Bender 1

Emotional Development

Cara Bender

Dr. Rochelle Hooks

November 1, 2021
 Bender 2

The importance of teaching a whole child can benefit the teacher and the student. We do

that by first understanding and recognizing parts of each student, then learning the appropriate

steps to human growth, then assisting in “energizing” the child to take on the process, to help the

development and acceptance of special gifts/ strengths/ weaknesses. Without these steps,

students will struggle and won’t be able to learn their best. So, it is very important to recognize

and teach all of the parts of a child.

James is a 13-year-old in 8th grade. James lives in Waimanalo, Hawaii and is very close

to all of his extended family. James has a close relationship with his family and has a lot of

friends at school. To experience satisfying development at this stage, “the young adult needs to

establish close and committed intimate relationships and partnerships with other people.”

(Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R., 2015) James excels in making new friends and on weekends

spending time with all of his family.

In school, James struggles the most with English class. When reading out loud or to

himself, he struggles with certain words but eventually if spoken enough will grasp them. This is

common for his age as he is learning complicated words. “Once children have acquired a logical

explanation for solving problems, they learn more and persist longer” (Siegler & Svetina, 2006).

In order to work on this, James must read texts that apply specifically to what learning style he

learns best in. For example, reading text based upon an interest of his, like basketball, can really

help him in wanting to learn the words and understand their meaning. This example can also help

in understanding James’ identity, which his age group needs most time in discovering.

According to (Schachter & Rich, 2011), “helping students understand the relevance of schooling

to various career paths”. James’s favorite subject in school is Math. He enjoys solving problems

and being chosen to write out his work on the white board in front of his class mates. His math
 Bender 3

teacher states that he finds James helping out other students when given the chance in solving

problems. James’s math teacher can excel his growth by next putting him in a ‘honors’ class or

classroom for gifted math students.

One of James talents is playing basketball. In the mornings before school, he spends his

time playing amongst himself and sometimes with his friends. James finds himself playing really

whenever he can get a chance, including when he gets home from school. James is on his

school’s basketball team and is considered the most valuable player, as his height puts him at an

advantage amongst his team mates. While this may seem an advantage to his team, his height

affects his patterns and sometimes playing style. According to J’Anne Ellsworth, “If

physiological change is rapid the child will feel clumsy and awkward- may be.” (J’Anne

Ellsworth, 1998) James movements and rhythm seem to be off at some points in his playing

time, notices his coaches and parents. With time, James will grow into his body and won’t be as

awkward in movement. For now, coaches can help James by understanding this and helping him

when he seems to be frustrated. This isn’t something that can be changed and must be seen as

something that will get better with time. Having coaches and friends around that positively uplift

him will help James in feeling more confident, therefore allowing him to play his best. An

interesting input on early-maturing boys is” Because of their more adult-like appearance, early-

maturing boys are likely to be more popular with peers, have more positive self-concepts, and

have more friends among older peers. But friendships with older adolescents put early-maturing

boys at greater risk for delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse, truancy, and increased sexual

activity. In addition, recent studies suggest that early-maturing boys may be more susceptible to

depression.” (Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R., 2015) Since James has put most of his free time

into basketball, he can score many points in a game for his team mates. James will have games
 Bender 4

where he is not playing as good as he usually is, and this will cause frustration in him. He has a

hard time dealing with these emotions during/ after a game but with the help of his parents, he

can usually get over it over time. Discussion techniques Selman recommends can be introduced

in a natural, rather than a formal, way. “If you see a boy react with physical or verbal abuse when

jostled by a playmate, for example, you might say, “You know, people don’t always intentionally

bump into others. Unless you are absolutely sure that someone has hurt you on purpose, it can be

a lot pleasanter for all concerned if you don’t make a big deal out of it.” In addition, “it refers to

the productive and creative efforts in which adults take part (e.g., teaching) that have a positive

effect on younger generations.” (Snowman, J., & McCown, R. R., 2015) Being in a basketball

team has helped James’ deal with his emotions, work as a team and participate in a working

environment. Working with his parents and teachers on helping his emotions can be something

that over time can help James with this. Students learn by observing other adults so if James

could see how his parents/coaches deal with their emotions in a situation, this could help James’

reactions. It’s important that the mentors around James help him with self-acceptance.

One really important mentor in James’s life is his mother, as she is a teacher as well.

James’s mother understands the need to create simple chores, adhere to his emotions and help

him when he is feeling down. James’s mother pushes his beliefs/ideas by thinking in greater

depths about certain things and with more “power”. James looks up to his mother the most and

always comes to her when he is in need. James’ mother is a great aid to help him reach his full

potential inside and outside of the classroom.

Overall, learning this information about James can help the mentors in his life recognize

and gain insight to understand how to help him. If we are truly preparing youth for life, then we

understand the need to teaching a whole child and that it reaps benefits to the teacher and
 Bender 5

student. Some benefits of doing this can be: building a relationship with James so that he

captures the magic in vision and celebrates himself, creating a free-flowing and stimulating

classroom, valuing individuality, establishing and teaching healthy community and group

process, clearly develop students’ perception that learning is a life-long process, self-control and

teaching responsibility for self as well as personal freedom.

 Bender 6

PEPSI of James
9

6
Normal 5

0
Early Adolescence

Physical Emotional Philosophical Social Intellectual

-Areas to target for growth: Emotional

In this area there is a crucial shifting in the personality. The crisis is not limited to who I see

myself becoming. Instead, it must be seen as a diffusion across most dimensions of self. The

child must work on defining: self, identity, roles in each dimension of life and with respect to

different referents, sexual identity and ideology.

 Bender 7

Recommendations for Teachers/Parents

-English/Reading: James must read texts that apply specifically to what learning style he learns

best in. For example, reading text based upon an interest of his, like basketball, can really help

him in wanting to learn the words and understand their meaning.

- James’s math teacher can excel his growth by next putting him in a ‘honors’ class or classroom

for gifted math students.

- Having coaches and friends around that positively uplift him will help James in feeling more

confident, therefore allowing him to play his best and not worry about his performance.

- Discussion techniques Selman recommends can be introduced in a natural, rather than a formal,

way. “If you see a boy react with physical or verbal abuse when jostled by a playmate, for

example, you might say, “You know, people don’t always intentionally bump into others. Unless

you are absolutely sure that someone has hurt you on purpose, it can be a lot pleasanter for all

concerned if you don’t make a big deal out of it.”

 Bender 8

References

- Ellsworth, J'Anne. “Online Lesson: 'PEPSI' as a Screening Tool.” Lesson, 1998.

https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/lesson2-1-1.html.
- Snowman, Jack, and R. R. McCown. Psychology Applied to Teaching. Australia:
Cengage learning, 2015.