I chose Dylan* as my case study. Dylan is a sweet little boy in my classroom that almost always has a smile on his face. The very first day that I entered the classroom, one of the first things that I noticed was that he sat in the corner of the class; away form all of the other students. Dylan is the only Hispanic child in my class. At the very beginning of the semester, I noticed that other kids would pick on him and sometimes discourage him. Mrs. Loftis told me that he would be my “Special Project”. I knew then that this child was very interesting. I started working one-on-one with Dylan, and I noticed that he struggled with a majority of his work, and that he did not like asking for help.
A few days into working at the school, none of the kids had completely warmed up to me yet. I was looking at some student’s papers, when I hear someone behind me quietly say “Hey Miss Paige”. It was Dylan. He was the first student to really talk to me.
Dylan has struggled all through the semester. He had a lot of trouble with math, and it took him a long time to work out problems. When he read, he read very slowly and very quietly. Dylan hesitates getting up in front of the class, but when he does, he loves to show off his skills. Dylan is a smart kid, but he just has a really hard time believing in himself.
A lot of the kids pick on him. He does not talk to many of the kids; in fact, he didn’t talk a lot at all. He knew that I would always try my best to help him, and he smiled when he knew I was walking up to him. When he struggled with a problem, Mrs. Loftis would never let him give up. She made him start over and keep trying, over and over again until he got it. She didn’t care how long it would take.
Dylan had trouble typing his username and password into the computer one day when the kids were taking online tests. Everytime I walked by him, I didn't look at the screen and I asked him if he was doing okay. He would always say that he did not need any help. Eventually I looked at his screen, and he had not even signed in yet. I typed his information in for him and told him that it was okay, but he looked embarrased anyway.
I was never shown any of Dylan's grades, but I know that they were not up to standards. Every time I was asked to check his morning work for him,he would miss atleast half of the problems. When I showed him how to correct it, he would act like he understood, but I knew he was still confused. Dylan always works very hard, but has many mistakes in his work. Alot of times, he "forgets" to get papers signed at home, and he does not do his homework half of the time.
Dylan started trying to find excuses to ask me a question. He would either tell me something that happened over the weekend, or ask me random questions. At Oakwood's fall festival, I was helping with the bounce house outside, and Bryan ran over and gave me a big hug, and introduced me to his parents.
Dylan started talking to classmates more as the semester went on. He would get help from a few students that sat near him. About in the middle of the semester, Mrs. Loftis moved his chair to the middle of the room, in the back. She said that she felt he was too far away from the rest of the class to learn. This way, he wasn't completely secluded from everyone else. He started having a voice, and asking more questions. This also gave him a few more discipline problems, because he became more talkative.
His warm up grades did not improve very much throughout the semester, no matter how much we tried to help him. He still struggled through the worksheets and was embarrassed to ask questions. I told him that it's not embarrassing and that the only way he will learn is if he asks for help.
I believe that if Dylan tries his hardest and dosen't give up on himself, he can get his grades up and do a good job in his class. His social skills can improve, and he could make a lot of friends. Dylan has a great teacher, and she's a great motivator too, and I believe that he needs that in his life. Dylan will make it very far in life.
A few days into working at the school, none of the kids had completely warmed up to me yet. I was looking at some student’s papers, when I hear someone behind me quietly say “Hey Miss Paige”. It was Dylan. He was the first student to really talk to me.
Dylan has struggled all through the semester. He had a lot of trouble with math, and it took him a long time to work out problems. When he read, he read very slowly and very quietly. Dylan hesitates getting up in front of the class, but when he does, he loves to show off his skills. Dylan is a smart kid, but he just has a really hard time believing in himself.
A lot of the kids pick on him. He does not talk to many of the kids; in fact, he didn’t talk a lot at all. He knew that I would always try my best to help him, and he smiled when he knew I was walking up to him. When he struggled with a problem, Mrs. Loftis would never let him give up. She made him start over and keep trying, over and over again until he got it. She didn’t care how long it would take.
Dylan had trouble typing his username and password into the computer one day when the kids were taking online tests. Everytime I walked by him, I didn't look at the screen and I asked him if he was doing okay. He would always say that he did not need any help. Eventually I looked at his screen, and he had not even signed in yet. I typed his information in for him and told him that it was okay, but he looked embarrased anyway.
I was never shown any of Dylan's grades, but I know that they were not up to standards. Every time I was asked to check his morning work for him,he would miss atleast half of the problems. When I showed him how to correct it, he would act like he understood, but I knew he was still confused. Dylan always works very hard, but has many mistakes in his work. Alot of times, he "forgets" to get papers signed at home, and he does not do his homework half of the time.
Dylan started trying to find excuses to ask me a question. He would either tell me something that happened over the weekend, or ask me random questions. At Oakwood's fall festival, I was helping with the bounce house outside, and Bryan ran over and gave me a big hug, and introduced me to his parents.
Dylan started talking to classmates more as the semester went on. He would get help from a few students that sat near him. About in the middle of the semester, Mrs. Loftis moved his chair to the middle of the room, in the back. She said that she felt he was too far away from the rest of the class to learn. This way, he wasn't completely secluded from everyone else. He started having a voice, and asking more questions. This also gave him a few more discipline problems, because he became more talkative.
His warm up grades did not improve very much throughout the semester, no matter how much we tried to help him. He still struggled through the worksheets and was embarrassed to ask questions. I told him that it's not embarrassing and that the only way he will learn is if he asks for help.
I believe that if Dylan tries his hardest and dosen't give up on himself, he can get his grades up and do a good job in his class. His social skills can improve, and he could make a lot of friends. Dylan has a great teacher, and she's a great motivator too, and I believe that he needs that in his life. Dylan will make it very far in life.
**Dylan is not the child's real name.