Running head: PEPSI: Sean Peart 1

P.E.P.S.I Screening of: Sean A Peart.

Hubert D, Johnson

College of Southern Nevada

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Biography

Sean Peart is 13 years old, and by the time she is 14 I imagine we will be seeing eye to eye both

physically and metaphorically. Sean was born November 20th, 2004 in Silver Spring Maryland.

She is mixed between Caucasian and Jamaican, she is the only child to my oldest sister, and the

only child between me and my three siblings. She is considered a first-generation immigrant

because she is the first generation from my family to be born in the states. We make it a point to

keep her as connected to our heritage because we feel like it is important to her identity. Sean

currently resides in Las Vegas NV and has for the last two years. she lives with me, her mother,

grandmother and aunt. She is the youngest in the household and we are the closes in age, being

only 14 years apart. I was roughly around the same age Sean is now when she was born and

besides a few years away in the military I have had the pleasure of watching her first hand

develop into the young lady she is today. Our family is very close knit and Sean plays a very

important role in that. I believe she has developed most of her qualities from one of us, the good

and the bad. She has been able to take those qualities and develop into the exciting adolescent

she is today.
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P.E.P.S.I Screening of: Sean A Peart.

Physical Development

Sean stand approximately 5 feet 4 inches and weighs exactly 130 pounds. According to

the Center of Disease Control (CDC) The average 13-year-old girl was 61.7 inches or almost 5

feet 1 inches. The average weight for a female the same age was approximately 101 pounds.

Considering these statistics this put Sean slightly above average in her physical developmental

stage. Over the last few years Sean has experienced tremendous growth spurts. In the textbook it

explains that is to be expected, “Because girls mature more rapidly than boys, their growth spurt

begins at about age eleven, reaches a peak at about age fourteen, and is generally complete by

age fifteen” (Snowmen 2017).

Sean has been physically active from a very young age. She has participated in soccer,

cheerleading, African dance, and many more summer activities and camps. Currently Sean is

pursing her Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do and has been nothing short of dominant in her pursuit.

Being slightly above average amongst her peers gives her a slight advantage when it comes to

sparring and other aspects of Tae Kwon Doe. While her physical stature benefits her in most

aspect, I have also seen her struggle to adapt to her growth. For example, she tried her hands at

basketball, which was ideal for her height, but because of how much she had recently grown she

has difficulty with her hands and eye coordination. According to the textbook “During the middle

school years, the average child will grow 2 to 4 inches per year and gain 8 to 10 pounds per year.

But some parts of the body, particularly the hands and feet, grow faster than others.

Consequently, middle school children tend to look gangly and clumsy”. (Snowman 2017).
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Early physical development, especially in females present a few additional areas for

concerns. Sean is at the age where she has already started to develop breast and experience her

first menstrual cycle. During this age females can already expect to have a challenging time,

which only gets heighten when they begin to develop early. “Early maturing girls are likely to

have lower self-esteem and are more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, eating disorders,

and panic attacks. They are more likely to be popular with boys, particularly older boys, and

experience more pressure to date” (Snowman 2017). I believe Sean has handled her physical

development very well and will continue to do so.

Emotional Development.

Regarding Sean’s emotional development I find her to be average amongst her peers. I

believe she has a pretty strong understanding of her emotions, but she struggles to express them

in a constructive way. In a recent online article by child encyclopedia they stated that

“Preadolescents between the age of 10-13 become Capable of generating multiple solutions and

differentiated strategies for dealing with stress”. I believe this to be one of Sean’s short comings.

Sean has developed a tendency to shut down when faced with a stressful situation. When faced

with demanding situations she tends to try and revert to a younger age in order to avoid

responsibility. I have noticed she does not do this with her peers which makes me believe she

understands her actions and chooses not to address problems unless the timing is ideal to her.

During the same article it states that preadolescents begin to understand certain distinction

between genuine emotional expressed with close friends and managed displays with others.

According to J'Anne Ellsworth “This age marks a new tension in harmonizing the past

with hope for the future”. She believes that children “Dreams may be so portent that reality and

being real seem shadowy and unimportant”. In this regard I find Sean to be ahead of her peers,
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while she has dreams, they are all practical and way within her reach. She never allows herself to

get caught up in the pursuit of artificial things. Sean has managed to keep all her dreams still

within reach. As she continues to mature emotionally I hope she can develop ways to better

express her emotions and find her voice.

Philosophical Development

Philosophy is a study that seeks to understand the mysteries of existence and reality.

Philosophical methods include questioning, critical discussion, rational argument, and systematic

presentation all regarding the meaning of life and existence. This can be hard to measure in

children at times; However, I believe Sean to be slightly above her peers in this regard. Sean did

not grow up in a very religious house hold and does not rely heavily on religious principals to

guide her. Sean has a very strong moral compass and understanding of right and wrong.

According to Kohlberg’s theory of moral development at this age Sean is currently in the “good

boy–nice girl orientation” (Snowman 2017). In this stage Kohlberg believes “Your parents will

be proud of you if you are honest.” And that children become motivated by the idea the right

action is one that will impress others.

I believe Kohlberg’s theory to be true because Sean gets her moral reasoning directly

from her mom. Sean’s mother Sodio is a very morally just person, when faced with difficult and

compromising decisions she always does the right thing. She will do the right thing even if it is

not the popular opinion of her peers. I believe inheriting this trait from her mom has helped place

Sean above her peers as far as her understanding of right and wrong. Sean will not compromise

her integrity for anyone or in any situation. I can remember numerous times where only Sean
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knew the truth and she could of benefited from lying but instead choose to be honest. Sean is

also not very good at keeping secrets, which shows a strong conscience.

According to Piaget “Starting at around 11 years old, children become capable of more

abstract, hypothetical, and theoretical reasoning. They can apply rules to a variety of situations,

and engage in counterfactual “if-then” reasoning. (Stangroom 2016). During my conversations

with Sean I can say she is very capable of thinking abstractly and hypothetically. Sean is also

developing a strong set of values and ethical behavior, she is recognizing the value of traits such

as honesty, helpfulness and caring for others. J'Anne Ellsworth believed during this age “The

ideological pursuit for personal belief system is littered with parental parameters and demands,

peer belief and a sense of powerlessness to change life”. I don’t believe Sean faces this problem,

because she grew up in a house hold with no strong religious beliefs to overly influence her. She

was free to develop her own understanding and keep and open mind to everyone’s point of view.

Social development

“The schism between meeting parental expectations or peer norms begins or intensifies”.

I can see this becoming very obvious in Sean’s behavior, and according to J'Anne Ellsworth it is

very common for her age group. Sean is beginning to want to change her appearance and the way

she dresses. Her mom is open to some changes but remains strict on certain clothing trends that

becomes popular amongst Sean’s peers. For example, It has become socially acceptable for

teenage girl to wear leggings to school and in public. Sean is not allowed to do so, and has made

the argument many times for. This shows evidence of Sean being influenced by her peers

compared to her mom’s upbringing. Minor conflicts and bickering are considered to be normal

as teens and their parents need time to adjust to their changing relationship.
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One of the greatest social changes for adolescents is the new importance of their peers.

This change allows them to gain independence from their families. By identifying with peers,

adolescents start to develop moral judgment and values, and to explore how they differ from

their parents (American Psychological Association, 2002). This Is becoming obvious with Sean’s

desire to be around her Tae Kwon Doe classmates more frequently outside of school and

practice. Sean has attended and hosted numerous sleepovers and outings with her friends over

the past year. During these events I notice the same group of friends and can see as their

friendship growing stronger.

I would describe Sean as being ambivert because she has qualities that are both shy and

outgoing, all depending on the situation. At school all her teachers describe her as a leader and

very outgoing. When she is around her family and in a public setting she shows more of an

introvert side. When I attend her practices, it is very evident that she takes on a more sheltered

personality. When her friends visit our house, I can get a closer look at Sean’s publicly social

side. I believe Sean falls slightly about most of her peers regarding her social development.

Intellectual development

I believe Sean to be way above her peers intellectually. I have always held Sean in a high

regard, especially regarding academics. Sean has managed to maintain straight A’s so far

throughout her academic career: an achievement we are very proud of. According to the

University of Rochester Medical Center children during this phase “Tend to think about the

present rather than the future, tend to think abstractly, and their arguing and reasoning skills

improve. They also Start to set personal goals. Develop solutions to various problems. Develop

the ability to distinguish fact from fiction. Show more concern about school life and the future.
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Learn more defined work habits.” Sean has begun to show advanced signs of these

developments.

The most recent evidence suggests that, as students move from the elementary grades to

the middle grades, there is a shift in their values and practices that leads to more of an emphasis

on performance goals (Anderman & Mueller, 2010). This was evident in Sean, we expected her

to struggle a bit during her transition from elementary to middle, especially because we recently

moved. Even with the move Sean was not academically phased. Traveling from completely

across the country and switching education levels would be a challenge to most adolescents.

Because of the psychological demands of early adolescence, middle school students need a

classroom environment that is open, supportive, and intellectually stimulating. (Snowman 2017)

Currently I am impressed with Sean’s ability to see the depth of certain situations. J'Anne

Ellsworth believes that “The latter part of the stage should see a new ability to add dimension to

ideas, to think in greater depth and with more "power".” I believe Sean has achieved this because

she understands how powerful certain ideologies can be. She is beginning to understand politics

and see how influential just one idea can become. I believe it is very necessary for children to

continue to develop higher level thinking. This is something we have always challenge Sean to

do. During this age it is important to keep children challenged and engaged in order to continue

their development.
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Sean Peart

19

17

15

13

11

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Physical Emotional Philosophical Social Intellectual
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Recommendations.

For physical recommendation I would suggest keeping Sean active. She is only at the

middle of her expected growth spurt and she is already ahead of her peers as far as physical

development. By keeping her active we can help offset the expected weight gain and keep her

developing healthy. Keeping her active will also help with her hand eye coordination as she

becomes older. Sean will be very tall meaning it will be harder for her to master balance and

control her limbs, keeping her active offsets all these expected problems.

For emotional recommendation I would recommend having more verbal and open

conversations. I believe giving Sean the ability to express her voice more will give her the ability

to mature emotionally. I believe Sean has a very good understanding of her emotions, but she

doesn’t convey them to others very well. Given the opportunity to open up, I believe Sean will

eventually become comfortable doing so.

For philosophical development I would suggest continuing to keep Sean open minded.

Being able to see the world without a preset way of judging can be very beneficial. I would also

suggest discussing different religious beliefs so if the long run she can make that decision if she

decides. I would continue to challenge her abstract thinking in order for it to continue its

development.

For Social development I would recommend keeping Sean socially involved in all her

activities. She has shown the ability to choose the right group of friends who are like minded and

on a positive path. I would not worry too much about her peer influence regarding fashion or

other trivial issue, because It Is common for children her age. I would remain to show her the

importance of keeping a family connection even as her social life outside the house grows.
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For intellectual development I would make sure she stays engaged and challenged.

Children who are not challenged intellectually tend to get bored and distracted. When a child

becomes bored and distracted they begin to develop unhealthy habits and their grades and

achievements begin to suffer. As Sean develops it is very important we keep her focused and

engaged. As she develops intellectually she will continue to develop a more abstract outside the

box type of view. It Is important we continue to feed the development.

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Works Cited

Anderman, E. M., & Mueller, C. (2010). Middle school transitions and adolescent development.

Handbook of research on schools, schooling, and human development, 198-215.

Intellectual Development | Education.com. (2014, April 23). Retrieved December 13, 2017, from

http://www.education.com/reference/article/intellectual-development/

Thorndike, R. L., & Hagen, E. P. (1961). Measurement and evaluation in psychology and

education.

Snowman, J., McCown, R. R., & Biehler, R. F. (2009). Psychology applied to teaching. Boston:

Houghton Mifflin Co.

Social development | kidsmatter.edu.au. (n.d.). Retrieved December 12 2017, from

http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/social-and-emotional-

learning/social-development
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