Gonzalo Gonzalez EDUC-458-03 Dr.

Runyan Shadow Study

For the shadow study I had three d !!erent students n " nd. Ea#h student has a $ery d st n#t %ersonal ty& the r own sets o! o'sta#les& and d !! #ult es they "ust o$er #o"e n s#hool. Ult "ately& I #hose to o'ser$e Student (. Student ( s a wh te "ale& a)e *+& 5,8-& and *+0 %ounds. .e was the only student that really stood out to "e r )ht away. .e d dn,t a#t l /e the other students and #arr ed h "sel! w th a $ery d st n#t de"eanor. I #hose h " 'e#ause on the ! rst day o! s#hool th s s what stood out to "e. S 0th %er od was a'out to 'e) n& and 'e!ore the students wal/ed n the )y" "y #oo%erat n) tea#her warned "e a'out a %art #ular student. .e sa d the student #an 'e d so'ed ent& e$en has trou'le w th author ty and w ll test "e as soon as he sees the #han#e to. In wal/ed the students and I /new r )ht away who "y #oo%erat n) tea#her was tal/ n) a'out. 1he student s"elled o! # )arettes and had 'a)s under h s eyes as ! he hadn,t sle%t n days. .e wal/ed around w th a sl )ht hun#h n h s 'a#/ as well. 2hat was really not #ea'le was h s tattoos. I #ouldn3t 'el e$e that at h s a)e he already had that "any tattoos. (!ter "y #oo%erat n) tea#her too/ roll we went down to the we )ht roo". I de# ded then and there that I would rea#h out and try to )et to /now th s student r )ht away. 2hen we wal/ed nto the we )ht roo" I saw h " l !t n) 'y h "sel! so I went o$er and ntrodu#ed "ysel! to h ". 4ur s"all tal/ e$entually lead h " n to tell n) "e "ore a'out h "sel! and h s 'a#/)round. .e e0%la ned to "e how h s %arents le!t h " and h s s ster 'eh nd to !end !or the"sel$es and how he !elt e$eryth n) was wor/ n) a)a nst h ". I /new at that "o"ent I wanted to )et to /now "ore a'out h ". 1h s s why I #hose to do "y shadow study o$er Student (. 1he day 'e!ore I d d "y shadow study I went around and as/ed all o! h s tea#hers ! I #ould s t n and o'ser$e the r #lassroo". 1hey were all "ore than w ll n) to let "e do so. I also as/ed ea#h

tea#her what the r thou)hts were on Student (. So"e o! h s tea#hers 'el e$ed that he was a lost #ause& whereas& others 'el e$ed that he a#ted th s was 'e#ause he doesn,t ha$e anyone that truly #ares a'out h ". In !a#t not one tea#her #ould ) $e "e a %os t $e #o""ent a'out the student. I !ound all o! th s $ery %e#ul ar 'e#ause I !elt the #o"%lete o%%os te o! the tea#hers. Des% te the warn n)s that "y #oo%erat n) tea#her )a$e "e and the #o""ents the other tea#hers %ro$ ded& I ha$e yet to ha$e any ssues w th Student (. In "y #lass he s always l !t n)& %art # %at n)& and always see"s to 'e nto the day,s a#t $ ty. So th s "ade "e really ea)er to o'ser$e h " n other sett n)s. 1he !ollow n) day would 'e the r 'lo#/ s#hedule& so I un!ortunately only o'ser$ed !our #lasses. 1he ne0t day I went to h s ! rst #lass wh #h was ' olo)y. I sat n the 'a#/ o! the #lass at the tea#hers des/ and d d "y hardest to try and 'lend nto the #lass. 2hen #lass started I not #ed r )ht away that Student (,s att tude was $ery d !!erent. .e ne$er loo/ed on#e u% at the tea#her when she was tal/ n)& nor d d he answer a s n)le 5uest on. It loo/ed l /e he 6ust doodled n h s note'oo/ the ent re t "e. .al! way throu)h the #lass he as/ed to )o to the 'athroo" and he d dn,t return !or al"ost *5 " nutes. 1he tea#her d dn,t as/ h " what too/ h " so lon)& or where he went. 1he sad th n) s that the tea#her d dn,t see" to #are. It was as ! she was use to t and had 6ust ) $en u% on h " all to)ether. 1he tea#her d dn,t loo/ n h s d re#t on& as/ h " 5uest ons& or e$en a#/nowled)e that he was there. In !a#t& the only t "e the tea#her s%o/e to the student was when she too/ attendan#e. 1he ne0t #lass was h story and the "ood o! the #lass was $ery d !!erent r )ht o!! the 'at. 1he tea#her had a 'ell ass )n"ent ready to )o !or all the students to wor/ on. Student ( went r )ht to wor/ w th no %ro'le"s. .e see"ed to a#tually en6oy the #lass and the su'6e#t #ons dera'ly "ore than ' olo)y. 1he tea#her see"ed "ore attent $e to h s needs as well. 1he h story tea#her tr ed to as/ e$ery student n the #lass a 5uest on 'e!ore the %er od was u%. I also not #ed that he would !re5uently wal/ 'y Student (,s des/. .e was de! n tely us n) %ro0 " ty #ontrol to "a/e sure he was on tas/ the ent re %er od. 1he tea#her was )o n) around as/ n) 5uest ons a'out the r ho"ewor/ ass )n"ent& wh #h was on #urrent e$ents. .e as/ed Student ( to read h s a loud. (t ! rst Student ( was relu#tant& 'ut he

e$entually stood u% n !ront o! the #lass and read h s su""ery o$er an art #le he read a'out o'a"a#are. It was sur%r s n)ly ns )ht!ul and n!or"at $e. 4n#e he was done the ent re #lass #la%%ed and the tea#her )a$e h " a ' ) s" le and a wonder!ul #o"%le"ent. .e s" led and went 'a#/ to h s des/ w th the loo/ o! 6oy on h s !a#e. It was the ! rst t "e all day I had seen h " s" le and a#tually en6oy what he was do n). 1he ne0t #lass he went to was the we )ht l !t n) #lass. 1oday they were l !t n) u%%er 'ody and he ! nally #a"e o$er to "e n 'etween h s sets and as/ed "e why I was !ollow n) h ". I e0%la ned to h " that I was to #hoose one student to !ollow and see what a ty% #al day was l /e !or a nor"al student. .e as/ed why I de# ded to !ollow h " and I s "%ly told h " that I wanted to )et to /now h " 'etter. .e )a$e "e a s" le and wal/ed away. (s always he l !ted hard n #lass and went a'out h s 'us ness l /e any other day. 4n th s day I was a'le to o'ser$e h " n )reater deta l and I #a"e to the #on#lus on that th s #lass was h s release. (ll the an)er he had 'u lt u% ns de !ro" s#hool %ro'le"s& !a" ly ssues& and other ssues n h s l !e were released n th s #lass. 1he last #lass o! the day was ho"e e#ono" #s. 7e!ore I #a"e to th s #lass I /new t was )o n) to 'e a rou)h one to s t throu)h. 1h s #lass d dn,t see" l /e an ele#t $e that Student ( would ta/e. 7e!ore #lass started I as/ed the tea#her a'out her e0%er en#es w th Student (. (ll she had to say was he needs ele#t $es to )raduate. .e doesn,t #are a'out th s #lass and was e$ dent. Class started and on th s %art #ular day they were #oo/ n) 'lue 'erry %an#a/es. 4nly the students that had ! n shed the #lassroo" wor/ !ro" the %re$ ous day were allowed to #oo/. Student ( was a"on) those students that #ould not #oo/. .e wasn,t $ery ha%%y that he wasn,t #oo/ n) so he 6ust s "%ly wal/ed out o! #lass. 1he tea#her went to sto% h ". She then %ro#eeded to #all the !ront o!! #e to ha$e so"eone es#ort h " to ISS. 2hen th s ha%%ened I de# ded to head to ISS w th h ". Dur n) that last hour o! s#hool he s%ent t slee% n) n ISS. .e wasn,t !or#ed to wor/ on any n %art #ular nor was he as/ed to ta/e out any ho"ewor/. 1h s ent re day was an eye-o%ener !or "e. 1oday I saw a student that !a#es se$eral nternal

'attles that a!!e#t h " on a da ly 'as s. 4ne #an see that he s s"art& 'ut he only %uts !orth the e!!ort ! he sees that the tea#her really #ares. (lthou)h I was only a'le to o'ser$e one day o! h s s#hedule t doesn,t ta/e a s# ent st to see that he doesn,t re#e $e any %os t $e !eed'a#/ !ro" any o! h s tea#hers e0#e%t one. I ho%e that he doesn,t ) $e u% on h "sel! or h s !uture. I ho%e that he #an #o"e to real ze that he #an st ll sha%e h s own !uture des% te h s short #o" n)s. I now understand why he a#ts out. Fro" here on out I w ll try "y hardest to tou#h 'ase w th h " e$eryday. I want to show h " that I #are and that I a" nterest n) n h s l !e and how th n)s are )o n). I ho%e I #an rea#h out to h " 'e!ore I lea$e !or the ele"entary& and I ho%e h s other tea#hers ) $e h " another #han#e as well.