this semester and interactions with students such as Emily and Ashley and others in my two junior high choirs, I've come to really like the junior high kids and have considered teaching junior high after graduation. These two girls continue to amaze me with their enthusiasm and how quickly they pick up on things. On the day my SP came to observe me, the girls missed the first two periods (I'm not sure why) but I was walking down the hall to go pick up my mentee (the pst's do mentoring in flour bluff) and they were checking in, they both called out hi ms. twaits! as i walked by then emily started asking about choir that day and what we had done because she had missed her choir class. It's scary, but also kind of neat to see the influence and impact we have on these kids lives even just as pre-service teachers and not even their actual teachr.
ReplyDeleteOn Tuesday October 12th i was observing Jacob, to see if i could notice some behavior patterns and to see repitition of certain gestures. Jacob was standing by himself and said, "he spells his name, then repeated two, two." He then yelled out marker after Ms. Reyna told another student one marker. I noticed he had two pens in his hands and was manipulating the way in which he was holding them. He was continuously removing the pen cap, putting it on the back end of pen and repeating. The entire time he was walking around the room he had his writers workshop folder under his arm. Jacob talks out loud to himself but not in complete sentences. He was talking to Ms. Reyna and said, "I can't do it. Push it more here. Push it for me please. He uses hand gestures alot when speaking. I think it is a good behavior concept that he says please with no instruction to do so. He seemed very interested in the pens. He eventually lost interest and left the pens alone.
ReplyDeleteThursday October 14th at 10:45 am during share time of writers workshop Jacob was calling out Robert's name, because he wanted the ring Robert had, then said, "Stop Robert." He yelled, "Malakai no, sit right here, the chair. Mateo hello in here, Mateo sit." He sat in the share chair and said, "I'm talking I'm talking, sharing, sharing." So he understands that during sharing students get to sit in that chair and share their story.
ReplyDeleteAfter lunch he was sitting down with all the students on the carpet while substitute was reading. She saw Mateo playing with a ring that was in his pocket. I had told him if it came out of his pocket it would be mine. When he handed me the ring Jacob saw the ring and came to me and said,"I need the ring, can i have it?" I said no Jacob you need to go sit down. He then got a random book sat down and said, "I have to read the story." He held the book in his lap and turned the pages one by one. Roel told him to put that book up and he yelled no. He noticed a torn page and turned back to it to take a second look at it. He sat there turning the pages foward to the end then backwards, and remained interested in the book for a good five minutes. Through observing him I have found things that interest him that could be used to guide him with instruction that is motivating to him, such as he likes to use scissors, pens, likes books, cards, and jewelry. I think toy jewelry could be a good manipulative to get him counting and perhaps sorting. I think i will try that technique and let you know if i'm successful.
10/19/2010 9am
ReplyDeleteJacob was being very quite this morning, he was sitting on the carpet with his hands in his lap while Ms. Reyna was discussing writer's workshop. The line leader who gets chosen weekly called out blue folder to go get their writer's workshop folders. Jacob does recognize that his folder is blue by looking at it, but i'm not sure if he knew what the word blue means or if he just got up because other students got up. He was asking for a pencil. When I tried to hold his hand to guide him in writing his name, he told me, "I can do it," and started to pull his hand away. When i asked him if he wanted me to help him he said no, then finished scribble scrabbling. He walked over to Ms. Reyna and said, "look at mine, look at mine." Ms. Reyna was conferencing with another student. He went to the writing center and grabbed all the laminated big letters and took them back to where he was sitting. When i asked him to write the first letter he scribbled on the paper, then I wanted him to turn to the next letter, I wanted to put the letter on top in the back of stack to say the next letter. My wanting to touch the letters just to move them not take them away, agitated him. Perhaps he thought i was going to take them away, so he told me "no, no" so i would not touch them. He immediately grabbed all his things and said, "I need to go to my table to work."
Today, October 21st at 10am, Jacob was not repeating what Ms. Reyna was saying constantly. He sat quietly on the carpet while Ms. Reyna did her read aloud. During writer's workshop I was working with Chanceton, writing his sentence that went eith his drawing trying to get him to write down the letter sounds he hears when he says the words. Jacob was sitting next to us and said, "look Ms. Lopez, I'm working." After he scribbled he asked, "it's good right?" THen got his scissors and just just then paper into pieces as if that is what he was supposed to do. I was watching then he went got another sheet of paper, scribbled and wanted to cut it too, Ms. Reyna told him no, he said, "but i have to cut my paper." As they were cleaning up from workshop, Ms. Reyna was counting, she said "nine" and Jacob followed with "ten," They transitioned to the carpet to share, and Jacob was making sure everyone was sitting on their folder as they are supposed to.
ReplyDeleteJacob has accidents regularly, and sometimes more than once a day. His mom sends extra clothes in his bag. I feel like nobody is doing anything to correct this because when he uses the restroom in his pants he justs holds his nose like all the other kids and laughs. They are in the process of testing him, i just don't know how long it will take. My teacher said he probably will not be placed until winter break, and will probably be sent to life skills which is at another elementary school. A specialist took him out to test him, and within a few minutes brought him back to Ms. Reyna and said she couldn't test him, because he was unable to answer the questions. My CT is just documenting everything, because the mother is always saying its the teacher's fault for the restroom accidents and his use of bad language. So she told me documentation is so crucial.
10/21/10- Sammy is becoming quite interesting to observe. I have noticed that he is mischevious and usually starts the trouble with another child. He is so quiet about it that usually people don't see him do things, but by watching him more i have noticed that he mumbles things under his breath to other students as they walk by or in line. Sammy also has made not turning in his homework an everday event and his parents write in his planner that the teacher needs to stay on top of him. They are looking for an easy way out and they did not send his planner back with him the next day so he told the teacher he did not have to write anything down for homework. If the parents enable Sammy to do anything he wants then he will never be able to do anything for himself and not be able to own up to anything. I have noticed more and more that the parents are stepping in and the more they do the more Sammy thinks he doesn't have to participate in class. One last thing for today was that they had a sub on wednesday and she flipped his card to yellow because him and another child were getting into it. I am not sure exactly what happened with that, but this has been a couple times now with these two children. Today was a little rougher then most with Sammy because he is so capable of doing his work, but he is being guided through everything.
ReplyDeleteJoan- That is sad about Jakob. Your teacher is right about documenting and it is good that you get to see her do that process as you both review Jakob together. Maybe his bathroom problem has something to do with getting nervous or for attention. I hope things with Jakob get better and he starts interacting more in the lessons. Does he like hands on activities? Maybe you can try to do some extra hands on things with him alone to give him some extra attention.
ReplyDeleteWell I was typing away and my work did not save ugh!!!! I had a chance to see Tyson with his mom and her boyfriend on Tuesday October 19th after school. They came to pick up the cookie dough. Tyson did very well at selling, he sold the most in his class. Well the mom and her boyfriend and his baby sister come in, Tyson is happy to see his mom and baby sister, but I could see and fell the tension between Tyson and the mom's boyfriend. I am not saying Tyson is terrified but there is something there.. I am not sure if Tyson's biological father is in his life or not.But there is something lacking with him and the mom's boyfriend. He seemed short with Tyson and just didn't really want to hear what the child had to say. They left and 3:40 and Tyson stayed at Latchkey. I wondered why he didn't just leave with them, so I asked and Tyson said he would rather be at school than at home... and I didn't ask why... I don't know if I was ready to hear what he had to say.. It could be something as easy as I have more fun here at school or things go on at home.. I was afraid to ask.. so I left it at that. But there is tension and I think Tyson has emotional problems because of home life. I graded some of his work and sure enough zereos.... and then 90-100's so I just wonder about him.. What can I do... He is feeling more comfortable with me. He told me no ma'am thank you when I asked him a question, and MRs. Webster couldn't believe her ears. She said he has never said no ma'am to her and he has never thank you to her... She also thinks Tyson respects me and she says he does ask on the days I am not there when I will be coming in.. So I am glad to report that Tyson is comfortable with me and looks forward to seeing me in class.:)
ReplyDeleteJoan: I am not surprised that the parent is blaming the teacher for Jacob's behavior. I wonder how I am going to handle these types of situations? Frankly, I am terrified!! But that is the best idea that your teacher is documenting E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G!!! You are getting first hand real experience with this situation. Not that the experience itself is a good thing, it is totally disheartening... But at this point documentating is crucial. I hope Jacob gets the help he needs.. I was a little upset that he was brought back so quickly "cause she couldn't test him" Ugh!! My husband says I will do fine in the classroom with the children themselves, he fears that I will have problems with parents, I am the child's voice and I may step on some toes, because my students, my children, will be my responsibility and I will fight for their best interest... I feel that hey children did not ask to be born, but parents or parent made a decision to bring this beautiful life into the world, you would think that that child would be their number 1 priority.. You Jacob's advocate, he needs you!!!
ReplyDeleteThursday, I was in my class as normal when I noticed Joe was getting up from his seat and walking. What caught my attention was the blank stare on his face, Joe usually has a smile. I went up to him and asked him where are you going? He did not reply. I again asked and he just stood there for a few seconds then was he acted as if he did not know where he was. I then asked my Ct about the situation and what she thought about it. You know that Joe has seizure but I have recently found out that the seizure he has are quiet and may happen all the time and we may not even noticed. I think that what happen to joe when I asked him where he was going. It made me feel a little uneasy knowing that he can have seizures in class and me not even notice.
ReplyDeleteTom continues to show the same sign as he has. He got some work done on Wednesday but none on Thursday when i was there. My teacher changed the seating arrangement Thursday out of the blue, so i think the change through him off. Maybe he will do better more being closer to every one else. Today i was talking to a consoler at tamucc for kids as and works with a couple of kids with Asperger, she says that it does sound like Aspergers. It is sad that he has not been diagnosed with anything.
ReplyDeleteFrom tues the 12th. to thurs.21st neither Al or myself was in class. The PSTs had a writing work shop and then Al was absent on the subsequent thurs. and tues.I asked him why he was absent and he just said well I was sick and my mom had something and then he just didn't say anything more. Today I observed him "get lost" many times. He starts to do a task and then gets distracted by the seemingly smallest things. At one point I observed him going to get a pencil and he got to where the teacher usually keeps them and he spent a good 2 min. with a really confused look on his face and then stutteringly said there not here, I said they were moved over here and he stood there another min. and said oh and then he got one. I mentioned,again to my CT that he seems to have a focus problem and once again she stated that he had just not had any structure or rules at home, he will do better after a while. My opinion is that his grades have been OK so he doesn't warrent the attention yet. There are a few other children including one whom she just decided to start a checklist on, that are doing worse behavour and grade wise, so she is giving her attention to them.....any suggestions for how I might help Al in the meantime?
ReplyDeletejmh3377,
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting that Al just gets lost in the midst of doing something. Does he constanlty get lost like this? It would seem strange to think that because he has no structure or rules at home it would cause him to get lost, that does not seem to make sense. I think you should keep an eye on him and try talking to him. Because your CT is a little preoccupied it seems this could be your oppurtunity to get through to this kid. Maybe he has a lot on his mind or something is going on at home thats distracting him, maybe something at school? I am interested to hear more!
My third observation has been a bit speratic. Because we have been switched to the morning instead of the afternoon i have not seen Mezmoriah in awhile. I do however see her in the hall many times through otu the day. I always stop and talk to her and ask her how its going. When she is around her friends she is a little reluctant to open up to me, but when she is alone I have no problem talking to her. Like i've said before, she is a tuff girl so I believe she is keeping up that "wall" infront of her friends. I have dropped in on her class from time to time and she has been there everytime, so i was glad to see she was not in ISS or missing any school. I did notice however that she was in the nurse's office one day. I popped in there to ask the nurse a question and saw her. She did not seem thrilled to see me because she knew i was going to ask her what was wrong and other questions, which I did. She first said she had a headach and by the end of our talk her stomach was bothering her.
ReplyDeleteI thinks its safe to assume that she was not severly ill but was looking for some time out of class, but who hasnt done that before! I asked her if she was going to go home and she told me no. When i asked her why she said that her mother could not pick her up because she was at work. She also told me that her mom would not pick her up anyways. I thought this was interesting for a couple of different reasons. Either the mom is not going to pick her up because she knows she just wants to leave school or because she is just too busy. I remeber my mom would not pick me up unless i had a fever, throwing up or was bleeding so if thats the case with her mom then i can understand that reasoning. The mom situation made me think that maybe Mezmoriah was acting out because she wanted attention, maybe she doesnt get enough at home. Im going to ask her if she has any brothers or sisters next time we talk.
October 22, 2010:
ReplyDeleteToday was very interesting. Jakob isn't in my CT's homeroom class, so when I see him on the playground or in the hallways, I go out of my way to acknowledge him. I usually visit him in the Sp. Ed. room just so I can continue seeing the progress Jakob is making. I've learned that Jakob has become a social butterfly. He has such a personality and loves to smile. He saw me in the hallway and went out of HIS way to say, "Hi, Ms. Adams!" It was so great to see him. Jakob acknowledged me and it was such a great way to start the day. Jakob was very talkative when I was with him. He was more interested in everything but his school work. I think this field trip opened up a world of questions and curiosity for him. He wanted to know about everything! Personally, I feel like it was more comforting to see Jakob being confident in himself, enough to ask questions or just hold a conversation with people.
10/12
ReplyDeleteToday I was fortunate enough to teach my first lesson plan. My lesson plan was based on spider webs and my case study was so eager to participate, it had brought so much joy to my heart. He showed his eagerness through his comments. Christian always make comments out loud in the classroom setting and he is not ashamed to share how he feels or what he thinks about something. We were able to build a classroom web by passing a ball of yarn around as we stood in a circle. The students independent practice was to build their own web and I got a great positive reaction from Christian. He was able to explain during my little "spot check" of understanding that "spiders use webs to provide food and shelter for themselves" he exclaimed. He was even very proud of his work and as he turned it in. He commented to me "good job on teaching".
10/19
Christian is becoming highly unmotivated during class time because I have observed that he completely has lost focus. My clinical teacher continues to talk him during class and mentions he need to focus and concentrate in class instead of "fidgeting with his fingers" or "playing with things in his desk" .Christian during reading time would place his head on his desk and would place the book on top of his head, as the teacher read a short chapter book about Helen Keller to the class. Then he would not work on the Helen Keller questions assigned as review of understanding. Christian continuously refused to work on his worksheet.
I agree Tyler, it does seem strange when my CT says that is what is wrong and that's why he behaves that way. Today I watched as she administered a reading level test to Al. I have to say I was pleasantly suprised that his reading skills were at or above that of a 2nd grader. The test continued with comprehension skill and he was not able to answer one question.
ReplyDeleteI have talked to him and he tends to talk at you he doesn't wait for you to respond he just keeps telling you things. Today his excuse for not having his homework done was that he was at a friend of his moms and she didn't have any pencils. I really believe that because he is not disruptive in class that he is not recieving the attention he deserves. In defense of my teacher, approxamately 405 of the class is below average in performance and most everyone needs extra help. I don't know what I can do for him in the limited time I'm there. I will keep bringing him up to my CT and see if anything can be done as far as special services.
I mentioned the checklist I helped fill out on another student who is very disruptive every day. I found out from my teacher that it goes home to the parent but it is up to them if anything gets done.....well at least his parents are being made aware. Thats more than is being done for Al.
I walked into class yesterday morning 10/26 @ 7:45 a.m. and Tyson came and gave me a big hug and said he was sooo glad I was there today. This really melted my heart. He was eager for me to take a good look at his hat (it was crazy hat day) I have such a great CT she texted me Sunday to let me know... She is soo awesome. Well the crazy hat his second grade teacher let him borrow and I thought that was really sweet of her to do so. Tyson's morning started out great then he and another boy who sit to close together were getting into it, which eventually made Tyson cry. My CT was collecting money for March of Dimes so I had the whole class to myself most of that morning. Let me tell you it is difficult managing a classroom of 19, when 2 boys are being mean and disruptive. I finally seperated the two boys (Tyson was one of the boys. I had taken crayons away (means loss of recess time) called them out numerous times, nothing was working, so I got the other child to come and sit by me, and sure enough there he was sticking his tongue and Tyson and Tyson getting all emotional AGAIN!!! Tyson is a very emotional child, he cries very very easily. His feelings get hurt so quickly..I myself have made him cry once weeks ago.. I think he is looking for attention and honesly half the time it is negative attention and the other half is positive. I believe his emotional problems stem from the home life... I will be in the classroom all day tomorrow, let's see how Tyson does for me!!
ReplyDeleteOctober 26, 2010:
ReplyDeleteI spent the entire day with all three of my clinical teachers. In between class changes, I noticed there were children in desperate need of recess time. Luckily, this next switch included recess, then lunch. I saw Jakob a few times through out the day. My favorite thing to do when I see Jakob is make eye contact first, (because I'm never 100% sure if he has his hearing aid in or not) and say hello followed by a couple of conversational questions about things that have gone on through the day. My goal in doing this is to encourage Jakob's confidence in interacting with others. So by asking him how HE is doing and what HE's been learning specificially, he can see that I'm being sincere and I am really interested in what he has to say. Of course, I've noticed Jakob opening up more and more each day, but I feel very privileged to be able to see his '4th Grade' life unfold before my eyes. It really is inspiring.
Virginia,
ReplyDeleteI have been watching your case study since the first day you started posting. You are doing SUCH a great job with posting details. I feel like I'm on the ride with you, learning about this child in the classroom. :)
On October 21st, Matthew entered gym with smiles and high-fives as always. He went through stretches and warm up laps in the same manner. Throughout the class he began to joke around with his clinical teacher and eventually that teasing proceeded to his peers. They did not respond as easy as his teacher so some feelings were hurt. After a brief talking to, the students ended the class with a few races to run off some energy. As Matthew fell behind, he would "accidentally" fall down and claimed he was hurt. After a few races, I jumped in an slowed my pace down to his for an individual competition. We finished about side by side and he jokingly said he smoked me. I responded that next time I wouldn't take it easy on him. He laughed and exited the gym with smiles.
ReplyDeleteIn class on October 26th, we played beachball volleyball. The beachballs make it easier for the students to hit and they float so the speed of the ball is slower. All students were enjoying the game until Paul, one of Matthews peers became very active and for the most part jumped unfront of everyone as the ball came to their side. Matthew had no problem calling him a ball-hog and a verbal fight broke out. We seperated them and explained that everyone had their spot to cover and letting others get involved was the goal. Matthew kept up with his expression of displeasure and it took about a minute to get him to stop. After the next point was scored, everyone kind of dropped it and kept playing. I noticed that even though it is hard to understand what Matthew is saying most of the time, the kids in his class have been with him long enough to be on the same page. I told the class we need to all have fun and they agreed. Matthew and Paul made up and headed back to their classroom.
ReplyDeleteToday in my class we had a substute teacher. I never saw how important it is to know your students until I saw this sub with my students. He did not know their names and did not understand their learning style. My student Joe is a sweet and innocent boy. He is a little slow in retaining directions but I know this about him, this sub did not. There was a situation between Joe and the sub, where the sub was having the students create a ghost. All the students had to do was cut out the two ghosts and fold but if you cut the middle between the two ghosts you have to get tape. Well Joe cut out the two ghosts complete and they went to him and snatched the two ghosts out of his hand in a rough manner. The sub was also raising his voice to Joe and telling him don’t you know how to follow direction, what is wrong with you? I was so upset on how this sub treated sweet Joe. Joe put his head down after the sub had walked away. I then went to Joe and helped him complete his ghost. After the ghost lesson was over I then went to the sub and talked about Joe and some other student, so that He may see know a little bit about the class. I was glad to see Joe smile again at the end of the day. Joe never let anything ruin his day. I wish I could be more like Joe.
ReplyDeleteTuesday 26th- Sammy did not turn in his homework again and it doesn't seem to phase him at all. He seems everyday to care less and less. The teacher moved the desks yesterday to put the children in front that she needed to keep an eye on. A little boy came up to the teacher and said that sammy was being mean to him and if he could be moved away from him because he couldnt focus. Sammy is sneaky and so it is hard to catch him when he says things to people. I feel bad because there has to be something that can can be done. During my lesson he seems to pay attention and likes what i do with them. This is good because he pays attention and likes to interact. When I had the children write a spooky story Sammy copied the directions I wrote out instead of coming up with his own story. His partner was very upset because he wasn't coming up with a story for her to peer edit. Overall, Sammy is still struggling a little with following directions and working with other kids.
ReplyDeletePam- Joe seems like a great child to follow. That was so good that he did not let the sub ruin his day because that means that he has a good self esteem. Joe seems like a great kid he just needs that little extra help with directions and maybe more time spent with him in certain areas. I am glad you went and told the sub about Joe because if not then the day probably would have ended even worse then it began.
ReplyDeleteI was in the class a full day today October 28th. Tyson was in a good mood, until I kept him in from recess. He is not doing his homework. I am thinking he probably doesn't get asked about it at home so he thinks he can get away with not doing it. So I kept him in and it was nice to work with him one on one with no interupptions. He struggled a little bit today with his work, some days he is on top of things, but most days not soo much.. I instructed today on volcanoes. and we had a writing activity that followed. I specifically had Tyson turn his into me, so I could read his writing activity. The writing prompt was a a volcanoe eruptedin my backyard today, he mentioned how scared he would be and how he feared for his animals. He wrote about his mom and baby sister being scared, and he said but not my stepdad he wouldn't be bothered because he would just be sleeping all day... I asked Tyson so you and your mom would be scared he said yep, and i said your step dad would be asleep through it maybe casuse he workds nights and needs to sleep during the day, his response, no he don't work... So I changed the subject.. But I do no his mother works, cause I had to call her once at the very beginning of the school year, before I selected him as my case study. Tyson also attended tutoring today for the first time, he missed both sessions last week he said his cousin tore up his permission slip. He did well in tutoring he needs a little guidance at times, but he does well... Tyson was excited to learn that I would be back tomorrow to lead our class in the parade. I love when my CT invites me back to do things with our class... Oh I forget to add, the third grade class is doing a veterans day program for the PTA and Tyson asked me by wispering in my ear if he could have a special part, he asked me to ask Mrs. Webster for him.. It felt so great to have him count on me this way. I definetely have his trust.
ReplyDeleteMy CT invited me to the classroom today for the Literature Costume Festivities. I took the kiddos cupcakes. It was fun up until picture taking time.. Tyson and the other little boy (that also has issues) decided to hit another little boy in the stomach, the little boy was winded pretty bad, so Tyson and the other little boy got sent to the office.. Tyson was crying and said it wasn't him that it was only the other little boy, the other boy said it was him, the little boy that got hit said it was both. How did I not see this? UGH!!!! I felt bad for Tyson but I couldn't do anything for him. so his mother was getting called today cause he went to the principal. So I didn't spend much time with Tyson. :(
ReplyDeleteI was back in my classroom yesterday (10/28) so I got to spend some time with Emily. It was job shadow day so alot of the kids were gone(Ashley was one of them so I didn't get to see her.) so we couldn't really have rehearsal because about half our choir was gone. But we hung out in the room and Emily came over and asked if I would be Simon for Simon Says. I said no(they had already been told they couldn't play that) so I showed them some of my music that I have for the university choir, Emily specifically because she had come over when the piano accompanist and I were looking at a piece that's really weird so I showed it to her and then showed her some other things I thought she and the others that came over would like. It was nice to be able to just chat with her. I also noticed when they were rehearsing the one piece that they could that Emily tends to look around alot when they are singing. I don't know why, but she looks around and at the others around her. Ashley on the other hand basically stands at attention and stares straight forward (I believe she's in the junior ROTC program that our Junior High runs).
ReplyDeleteOctober 28, 2010:
ReplyDeleteJakob was in a great mood today. Nothing out of the ordinary occured, as far as any moments of struggle. He seemed to be getting things done...like he was on a mission. Jakob said hello to me and went on to finish his work. I watched him for a few minutes and he just smiled as he did his work. It was as if there were no other people around. It was so interesting because I was so curious as to what was really going on in that creative mind of his.
October 29, 2010:
ReplyDeleteToday was the Character Day Parade. It took place early that morning and it was such an experience. Especially for those who had a hard time being in crowds. I saw Jakob with his teacher, and he came and gave me a hug. He wasn't dressed up but he seemed to enjoy the letters that were on my shirt, attached with velcro. I was dressed up as the tree from Chicka Chicka Boom Boom...and after I told him about the book I was walking with, he enjoyed saying that phrase for the rest of the time I was there. It was so funny. He would say the words, and start laughing. Jakob had a kind heart. He may not be able to perform as the rest of his class does academically, but that child is something special. He has truly touched my life.
On Thursday last week my school held a haunted house that i volunteered for. I saw Mezmoriah with a bunch of her friends and she seemed to be in a very good mood. Usually she is mad or annoyed while she is in class, lashing out at other students who bother her. I had wondered if she had many friedns because of her bad attitude.I was surpired to see her with a big group of girls and they all seemed to be having a great time. I was carefull to talk to her in front of her freinds because of previous experiences ive had with her. she never has been to found of talking to me in front of her friends. This time however she was very nice and talkative. She asked me a bunch of questions and told me what she was going to do for halloween. I think at first i had the wrong impression of her because of her negative attitude, i now see what a nice girl she can be. I start going back to pst in the afternoon tomorrow and I am interested to see if she will still be as friendly.
ReplyDeleteTuesday Nov. 2- I gave my lesson today and sammy was very distracted the whole time. He was not paying attention to anything I said and when I asked him to answer a question he gave an answer, but it wasn't even close to the correct answer. The students were to take out their writing journals and write the definitions in them just so they could remember, but when I asked where sammy's was he said in his desk sarcastically. He finally got the journal out of his desk when I asked a second time. During a practice presentation at the end of the day I noticed sammy whispering to himself. I think he does this when he is bored or nervous. Overall it was a good day I just found that he does not pay attention to the lesson being taught and has a hard time staying on task and focusing.
ReplyDeleteToday, Tuesday, November 2, 2010 I made Tyson cry. He was hysterical. My CT was out in another teacher's room all morning, they are working on the PTA Veterans Program, so I had the class to myself from 8:00 -11:15 when I took them to lunch.. He sits next to that one young man I have mentioned before but not by name, well all morning they were telling on each other, calling each other names, it was horrible... So Tyson was complaining the most , so I said ok let's move you Tyson, he refused, I said ok. I dont want to hear anymore bickering, well it continued, got to the point that I took away both their recess time, and Tyson just lost it when I called them both out on it. He started crying like a 2 year old stating over and over and over and over, make him move, make him move, make him move. I literally got a chair and sat in front of both of them, and they couldn't look at each other because they would both be complaining, so since Tyson complained the most, I said ok lets move you Tyson he freaked out... and the recess time.. He cried and cried I finally calmed him down, but I was freaking out myself, my whole class was left not unattended because Tyson and I remained in the room, but I had to focus on Tyson and try to calm him down. So I paid no attention to my other students. Luckily, they were on task, cause I told them to continue working and when they were done with the assignment to get a book and read silently. But I felt like I totally disregarded my whole class, to calm this one student. I felt sooo bad, but i had to stick with their punishment and take away their recess. My C/T and I discussed this at lunch time, and she was going to speak with Tyson, she thinks that he is taking advantage of me, but she does think that he does have a relationship with me, and that he does trust me, which she says, is good, because she does not have this repor with him. Which she defends that she just does not have the time to pay him sooo much personal attention :(
ReplyDeleteI got to see my student work with a group today. they had to make "cake cells." I noticied that he didn't interact much, he hust filled out the worksheet that went with the assignment, then let everyone copy. I photocopied his work to show how neat it is.
ReplyDeleteThanks sad to hear Virginia :(
ReplyDeleteYesterday, at Kostorzy, I had the opportunity to have the class without my CT for a little less than an hour. This was truly a test for me. I know every students by name and when the teacher leaves the class,they defiantly try to take advantage of the situation all but one, Joe. I wish each one of you could meet Joe. He is definitely a reason to teach. I know there are days where us, PST may seem to get overwhelmed but really if we can just help one kid In our one semester of Psting it is so worth it.
ReplyDeleteYesterday during the advanced choir I took some of the students into the choir office to do a sectional and Emily was in the other section. But when we put the two sections back together, I noticed that Emily wasn't looking around as much as she usually does during rehearsal. I don't know why she looks around. She still seems focused and is singing, she just looks around. But like I said, she didn't as much yesterday. In the beginning choir, they got a new piece in the Zulu dialect of Swahili. Alot of the students complained that it was too hard (mostly because of the language), but Ashley was one of the few who didn't. This was nice sign of encouragement since at the beginning of the year she had difficulty with sightsinging. She seems to be really coming along though.
ReplyDeleteIn response to jtwaits, Thats funny that Emily just looks around all of the time. What is she looking at, other students or the wall? Maybee she just gets bored very easily. You said she had difficulty in the beginning but now doesn't seem too. She obviously has learned a lot and possibly might need something more challening to keep her attention on her work.
ReplyDeleteON tuesday we switched to all day in the classroom and I got to see Mezmoriah. She smiled at me when I came in and I asked her how her halloween was. Things seemed to be going fine until my teacher gave the students their assignemtn for the day. She would not even acknowledge that the teacher was in the room. She was so disrespectful toward her. When my teacher asked her to stop talking and do her work she said NO. My teacvher threatened her with a referal and she said "I dont care what you do". I starred at her in disbeliefe a she walked up to the teachers desk to recieve her referal. She looked at me and just shrugged her shoulders. I am starting to get the feeling that she might just really not like my teacher. The teacher is constantly calling her out in class, it seems like she only pays attention to Mezmoriah and looks for something to get her in trouble for. I know sometimes it is necessary but other times its a little too much. She is a new teacher and is very loud and intimidating. She wont even let her students make a peep and when she tries to correct them she kind of does it in an embarrassing way. Sometimes she will be like "you to stop flirting and turn around", and its towards two guys. So my thoery is, the teacher has embarrassed Mezmoriah and she now has zero respect for her. She will gladly talk to me and listens to what I tell her. But I have a feeling that any positive communication between her and the teacher will take some work on both of their parts. Next time i'm in class im going to talk to my teacher and see if she feels like somehting could change to make things more positive. I am alos going to do a little experiment. I am going to give Mezmoriah some instructions and see how she respondes to me. I will then see how she responds to the teacher when she gives her instructions. I think it will be a learning experience for everyone!
ReplyDeleteWow,Virginia! Just wanted to say hang in there. You have done an incredible thing for 1 child most people can't say that so don't think about everyone else, always. I have a student in my class who is the perfect angel until.....I start teaching. On tuesday I did my first teacher observed lesson and there he was jumping around talking to everyone except when I called on him, and disrupting class at every opportunity.This child is smart, pesonable and usually stays on task. I'm pretty sure he is just testing me but it's like Jeckyl and Hyde. I am trying different ways to manage it and nothing has worked yet, but I hope to figure it out by end of semester.
ReplyDeleteI have been trying to observe Al interact with others outside of the classroom. He seems to get along with the other kids in the cafeteria and at recess. He interacts appropriately at lunch, he doesn't seem unfocused or lost like he does in class.The same at recess he runs around, playing like everyone else. So now I really don't "get" him. Maybe it's having to be on task that gives him trouble, today he did his usual, being last in line, waiting until prompted several times to start a new task, and becoming distracted really easily.So does he have any control over these behaviors? I don't know. I suppose it is possible to be able to act appropraately in social situations and also to have difficulty with focus on academics it just caught me by surprise. At least I now know it could be just a learning issue which can be addressed.....if he ever has a teacher who wants to put the effort into him.
ReplyDeleteHaha, Tyler, I honestly don't know what she's loking at. Sometimes it seems as if it's other students, sometimes the posters on the wall. And it was her twin sister, Ashley that was having trouble, not her. Emily is in my advanced choir. But, she may be bored. I had not considered that. As for my post for today....
ReplyDeleteToday, (11/4), I taught in the advanced choir and it seemed to be go really well. Everyone seemed to be paying attention and looking at me, even Emily. It also came to my attention today that Emily seems to kind of hang around and talk to the same people in class all the time. Now, yes, that's not uncommon and we all tend to hang around the same people, but it caught my attention when in comparison to her twin, Ashley. Ashley seems to hang out and talk to whoever will listen to her, a real social butterfly. Emily seems to be the more shy and reserved of the two. Not that she's actually all that shy, because she's not, just in comparison to Ashley. The students got two new pieces in the beginning choir today and Ashley got all excited because she knew of them. (It was Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka) I love her enthusiasm for things. She gets so excited about things, whether it's her getting concepts in class or just the fact that she recognized a song she got. It's awesome. :) Watching these two girls throughout the semester has been great. I just wish I could see them interact with each other. Since they're in separate classes I don't see them together. I would really like to see them together to see how their relationship works and how they interact.
Alexis, I have loved reading your posts. They have been great. I feel bad for that poor little boy that he went so long before someone did anything to help him with his hearing. I am glad that you have such an impact on him though.
ReplyDeleteVirginia, your posts have also been just phenonenal. Tyson seems like a great kid. I hope his Mom starts to pay more attention to him.
ReplyDeleteThis is just in general, but I really wish we could all meet each other's case studies. Each child seems so special and great. I know I would love for you guys to meet Emily and Ashley.
Tyler, that is soo sad that your student has such a bad attitude about school. Maybe you can be that encouragement to her and turn it around.
ReplyDeleteMy student got sent to ISS today because he punched a kids who was making fun of him. Now he has a ticket and has to go to court. I really don't like how school always ticket both parties involved. can't they talk to the kids to find out the whole story? But, it confirms to me he as anger management issues and thats why his grandmother won't let him play football.
ReplyDeleteAlexis,
ReplyDeleteI was flipping through the channals the other day and saw that MTV "Tru Life" has a show on a boy how is in high school and got a cochlear implant who has never heard before. Maybe you can find it on hulu or something
Thursday Nov. 4- I have been observing sammy for weeks now and he doesn't seem to be getting much better. He still doesn't turn in his homework and does not seem to care if he does or not. The teacher moved him up front with some other children so that he can stay involved and she can help him, but he just sits there and does not chime in on any answers. When I give my lessons I always make sure to call on him and involve him and he usually knows the answer he just does not like to be involved in the class. I have noticed more and more that he picks on people, but is very sneaky about it and his parents keep emailing my teacher about problems. Sammy is staying the same and I wish there was something I could do to help him succeed.
ReplyDeleteKelly- That is so sad that his grandma wont let him play football because if he has anger management that would probably help control it. You are right they should have talked to both children and figured out why he punched the boy. Maybe there was a reason or maybe there wasn't, but they still should have looked into it more before they punished him.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletei keep forgeting to come post on here.
ReplyDeleteon thursday, 10-28, Mrs. Zimm showed me toms last project and it was so great. we told him that we wanted to pout it up in front were the outstanding art work is hung. the look on his was so cute, his mouth dropped. i could not tell weither or not he was happy or embarised or just shocked.
Last tuesday, 11-2, tom came in deering lunch and Mrs. Zimm told me he had been doing that since his progress report got sent home. mrs. Zimm also says his mom has been on him about his work and working with him at home on other subjects. he was moved again also will i was not there and he is now sitting at his own table neer the back of the room; he is vary essaly distracted and this arangement seems to be working out very well
and on 11-3, tom officaly is completly caught up in class. we started me lesson but i dont think he is vary happy about the project but hopefully he will like what he has done when he is finnished.
I have been writing everything down about my case study child in a notebook but keep forgetting to transfer it onto the blog site. My child is a very hperactive little girl that LOVES attention. She needs to constently be seen by the students and the teacher. She is the one child in the class that gets in trouble daily. She just turned six, the end of last month, and is in kindergarten. She pouts about EVERYTHING, which the teacher will not tolerate. She comes from a blended family and the parents each have a child from a previous marriage. So, she has two older sisters. One of the sisters attends the same school as her, and is in fifth grade. So, she always has to put on a show when we are walking through the hallway and she spots her sister. Kenna always walks at the end of the line, no matter what. She makes all the students walk in front of her and will not leave the room, until the students will get in front of her in the line. Even on the playground when we are lining up to go inside, she makes sure she is the last child. But most of the time, she is the child that is still playing on the equipment and has to be told numerous times to come inside, while the rest of the class is already lined up and walking inside. She is very stubborn and hard-headed. Kenna gets card-flips most days in the classroom for saying something mean or doing something to another student. Last week she poked her bottom, stuck her finger in a child's face, and said "this is what you smell like!" The teahcer and I were shocked!!! She immediently got a card-flip and her mom was informed. It is obvious that she is just in need of tons and tons of attention, but its the extent that she will go in order to recieve it, that is crazy. The mom didnt even know how to reply, she was just as shocked as we were, I think. During playground time, she usually plays alone, which I htink is so strange, because she is a very sweet and talkative child when she wants to be. Her dad emailed the teacher and said if Kenna is still playing alone on the playground (she did this in pre-school also) he wanted to skip his lunch at work to come play with her so she would have company. I thought that was soooo sweet of him. Kenna is an adorable little girl and has alot of potential, she just needs to have more discipline at home, I think.
ReplyDeleteI have been watching and documenting information on 3 children in my first grade classroom (actually CTs classroom). I guess I kept waiting for one of them to stand out more than the other.
ReplyDeleteThe first child I will call Lisa. Lisa is a hispanic female who from day one was very needy. She was the only kid in our class who cried the first day because they missed their mom. She cried for the majority of the day, and repeated for a few days after that. She was also recommended to not move on from Kindergarten, which her mom (Age 21) originally agreed to. Later in the summer, it was found out that Lisa's Grandfather had over-ruled her mother and would not allow Lisa to be held back. It is very obvious that Lisa probably would have benefited most from another year in Kindergarten, which is the same case as my second prospect, who I will call Craig. I should also mention that since school has started, Lisa has missed 5 days already. Some of which, she admittedly was not sick. This is making things REALLY difficult for my CT, as well as Lisa. Craig is a twin, Hispanic boy, and he is very quiet. I noticed that he would rather sit and not know what to do, than ask for help.
Craig is below level in all areas of his academics. He also does not seem to pay attention. Often on papers that we are doing as a class, even writing the answers on the board, Craig will follow for about one or two questions, then leave the rest of the paper blank. He is very easily distracted when I pull him for individual study. Lisa is very attentive and thrives with individual study, although sometimes many, many, different forms of teaching the same lesson are needed before she 'gets it'. The final prospect, and the one that I was originally least likely to choose I will call Sam. Sam is an African American boy, and for a while, I figured he just needed to learn the boundaries, rules, and expectations of the classroom. As time has gone on, however, it has become increasingly apparent that Sam is in great need of assistance if he will ever become a life-long learner. I do not think that Sam has any type of developmental problems, but rather, he has behavior issues that need to be addressed. He is often defiant, angry, sad, or overly excited. I have personally seen him hit, tease, name-call, refuse to work, refuse to talk, deliberately disobey orders (i.e. stop running), among many, many other things. He is very unpredictable. Sometimes during class discussion, when using name sticks to call on students, you can pick his name, and he will refuse to answer or even acknowledge that he hears you. At other times, you call on another student, and he constantly shouts out the answer. Time, after time, after time, he is reminded to not call out. You can even say, "Sam, I'm going to ask a question, then draw a name from the cup. If it is not your name do not call out the answer." Followed, by immediately asking the question and drawing the name. Of course, Sam still shouts out the answer. He has been moved to multiple locations in the classroom. Currently his desk is at the very front of the class, but he generally gets moved away from his group multiple times during the day, so that he has to sit alone. Sam is also, very often asked to go sit in a classroom next door, where he is given busy work.
I will be using Sam as my case study, and I will probably pop in a few comments here and there about Lisa and Craig. All of these kids need some special help, but Sam seems to be standing out the most, followed closely by Lisa.
10/ 14
ReplyDeleteToday was a great day for Evan! I was so proud of him for doing his own work today! I praised him over and over for doing a difficult word find on his own. This just goes to show that students really do learn in different ways. For once, he was not asking someone for help or looking at someone else's paper, but with a little encouragement from me, he was able to finish the puzzle easily. Many students came to me for help with this same puzzle, but Evan was more than able to complete it himself! I did sit by him the whole time, and I did monitor his work, but I was sitting with other children at the table too. Therefore, I feel that this was a huge step for him, and I think I was able to build some confidense in him as well!
Kayla:
ReplyDeleteI have a cryer too! Lisa may have felt scared, but hopefully she will calm down like mine has. I really feel for her because her grandparent would not let her be held back. Another thing that breaks my heart is when my CT tells me that she can tell which kids will be held back after the first 2 weeks of school! It is very disheartening because you know that this will happen. My question is, how can I intervene to keep this from happening? Is there anyway to help them?
Staci:
ReplyDeleteWow! It sounds like this little girl is dying for attention. Maybe this is your perfect oppertunity to shine! Maybe you can help keep her in control in the classroom if you give her lots of attention while you work with your CT. I am sure your CT will really appreciate this because she probobly has trouble with this little girl's behavior on a regular basis while she is in the classroom.
Jennie:
ReplyDeleteYou say that your student does not do his homework and does not participate? Well, I find it strange that his parents are communicating with you and yet he still won't put forth effort. There has to be an underlying problem here because it does not seem normal to act this way in elementary grades. It could be possible though that his home environment may not be condusive to doing homework. It may not be that it is low income or not a good household, but it could be that there are just too many distractions and no one has time to sit with him and help him get his homework done. This other end of the spectrum produces the same results as the low income end.
First Impression:
ReplyDeleteThe student that I decided to write my case study on is John. At first I mentioned to my CT that I may write my case study on Gabriel because he is in Content Mastery and he needs a lot of special attention in class, but she said that I would not see him as often as I would the other students and she recommended John because he has ADHD and also needs a lot of attention in class. John is a 7 year old Hispanic male. He lives with his mother and step-father. I had noticed John the day before the first day of school, during my Fall Experience. He came with his parents (I say parents, but I am not sure if it was his step dad or his real dad that was with his mother at the time) and his brother. They were actually one of the few families that came to the meet and greet. He was a little different from the rest because he cried that day during the meet and greet. I had already met a few students and their parents and none of them reacted this way. This is also interesting because he did not cry the first day of school; he was pretty cheerful.
John’s family is also atheist and his father spoke to my CT on the first day of school about how he did not want his son around anything related to Christmas. I felt bad about this because I am Christian, but I know we have to respect the parent’s wishes and their religion or lack thereof.
Friday, September 3, 2010:
ReplyDeleteI came in on Friday to do a Piagetian Task for Dr. Sanders’ class. I completed the task with a different student. When I first got to class around 1 (after lunch), I walked in during an individual assignment. Most of the class was reading AR books because they had already finished their work. There were students with blinders up to block their papers from other working students. John, on the other hand, was on the floor away from the other students. He was ¾ done with his work, but he had to use the restroom. He begged me to let him go, but I couldn’t over rule my CT (who already had told him that he had to finish his work before he could go). I could see him wiggling on the floor. I felt so bad. Then he turned in his paper and asked the teacher to go. She let him go. While I was grading I realized that he had just rushed through the end of the paper, just filling out random answers in the blanks. This caused him to fail.
I feel sometimes that my CT is a little impatient with him. I felt bad that he was called out and forced to sit on the floor away from the class. I am not sure what he did to be “punished,” but it really did not help him focus. I think it made things worse. I also think that he should have been able to go to the restroom during his assignment. No one can concentrate when they have to go to the restroom. I know he has a lot of trouble focusing, but I do not think this was the right thing to do. We should be trying to help him succeed with his work, not just have him rush through it.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010:
ReplyDeleteI felt like this day was a good day for him. I came in to the class after lunch. He seemed to brighten up and told me he was happy to see me. I came in just in time to go to recess. John wanted to talk to me and show me things he could do, such as roll a hula-hoop on its side. He also said he wanted me to watch him play video games. He told me I should go to his house. He begged me most of the rest of the day to go to his house. I told him I couldn’t because I was so busy. (I really was not sure how to handle this or what to say).
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The next time I came in the class John gave me his mom’s cell phone number so that I can call her to come over. Although he only gave me a six digit number, I didn’t correct him because I didn’t feel it was really appropriate. I kept telling him I couldn’t go, that I was so busy with school.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The next day I was there, John gave me the last number for his mom’s cell. I told him I’d write it down. Now that I have the number, he continues to ask me to go over.
I was not sure how to handle this or what to say without hurting his feelings. I asked Dr. Zunker for advice. She said what I did was fine and NOT go (which I already knew). She said I can also say, “I can’t go because my mom won’t let me.” I thought this was funny and I tried it. He didn’t buy it though…
Tuesday, September 23, 2010 (All day in Clinical)
ReplyDeleteMorning started well, although John continues to ask me about going to his house. The students’ desks were rearranged since I was last there. All the students are in rows in groups of three. John’s desk is with two empty desks. I felt bad for him. It is obvious to everyone that he is singled out.
During my lesson John was very well behaved. After PE around 11, another student claimed John and another boy were climbing the stalls in the boys’ restroom. My teacher talked to both of them and sent a letter home. This event really caused a change in John’s behavior. He no longer wanted to do anything. He did not even want to talk to me, which was unusual.
In class, I sat next to him while my teacher taught a lesson with a worksheet. He refused to answer any questions, from my teacher or myself. He was angry and picked at the tape on his name tag. I told him I understood why he was mad that he got in trouble, but he can’t change it and he needs to move on. I told him he needed to start working and listening to the lesson. He told me he wished I was his teacher. He said his mom is going to be mad. He continued to ignore everything until lunch, 15 minutes later.
After lunch John was back to his active self. However that caused him some trouble because he ran out of the lunch room with another student causing them both to fall down. He then had to sit out 5 minutes of recess. He was very angry again. He tried to kill a butterfly during his time out. It was near the rest of the students who were sitting out. This upset them all.
John was pretty hyper throughout the rest of the day. He needed to be reminded to stay focus and continue working a lot, as usual.
Everything seemed fine, until it was time to pass out handouts. He refused to take anything about boy scouts. He kept saying his mom won’t let him. He seemed mad that we gave it to him. The teacher also passed out a pink handout and he was mad because pink is for girls only. He had to be told several times to put it in his folder. When it came time to pass back homework journals, my teacher noticed we were one short. She asked the whole class “Who didn’t turn in their homework spiral?” No one answered. She asked again, obviously annoyed. Then she saw John’s desk with his spiral in his take home folder. She called him out and asked why he didn’t say anything. He just shrugged. We then lined up to leave. He was quiet and upset. While walking he said, “I don’t care about my mom!” another students asked why, he said “She doesn’t care about me so why should I care about her.” He then went on to say “my mom’s going to hell. I am too.” I asked “why?” He said “What, are you going up there?” I said, “Of course, I believe I’m going to heaven.” I then remembered that his dad said they were atheist, so I just said “We all have our own beliefs and opinions,” then I changed the subject.
No matter John’s mood, he is very distracted. He plays with his pencil, his name tag, an AR book, or anything near him. If he is near another student, they would be kicking or talking. When we are doing assignments I feel that I need to be near his desk to keep him on task. I think the cause of his moods is his parents. He says they get very angry and yell at him when he gets in trouble. I think he doesn’t get attention at home unless it is when he’s in trouble, but then again he doesn’t like being in trouble either. Things that have to do with home or his parents change his mood very quickly. When the teacher mentioned the letter home (of course anyone would be upset), but also the handouts that had to do with boy scouts upset him as well. He obviously does not like the fact that his parents keep him from boy scouts, so he acts out.
Thursday, September 30, 2010 (Afternoon)
ReplyDeleteJohn was very excited to see me. In the morning he asked another PST when I would be in class. (during his restroom break he wandered to my seminar room). I came into class while my students were at lunch. While the class was on the way to the restroom, John stopped in to say hi to me and got in trouble. He had to move his star (missing 5 minutes of recess). During class the students were coloring a handout. John kept coming to the table where I was seated to grab map pencils and talk to me. I was grading papers and noticed that he did very well on 2, but had 2 that were not complete. The teacher said he would have to finish them later.
The students then worked on a reading packet. After a while I walked over to John and noticed he had only answered one question. I started to help him, but he knew the answers. He was just distracted by everything around him. I walked around the room and he was able to answer four more questions on his own. On the other side of the paper he needed help. I started to help, but we ran out of time. He continued to work on it even though my teacher told him several time to put it away. He finally put it away and took out his book like the rest of the class. The class now had to listen to a recorded story and answer questions. During the story John was pretending to fish (acting out holding the fishing rod) and distracting the other class with his actions. He had to move his star again. After story time, during AR testing, John was able to work on and finish his incomplete work.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
ReplyDeleteJohn once again came to my seminar room to visit in the morning during his restroom break. He said class was going well and he hadn’t got in trouble. After lunch I went to the classroom, we had a substitute. During lunch I noticed John’s star was moved. Apparently he got in trouble from leaving during the restroom break to come see me. After lunch I noticed John was sitting away from everyone else in the cafeteria. He had misbehaved in lunch and had to move his star again. He was very angry and rude to the other students now. He kept telling everyone, “I want to punch a wall!” and he told another teacher that he was having a bad day. He told me he needed to go to another school and start over. He wouldn’t event talk to me very much. He kept asking to be sent to the office.
During recess he had to sit out. I felt bad since he got in trouble for looking for me. So I asked him to stay inside and help me with a Piagetian task. He first said no and walked away. I asked him again and said he would be doing me a favor. I told him he’d get to play with play doh, so he agreed to come in. He was happy once we started the task. He was really cheered up now.
I feel really bad for John. I think his parents need to get John help. He is so distracted and I really think medication might help. I think his home life may be affecting his behavior at school, but most of it is that he is distracted and bored. My teacher said she has talked to his parents, but nothing has changed. She cannot really recommend putting him on medication, but if his grades continue to suffer something has to be done.
10/26
ReplyDeleteSo far every morning I have been greeting the students outside the classroom. I purposefully come early in the morning to talk to my students. I have noticed that Christian does not like to be approached in the mornings. He has been highly defensive. He loves to listen to conversations his friends have, and he has been more likely to join the conversations lately. He is very bright and loves has very good observations skills. He especially loves to mention how he likes the Halloween season because of the great scary movies he likes to discuss about.
11/2
Christian was very frustrated today because today was dedicated to AR reading. He continuously flipped through some books to look at the pictures and then he would get up and down from his desk to look at all the pictures in the books from the classroom library. I asked what kind of book would interest him and he pulled out a thick and small-print chapter book about Star Wars. I asked him if he would like to read it, and he said he was going to, and my CT noticed that he was constantly off task. My CT finally got frustrated and warned him to go to the principals office, I was not able to help any of the students that day to give them an guidance or help with their AR reading. It was very infuriating because Christian was suffering to hold back his tears.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
ReplyDeleteThe students had a substitute again. They all seemed a bit more loud and hyper than usual. I came in after lunch. We went to recess and I noticed John was very quiet. I started playing with the students. I pushed several on the swings. I then noticed a few girls start to walk into the grassy area. They were yelling and pointing. I looked to see what they were pointing at and I see John on the other end of the field near the fence closet to the neighborhood street. I made all the other students stay on the playground and I went after John. He saw me coming so he started walking back. Then he started to walk in the other direction. He hid behind trees and stayed along the fence. I kept walking towards him, nicely asking him to come to me. He walked all the way to the side of the school. He sat on a bench where students get picked up at after school. He would not come to me when I called. When I got up close he said he wanted to go to the office. I said okay and to please come with me. He wouldn’t and kept saying that I wouldn’t really send him to the office. Another teacher (not my substitute) came up to us and asked what was going on. I told her what had happened. She questioned him. “Where should you be?” “Why is it dangerous to be by the street?” “Shouldn’t you respect Ms. Rivera like you respect Ms. Luce?” He answered correctly, but still insisted on going to the office. The teacher told him to go play. Once we got inside, he was still angry and wanted to go to the office, but once we went to the computer lab, he was in a better mood and started having fun.
He hadn’t got in trouble that morning or during lunch so I am not sure why he was in such a bad mood. I am thinking it had something to do with home.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
ReplyDeleteToday I spent all morning teaching a lesson about the four types of sentences. This was actually kind of review because my CT had already been going over the types of sentences for the past week. I had a fun activity planned for them. I first started with a focus which went very well. Then I went on to the guided practice. I asked a student for a complete sentence, a declarative sentence. Nicole answered and used “I.” I said I wanted to use a name, so I used “Nicole” in the sentence. The next sentence needed to be an interrogatory sentence, but it had to have the same subject as the first sentence. So we created another sentence about Nicole. John started getting very annoyed. He raised his hand and kept complaining that he didn’t want to write all his sentences about Nicole. I explained that it is part of the activity and that later he can make up his own sentences. John made the rest of the guided practice so difficult for me. He complained very loudly every time I wrote Nicole. He gave suggestions for new sentences but they were not correct because he kept changing the subject. Finally after the guided practice, I explained the instructions for their assignment. I had them in groups of 4 and had them create their own sentences. We had an odd number of students, so I made myself a member of John’s group to keep an eye on him. He first refused to complete the guided practice. Since it was not that big of a deal, I told him to just move on to the next sentences. He wrote his first sentence, but did not want to swap his paper with another student (like he is supposed to do for my activity). He got very angry. Then he refused to write a sentence on the other student’s paper. I practically had to dictate the sentences for him. He acted worse when the CT was out of the room. Finally when the students went back to their desks, he was happy to work on his own. He completed the independent work as long as I kept an eye on him and kept him focused.
So I learned he is not a group learner or worker. He much better with independent work.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
ReplyDeleteToday we spent all day on a Field Trip. We went to the Museums downtown. John was very well behaved. He asked me a lot of questions about different things around the Museum, but he was very interested and content. He was distracted when my CT would discuss one in particular subject, but when they were able to look at what they wanted on their own he did fine. When we went to the Art Museum he was a little antsier. We had to sit and listen to two ladies talk about theater. I thought they did an awesome job and the other students seemed to enjoy it as well, but John was very distracted again. He would pick at the tape on the floor. He would be sitting when everyone else was standing and he kept asking to go get a drink of water. My teacher did not let him go because we had just come from lunch and she did not want to disrupt the ladies speaking.
I understand that John acts out when he is bored, but he is a student just like the others and he has to follow the rules too. Just because he is not interested in the certain topic does not mean he has the right to distract the rest of the class.
Thursday, November 4, 2010 (Afternoon)
ReplyDeleteToday I taught another lesson. This lesson was observed by my site professor and another PST. The PST was recording me during the lesson. The students were all very well behaved. I was so happy it went so well. John was very cooperative and kept up with his work. However, he was a little distracted with the CT. John kept calling me to his desk and whispering that the teacher is going to mad at him. I told him she wasn’t and not to worry. He said that she kept staring at him. I said not to worry and just continue working. I reassured him that she was watching me and grading me. He was terrified to get in trouble that he kept stopping his work to look around and tell me about it. It was hard to get him through the work, but I appreciated that he still tried to finish the work and did so quietly. I am not sure why he was so scared to get in trouble today. It may be because my site professor and another PST were in the room and it made him want to be a good student, he did not want his teacher to scold him in front of the guests. After a while, he calmed down and continued to work until my lesson was over.
I want to talk to my CT about this, I want to know what else I should say to him and maybe she will help comfort him too.
Go RHE! I am so glad that your lesson went very well and I am so happy that John was willing to work for you. Wow, I do not understand why he feels that he is about to get in trouble. He must be in constant trouble at school or in your classroom. Maybe your teacher should start using positive reinforcements instead of negative ones if this is what is taking place in your classroom.
ReplyDeleteJouHee: I love the support you show and the attention you show for your students by arriving early to greet them! I am sure your CT is taking notice as well and this kind of attitude will be highly appreciated throughout your school! I love it and I want to try it myself, but it is really hard because we pick up our students from the cafeteria every morning.
ReplyDeleteI feel for Christian and his frustration. This could be another oppertunity for you to shine. I have a few students in my class that seem to be behind and they are easily frustrated because it takes them longer than other students to understand the tasks that the teacher wants them to accomplish. It also takes them more time to complete the tasks, thus another set back. I love working with these students expecially because after helping them through their struggles, it gives the student and I a feeling of accomplishment and pride! I am sure you work with Christian often, and I commend you for your extra attention! I am sure your CT loves you for giving him attetion and caring for your students! You'll make a WONDERFUL teacher for sure!
Today I rehearsed the piece I will be conducting with my students for my peer evaluation. Emily seemed to do well although she still loked around some. I did notice though today that she seemed to branch out some and was hanging around some other students that she normally doesn't. I also got a chance to have a little bit of one on one time with her today. The PST's in Flour Bluff do mentoring with students that are considered at-risk. We meet with them during the advisory period. I had noticed before that Emily is in the same advisory as my mentee, but I don't think she's noticed that I come to pick up the other student. Today however, she did notice me waiting outside the door and came over to say hi and gave me a hug. She asked what I was doing there and I explained to her about the mentoring program. She then asked if I was also teaching during 4th period (the beginning choir period which is also her sister's class.) I told her no because I was going to go observe Ms. Sanchez the band PST for her peer evaluation. She asked who that was and I told her the person who had been watching me teach them. She responded oh, ok. Even thought it was brief, the one on one interaction was nice. I wasn't in the beginning choir because I was doing a peer observation for another PST so I didn't get to see Ashley today. I have been amazed watching these two girls though. So alike yet so so different. I'm sad we only have a few times left in our clinical classrooms to see the students.
ReplyDeleteRheanna - yours seems like such an interesting child. It's sad he gets so distracted and upset so easily and the parents don't seem to do anything. I am also saddened by the Christmas situation. It almost doesn't seem fair because when that comes around he will once again be singled out and have to be removed from the celebrations. When I was little we had a family at our school that were Jehovah Witnesses and did not celebrate any holiday, even birthdays so the two daughters would always leave when parents brought cupcakes for birthdays or we did something holiday related, it was sad.
ReplyDeleteNaomi-
ReplyDeleteIn response to what can we do... it seems really disappointing... I think that we could get Lisa up to grade level, or at least close enough to it for her to pass on the 2nd grade. But not if she is continually missing school. She needs to be there for whole group instruction, and have a lot of extra help on the side. I have been pulling her and Craig, alternating each day I'm there while the other kids are in stations. Craig, I don't see much improvement, but Lisa I can see could really do well with the extra time. I know that my CT can't spend that kind of one-on-one time with her when I am not there and thats disappointing. We conferenced with her mother and told her that we thought it was a good idea to try and get a tutor for Lisa, but so far the mother has not shown any interest in that. I guess we will just have to do the best that we can and hope that what we do is enough!
I have been giving out tickets to my students that they are able to redeem with me for various prizes. Since I know that Sam has shown so much difficulty with controlling himself, I have tried giving him tickets for much less than the other kids would have to do. Hoping that I could slowly start building him up to longer and longer periods of control. This has not worked so far, and now Sam has gotten to the point of asking me for tickets, which is ridiculous in my book. Anyway, Sam saved up my tickets until he reached 7, which could be traded for me being their desk-neighbor for a day. I literally moved a kids desk beside his and sat by him whenever possible. It was very obvious that when I was sitting beside him his behavior was much much better. The second that I would stand up though, he would start shouting out answers, and behaving inappropriately. I know that Sam is wanting attention, and wanting to be noticed. The thing that I don't know is how to give him this in a positive way without having to sit right beside him every day. His desk is at the very front of the room, closest to the teachers desk. I know that I have given him lots of praise and make it an EXTREME point to give him attention for his positive behavior, but it seems to still not be enough, nor is his behavior improving. Has anyone found anything that works for their very needy students besides praise and the tickets that come with other rewards?
ReplyDeleteNaomi-
ReplyDeleteI looked at all of your posts since you said that you have a crier too. Evan seems pretty interesting. Here are my thoughts as I read some of your posts:
10/7:
Are you kidding me? She made him run laps? Doesn't that seem a little excessive and inappropriate? I mean, did making him run laps really do anything to change this kids behavior or make him more likely to want to do work for her? I highly doubt it but maybe I'm wrong.
9/30:
My crier, Lisa is a hugger too... She's doing much better in social departments and not crying. She still needs lots of help in the academic department though. I actually had a little girl wet her pants yesterday during class... rather than let us know she was going to stay wet all day because she was scared to have to call her mom. We straightened things out eventually and got her some dry clothes, but the little girl was upset for about an hour after meeting with her mom. She was even sitting herself out at recess and said she just wanted to stay there and hold my hand. Little Lisa saw that something was wrong and came to sit beside us. I said, "Lisa, what are you doing? you can go play." She told me no that Jane was her friend and that if Jane wasn't going to play then she wasn't either. It was so sweet. They started telling stories and eventually went off to play. I later called Lisa to the side and thanked her for being such a good friend.
10/14:
Confidence makes a world of difference in these kids! I figured that out fast. I would suggest that the next time he is copying on something that you think he capable of, try prompting him by saying something to the effect of, "I know you don't need to look at (neighbors) paper. Remember that hard puzzle that you did all by yourself?!" I've found this to be beneficial to some of my students who lack confidence. Also, keep in mind that this may mean that Evan is either a Visual or Interpersonal learner... I would try implementing a few things during my lessons to make sure that I am specifically teaching to those two styles, and see how Evan reacts.
I watched my student do a group activity where they made "cell cakes" along with filling out a worksheet. He didn't really interact with his group. he actually just did the worksheet and let the other students copy it. In class, he shows no sign of anger management. he just seems shy.
ReplyDelete10/19
ReplyDeleteToday I noticed that Evan's clothes were a bit small for him. Most days, this is not the case, but I also noticed he looked a bit dirty as well. On this particular day, he seemed to be seeking attention a lot, and made a weird comment to me while I was monitoring my kids. He told me that he wanted some toilet paper so he could have a lot of it at home. It may have been him just being silly, but I found it odd that he would say that to me. He proceeded to compliment me on my clothes and my CT on her lipstick. Crazy day...
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete10/26
ReplyDeleteEvan came to school today and acted like a perfect angel. There were no misbehaviors or getting into any trouble at all. I even observed him helping other students with their tasks while in class. Normally, he is asking me for help, but strangly enough he decided to help others today.
9/23
ReplyDeleteMost days, my student is friendly and nice with all students. He has not made a scene except for the first day of school and the time when I would not help him with his work, which was on September 23, 2010.
9/30
ReplyDeleteAt recess though on September 30, 2010, I did notice him being bullied by a girl from another class. She was continuously pushing him down at recess, and for awhile I did not intervene because I was waiting on a teacher to say something. Finally, I said something to another PST that was sitting with me, but as he ran passed me he gave me a smile and shortly after that I did not see them playing roughly anymore. I feel bad for not intervening, but I could not tell whether he was being bullied or if they were only playing around. The little girl was being very mean to him by pushing him down continuously though and trying to hit him with her fists. Playing or not, it should have been stopped and I regret waiting on my teacher to notice and say something. I should have intervened in this situation.
Dr. Hill, I could not agree with you more! The crier in my classroom longs for attention and is constantly giving me compliments and wanting a hug.
10/7
ReplyDeleteI know I haven't posted in awhile, but I have several updates to make. The week before last, I observed Evan on October 7, 2010. Most of his days have been good until this particular day when he refused to do any of his work and when he was told to do something he did it as slowly as possible. The teacher took this as automatic defiance, but as I continue to make notes about this student, he seems to be slow to do everything. The teacher, on the other hand, seemed stressed that day and she usually has more patients with Evan, but today her patience was running very thin. She made Evan run laps at recess, and as he walked almost motionlessly slow around the playground area, my teacher got more furious. She even went up to him telling him things in his ear and pushing him along the trek. She told him to keep running, but he continued to walk slowly around the playground. I am having a hard time believing that this student is being totally defiant and I also believe that my teacher does not feel this way as well. I think he may be a bit slow, but I am not sure. When I check his work or observe him at his desk, he usually has a very hard time spelling things and usually asks his friend that sits next to him for help.
10/12
ReplyDeleteWe were sitting in the classroom during writer's workshop and he sat staring at a blank page as usual. Students are assigned to draw a picture then write about it, whatever topic they are assigned at that time. He looked at his friend's paper and began to copy him like he usually does. This student does not even know how to write words. His print is not legible at times, and I have to ask him what he wrote. Even when I ask him what he wrote when he writes on his own he cannot remember or read his own writing.
11/02
ReplyDeleteToday I helped Evan with a math assignment in class. My students are learning about addition and subtraction and at the carpet, the group as a whole seemed to have a solid grasp of the concept. Evan needed extra help immediatally as he stared at the problems then quickly raised his hand for extra help. I would help him with a few problems using our fingers as manipulatives, and then I would ask him to try working the next 2 on his own. When I would return to his desk, he had not completed any more problems and he seemed distracted even when I was trying to work with him. He may have been having a lazy day or was just not willing to put forth the extra effort today to complete his work. Basically, we did the whole worksheet together, and I do feel like he did understand the concept better, but I would have liked to see him working on his own more.
11/09
ReplyDeleteThe funniest thing about Evan is that he seems to not know answers and needs extra help when doing assignments, but when my teacher and I think he is not paying attention on the carpet, he seems to know the right answer that we are looking for. Most of the time I observe him staring off in space, talking to his neighbor, playing with his shoe laces, or anything that involves a distraction while at the carpet, yet he is still paying attention. He seems to be a bright child, but just a little slower then the rest of the students when it comes to performing independant tasks in the classroom. An example of what I have seen is when he was at the carpet on November 9, 2010. He was talking to his friend while sitting at the carpet, and then my CT asked him to tell her an answer that she had just spoken to the class. We both knew he would not know the answer, but he did know it and said it immediatally. I wish I could multitask this well!
Wow, so out of the blue my CT says, I had someone observe Al in class the other day and that person said it seems like he may have ADD.My CT then said she thought he might have some sort of mild Autism. She also stated that there are so many levels of Autism, but it seems that would be closer to what he shows.I agreed with her and said I thoght he definately needed some sort of assistance.
ReplyDeleteI was completely blown away, many times on this blogg I have said that it seemed that my CT didn't seem to be concerned abouy his behaviour. I wrote that because he wasn't disruptive he was "flying under the radar" wasn'yt enough of a problem to be noticed. I don't know why she decided to ask this person to observe him. I could hope it had somethbing to do with my comments to her but chances are that it is something more tangible like his grades. I don't really care at this point I'm just glad she is paying more attention to him and I hope he gets some assistance. I talked to him on tuesday about his weekend and he told me more about staying up late and playing war and violent behaviour video games(his words not mine)He continues to exhibit behaviours that make it seem like he's not all there when it comes to paying attention, and staying on task. I sincerly hope these recent observations will lead to some help for him and would love to report before the end of this semester that things are getting better, we shall see.
Naomi,
ReplyDeleteI have a 3 yr old at home and she does the same thing to me all the time. I think that she is not paying attention or listen to what I may be telling her to but she gets it. I also think it’s great that your child can multitask; he just needs to steer into a direction where that benefits him and not in a position that hinders his learning. Great post!
Mrs. Adams.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy reading your post. You defiantly have a passion for teaching and you can see it in your blogs. Keep it up!!!
Last I was at the school, I spent some time with Joe. I keep asking Joe what my name is and he never remembers. I am constantly reminding him of my name on a daily basis. He is always asking me his name and of course I know it. He is so surprised that I know his name.
ReplyDelete11/11
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately my CT does not like having the students inside the classroom during the morning. So instead I stay outside with them. Christian always has interesting stories about his older brother in college also. Christian is not a strong supporter of veterans day, well not at least until I told him of my encounter of living with a veteran (my father). He had so many questions but we unfortunately were not able to talk because he was on his way out to perform these cute patriotic songs to the veterans in the school.
Later during the afternoon...
I was able to teach my bean multiplication math, I was getting video taped, so I was quite nervous. Bean multiplications is where the students get passed out my manipulative of 8 mouthwash cups I hot glued together. :) We distribute however many beans that the multiple of 8 is being multiplied by. So 8 x 1 so 1 bean in each of he 8 cups which equals 8! Christian my math wiz went through the activity and finished the whole entire multiplication of 8, in much concentration before his Reading CM teacher came. Which was in a 10 minute span of time that he had finished.
11/11
ReplyDeleteMy kids had reading benchmarks today. Sam took a long time taking his test and when he finished it, he handed it to my CT. She walked toward her desk to set it down and was quickly glancing at it, just like she had all of the other students... Sam immediately poked his lip out and started to quietly cry to himself. I gave my CT a second to notice, and when it became apparent that she wasn't going to, I walked to his desk and asked what was wrong. It took about five minutes of him half blubbering/half whispering, and me prying at him to talk louder that I wanted to be able to help him before I could understand what he was upset about. He said that he was so mad at himself, that he had tried really hard and did the best that he could on the test but that he didn't pass it. I said, "Sam, nobody told you that you didn't pass, why would you think that?" He said that he just knew and that he was sorry that he had done all that he could. My heart sank. I assured him that we weren't going to be upset if he didn't pass, but that he probably did fine since he followed all of his PLORE steps. I told him that this test shows me and my CT what we need to do in order to be better teachers, and that we were more proud of the students who tried their best and still might have not passed, than we were of the kids who didn't try at all. He found comfort in this and gave me a hug. I gave him a piece of paper, and he began coloring. After a while, Sam returned to his usual disruptive behavior, but I know that he is a truly caring kid, I just haven't quite pinned down how to get him to not be so disruptive! I also wonder, judging by his reaction, if my CT had given them some sort of crazy lecture the day before the test. I know that my CT really is quite harsh with the kids. That's why the behavior is such an issue in our class. She doesn't give the kids respect, and the kids don't respect her. I can only hope and pray that she doesn't get the scores back and get mad at Sam if he didn't pass. It would really push me over the edge if I knew that she was punishing a student for a bad grade that I know did their best. Sam was the 2nd to last student to turn his paper in, when he usually rushes through everything, and he was very diligent in following his PLORE steps, this much I do know.
So i did not get to see, my cs, Tom Tuesday or Thursday because he was suspended. I am still trying to find out why he was but i did get to see him on Friday when i went to go help out Mrs. Zimm. She told him i am really happy to have you back we missed you and he said ok miss, and she said no really we did because she thought he thought she was just being sarcastic…. Sad right? He is back to not doing his work after being in trouble, and he was doing so will. All that hard work to get him motivated got. Se la vie...Monday starts a new week and a fresh start right….
ReplyDeleteMs. Adams,
ReplyDeleteI cant wait to hear how the project come out! that is so great that Tom is all caught up in class and gets his artwork hung up in the hall, I will look for it next time we go to Baker. I hope his mom eases up on the poor little guy now that he has caught up. It great to see how invested you are with your students!
Amy- I just read your last post, hopefully you can motivate him back on the track he had been on.
ReplyDeleteMy case study, Mezmoriah, is really begining to act out. I saw her walking around the hallway before class with a limp. I asked her what happend and she said she sprained her ankel, I then saw her later on and she seemed to forget all about it. When 8th period came around she was no where to be seen and I was informed thatg she went home. I am starting to think she is just comming up with these excuses to not be at school and its concerning me. I dont want her to just give up and possibly drop out in high school. I really want to talk to her but im not sure what my boundaries about certain subjects are. I guess I will find out.
Something I wanted to share!
Over the weekend I went to a speech and debate tournament at Grant Middle school. My students have been practicing for weeks on their events. One of the girls went into the wrong room to read her poetry and was disqualified, she would have taken first place as she did last year. I saw her with her parents after she found out and went up to tell her how sorry I was. She was bursting into tears and so incredibly sad. I have seen her practicing and putting her heart into her poetry. Seeing her upset made me start to cry, I mean really cry! I had to leave the school because I was balling! I really never thought I would get so emotional and attatched to these kids but I am and it really took me off gaurd. It was a great experience to be at the tournament. Seeing that little girl cry and how I reacted to it made me realize that teaching is what I want to do. anyways, just thought I would share my experience!
Kayla....thanks for the idea about using tickets. I have been using them to award positive behaviors and has really helped with my classroom management.The relationship I have with my students has gotten so comfortable I can't believe I was so terrified of them just a few short months ago!
ReplyDeleteI still am perplexed by Al....... Today he wore his coat with his backpack under it until someone noticed in PE. He seems so completely unfocused all the time! I guess the second set of grades coming out this week might wake somebody up!I didn't have a chance to follow up with my CT today but I am really hoping that he gets some special attention. I plan on finding out from my CT what more can be done on thursday and I will post again
ReplyDeletewow, today went great with my case study, the seeting arrangement was diffenent and the kids could pick were they wanted to set. he chose to sit right by were me and mrs. Zimm were teaching from. he was really excited to be working with clay. this is the most active i have seen him; he was doing his work and smiling and lafing and talking with the boys around him. it made me so happy to see him so inthoused.
ReplyDeleteI actually got to see both of my case studies today :). The first thing Emily told me when I saw her was that they were getting Christmas music in choir. You could she was so excited, it was great. She did well when they learning the piece. Everybody seemed to be getting it and doing really well.
ReplyDeleteSo, I totally forgot that I was supposed to be putting Emily and Ashley each in separate posts. So, here's what happened with Ashley today. I did warm-ups today in both classes and I did this one that speeds up as you go and can get tricky, so I started slow and when I asked if they could do it faster, Ashley was the first one to yell out yes! Later I got to talk with her some one on one. She's in the junior ROTC program at the junior high and she was showing me the routine she made herself for it. It was really neat to see her so enthusiatic about it. Both of the girls have such enthusiasm for things that it's great to see such enthusiasm in young people. I'm actually kind of sad that I only have two more times in my clinical classroom to see them and all the others.
ReplyDeleteTuesday morning during planning period my CT asked me if I wanted to help her fill out a questionaire for Sam. I said sure, and she started reading the questions out loud... It turns our his parents have noticed the disruptive behavior at home as well. They took him to the doctor to see if there was something medically causing him to behave in this manner, and the doctor had sent a questionaire to school for the teacher to fill out. I'm happy to know that it has been noticed at home and the parents are taking some action! I hope that something comes out of this for us to be able to help Sam. Not that I hope there is something medically wrong, because I certainly don't, but maybe if there isn't the parents will schedule a conference so we can discuss a behavior contract. These are the only parents who have to date, not had a single conference with my CT. Most of the parents have had at least two by now, but Sams parents kept canceling. Hope this works out for the little guy!
ReplyDeleteAs the weeks have gone by i haven't seen much progress with Jacob. He does not get the one on one instruction that he needs to succeed. My CT told me that he has an ARD meeting scheduled for tomorrow. I can't wait to find out what is gonna happen. He is still yelling out in class, repeating what the teacher says, using profanity, distracting other students. Ms. Reyna has a class of twenty one now after getting two new students a week apart. Jacob is not her only concern, she has several other students that have behavior issues. I don't feel that her classroom management is as strong as it should be. I wonder what can one person do, she is a good teacher, disciplines student, is consistent, but misbehavior amongst the class still continues. Adding Jacob to the situation only makes it harder on her. I think he needs to be in the general education classroom for social skills, routine, and should be with a single teacher who can give him their undivided attention, use his interest to focus instruction around. The current environment is not working to help him learn, follow rules, and learn discipline. We will see what is decided after his ARD meeting.
ReplyDeleteNaomi,
ReplyDeleteI think all children are brighter than we give them credit for. So Evan is listening when you think he is not, and appears to be distracted but is infact paying attention. I agree, i wish i could do two things at once like that. I think this observation goes along with what Dr. Hill was saying in class about a child drawing while the teacher is giving instruction, b/c he retains the information better and is more focused this way. Maybe he should be allowed to star into space if it helps him focus.
Kayla,
ReplyDeleteSam seems like a handful, but one post got to me. The one where he tried his best and was upset b/c he felt that he had failed. I think its hard to initiate you own ways of discipline when you CT has her own. None of us want to step on our CT's toes, but we know if these were our own classroom we would do things differently. I know i have encountered where i want to let a student do something and my CT will tell that child no, sit down you have not been making good choices. Also since we are not in the classroom everyday, we rely on what our teacher tells us about behavior. I hope he didn't fail, and that she didn't get on to him either, since you know he tried his best, why else would he have gotten so emotional.
so yeah my case study was not there today and it was the last day of being in there, so i dont really know how to conclude this. i know that mrs zimm will continue to work with him as long as he is in her class.
ReplyDeleteMy CT was gone today to do the school musical performances so I got the junior high classes to myself this morning. In the advanced choir (Emily's class)we rehearsed for a bit and then they had free time. Emily is really starting to blossom socially. She's branching out and talking with more people than before. She and several others started playing ninja for a bit. I actually ended up talking a little bit with one of the other girls who's really eally quiet and I wanted to make more of a connection with. I'm actually good friends with her older cousin (went to high school with the cousin and now the cousin also a music major at TAMUCC and in choir with me) so I talked with her some about some of the things her cousin and I are doing. It was good to see Emily branching out some though.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning choir (Ashley's class) we watched a movie. The students have a song from the movie Hook and most of them had never heard of the movie before but one of the students had it on DVD so they brought it in and we started watching it. Ashley was really into it. I told them a little bit about the movie and she was just like cool! she was so intent on the movie the whole time it was on. I've said it before, but I love her enthusiasm for things.
ReplyDeleteJoan, Jacob seems like such an interesting child. I hope they find out what's going on he gets the help he needs. It sounds like so much more than just a child calling out for attention.
ReplyDeleteNaomi,
ReplyDeleteI am so glad Evan got you. It seems like you made such a difference for him. I hope he continues to get the help he needs and grow even after you leave.
WOW!!! I made a wonderful connection with Tyson during the course of a few weeks. I spent half the day teaching and the other half helping Mrs. Webster out today.. I also got to teach yesterday and Tuesday.. Tyson today hugged me before I left and told me to have a GREAT Thanksgiving, Mrs. Webster says he has yet to give her a hug :( !! I was able to get a few of his work product copied for my case study. I had a great time this semester working with Tyson. I promised him that even after my semester ends that I would be back to visit. My C/T requested me back to student teach, so if this goes well I will be able to spend a few more months with Tyson.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention Tyson on Thursday November 18th tried to skip out on tutoring. I caught him in the hall sneaking off to latchkey, I told him if he made his way down there to latchkey that I would be down there getting him. I gave me a hugh UGH!!!!! and threw down his backpack and said he hated going, but I told him under no circumstances that he would be getting out of it.. He picked up his backpack as mad as he could be. I reassured him that he could do the work and that I believed in him... I was told that he did great on his assignment during tutoring. He just did not feel like working that afternoon..
ReplyDeleteSince my CT knows that I am using Sam as my case study she sent me an email this morning. Apparently Sam punched a child in the stomach on the way to school this morning while riding the bus. She said that she didn't know details yet, but Sam was going to be late to class due to it.
ReplyDeleteThis last Thursday I taught my last lesson. My CT told me that I had been doing an excellent job and to plan anything that I wanted, she didn't even care if it was a formal lesson or not. I did plan a formal lesson, but it was ALL fun activities! I knew the kids were going to love it, and I was excited to teach it. I had been hyping the kids up all day about the fun stuff we would be doing after lunch, and just as I was about to start my lesson my CT told Sam and one other boy to go sit at the back of the room. I wondered what was going on and then she said in front of all of the other students, very loudly, "Since you two have decided to play all day while I taught, you can sit in the back and do worksheets while Ms. Farris teachers her fun lesson to the rest of the class."
ReplyDeleteI NEVER would have hyped the lesson up as much as I had if I thought this would happen! Both boys actually started crying, and my lesson that was supposed to be so much fun ended up being painful to teach. I know that Sam doesn't respect or care to please my CT, but he usually does very well for me. I feel like even though I had no control over this, Sam will probably see it as just as much my fault as my CTs since it happened during my lesson. I'm afraid the relationship I was building with Sam may have just taken a few steps backwards.
JOAN- Once again, this shows how nice it will be to have our own class, and how we just have to let our CTs do what they want with their classes.
Wow Kayla! it seems the most important skill we are learning is how to deal with the ever present unexpected. Sorry that happened, it must have been tuff to continue your excitment and enthusiasm.I have learned much more of what not to do in and out of the classroom this semester. It is probably more valuable than the good stuff because we already know that, hang in there, we are getting closer every day:)
ReplyDeleteWell grades went out,I did not have the opportunity to see Al's. I hope his mother looks at them and decides to get involved. I don't think anything will change for him unless someone at home gets involved. Al continues to maintain a pace that keeps him behind everyone else. He is always last in line and last to transition to the next activity. I try to help , when I'm there by giving him advance notice about upcoming transitions and sometimes that helps. I really think he should have some sort of evaluation. Last week I also heard him say I can't hear very well, I have not noticed any syptoms of that and he stated it to my CT. I have tried to help but I have not been able to find anything that helps short of constantly being by his side to assist with every activity. He has the intelligence, I believe but needs constant attention to focus. I relly hope someone pays attention and is able to help him
ReplyDeleteJohn, I know what you mean and although I've learned a lot of what-not-to-dos this semester, I wouldn't change it for anything. Sure it would have been nice to be in a classroom with a teacher who had everything down pat so I could see exactly what to do... but with the way that it is now, I am able to see the things that I need to be leery of, and I will come up with my own way of teaching that works for me based upon that. I am nervous about the upcoming semester since I opted to not stay with my current CT. I hope that I don't end up getting something worse or someone mean(er)!!!
ReplyDelete