Patricia Morrison

Block 4
Background Information Project

Student A’s home situation is not like most students, and the effect of this exemplified

through his former report cards and comments from previous teachers as well as in-class

behavior. In 2018, the student was in the 6th grade. During this year, the student’s grandparents

obtained custody over them, and were not allowed to be in contact with their parents. In

elementary school testing, the student was testing pass-advanced in math and almost pass-

advanced in science. English scores were about average. All throughout elementary school

SOL’s, the student showed that they clearly were very intelligent in those subjects, but did not

perform well in the classroom setting. In middle school, the student would often have C’s and

D’s in math and science, and have comments on their report card such as, “Disruptive behavior

in class,” or “Does not prepare class materials.”

While this student might not be performing well in their academic classes, it’s certainly

not because the student isn’t able to from the intellectual standpoint. However, thinking about the

student from a social-emotional standpoint, I am empathetic because you never know what is

going on with that student at home, and what baggage they might be carrying around that day,

week etc. Clearly they don’t have mom and dad to run home to. Rather than immediately

assuming the student is lazy, or is not able to comprehend the material is far from the truth. In

the classroom, I would ensure a safe and supportive environment for that student to feel

comfortable expressing and being themselves. This student may not have that at home, and may

not have that parental guidance from their grandparents. I would also try to be aware of how I
refer to parental figures. I wouldn’t want to ever put the student in a situation where they have to

say “Well, I don’t have parents at home,” in front of the class, etc.

Student B is the opposite from Student A in the socio-emotional element. Student B has

had many IEP’s and has had quite a few visits to various psychologists. However, Student B has

a very involved family, as well as a mother who acts as their advocate. This student was

diagnosed with Autism at an early age, demonstrating parental involvement from the start.

This student has a hard time communicating what they need, and is very quiet in class.

His 504 plan appeared to be updated regularly, removing accommodations that were no longer

needed and added new ones as he grew and developed. One of the most stand out characteristics

of this student is that they have a really hard time advocating for themselves and tend to shut

down when faced with difficulties.

With this in mind, I would be sure to never call out the student in front of peers and

singled out. Instead of going up to the student individually to ask what they are comfortable with,

I would address the entire section. For example, if we were having a playing test, and the

students had to play individually… rather than going up to the student individually, I would say

something along the lines of, “violas, if you’re not comfortable with playing today, stick your

bow up” This allows the student to not feel like I am picking on them, and the students won’t

pick up on me asking the student about their level of comfort.