Learner Analysis Part 1

Parr Elementary School is located in a cozy neighborhood in Jefferson County School District. 

Parr Elementary School

Parr Elementary is a tiny little school in Jefferson County. The neighborhood surrounding the school is full of friendly houses and welcoming parks. The students at Parr are happy, and ready to learn. I have been placed in a 4/5 classroom, which is a combined fourth and fifth grade class. I know we are supposed to have a student picked out, but to be honest I have not decided which student is best suited for this project yet. So, I am going to describe a few students for you this week, and then by week 9 when part two is to I will let you in on which student I have decided to focus on.

My Kiddos

There are 2 students that I am trying to choose between for this project: Sally and Jack. Let's start with Sally. Sally is a fourth grader, she constantly looks flustered or confused during class. Her eyes never focus on one thing for more than a minute or two, and her hands are constantly flitting around between her hair, her desk, and her belongings. I have learned that Sally has a very unique disability, she has seizures; but not the kind that you would expect. You cannot see any outward indication that he has having the seizure, but somehow she loses her short term memory as a result of the seizures, making it a struggle for her to learn and grow in school. Doctors are not sure what causes the seizures, or even how often she has them because she could have one right in front of you and you would never know. Her doctors now have all the teachers, staff, and parents who come in contact with her write down specific notes about any odd behavior they notice about Sally, so that they can pinpoint exactly what it looks like when she is having an episode.

Jack has been diagnosed with ADHD, but his parents refuse to give him any medication at home. They do, however, give the school permission to give him his medicine during school hours so that he can concentrate. During the first hour of the school day, Jack's medication has not kicked in, and he does not get any work down. His teacher allows him to sit in the back of the room and wiggle, talk, and basically do whatever he wants to until the medicine kicks in and he calms down, then proceeds to sit at his desk and is constantly on task. Not only does Jack have ADHD but he also has moments where he cannot handle his frustration, and shuts down completely. He will not get any work done, won't speak to anyone around him, and will simply just sit with his head in his arms on top of his desk. I don't know how these moments relate to his ADHD, or if they do at all; but I know that I want to understand Jack more as a person. His previous teachers did not want to deal with him, so when his energy was high or he was frustrated they would tell him to go sit out in the hallway. Unfortunately, Jack is a "runner" and he would run away more often then not when he was told to do this. When I look at Jack, I don't see a boy with behavior problems, I see a boy with a hard family life who has never been taught how to control his emotional reactions to issues that come in and out of his life during the day.

Setting of Most Observations:

I see both of these students in the classroom during most of the day, though I do not see them on recess, lunch, or when they go to specials. I have not had any real interaction with Sally one on one, but Jack loves to sit by me while I observe the class in the mornings before his medicine kicks in. He sits down beside me and chats for about 30 minutes, telling me about his parents or about his goals for the future. Jack has told my CT more than once that I am his friend, where as Sally just sees me as someone who helps out in the classroom on Thursday's; I don't even think she knows my name. Due to the fact that I only see these students during general class time, I don't have a great idea of how they interact with other students in a social setting. I see them when they are supposed to be doing work, or listening to the teacher. This could cause my view of them to be a little skewed because I don't get the chance to see how they act with other students when they aren't being expected to work.

Support Staff at Parr:

Parr Elementary School has a lot of staff that are around to help students like Sally and Jack. There is a school psychologist, 2 SPED teacher's, a literary instructor, and multiple PARA's who come in and out of the classroom through out the day.  Sally goes out with the SPED teachers a few times during the day, and the school psychologist is in the classroom for most of the lessons to observe Jack and how he is performing and interacting through out the lecture/activity. I have spoken to my CT about both of these students, and she has mentioned that she thinks I should lean toward observing Sally, but I am still unsure because I truly feel like there is so much going on with Jack that he intrigues me every time I am in the classroom. As the weeks move on, I hope to find the student I want to focus on for this assignment, so I can being to conduct some interviews with the student and some of the adults in his/her life.