Kimberly E Northrup
ED 227
Professor Williams
30 November 2011
Shadow Student Case Study
After observing Student DW at the SMS and looking at her life as a student through the different lenses of observation, I can comfortably say I better understand her thoughts and actions. I spent only two days with Student DW, but I was able to gain a lot of insight into her life through observation and conversation. From this snapshot in her life, I was able to analyze her relationship with the educational setting.
Developmental Achievements
Student DW is a fifteen year old young lady in the ninth grade. The first thing you would notice when meeting her would be her long, long brown hair with highlights throughout. Developmentally, Student DW seems to be right on target in many of the domains, if not ahead of her peers in some. She is somewhat short in comparison to her peers, but she still has some time before she finishes puberty in this physical stage of development. In class, Student DW is definitely intrigued by her own interests and the world around her. She is very involved in school. She seems very mature because she doesn’t challenge adults in authoritative positions, but instead works with them. Her intellectual development is right on track compared to her peers, if not ahead. Although she comes off as timid, she is more likely sitting in deep thought about all of her future tasks to complete.
Socially and emotionally, Student DW seems to be somewhat quiet and secluded from her peers. The two times I observed her in her Court class, she would sit to herself. If she spoke with another student, it would be a question in regards to what the teacher had just said. Because I feel she is more mature intellectually, I see it fit that she may not find much in common with her classmates. Something I observed outside of the school is a photo of Student DW with tape on her mouth for the silent protests. I saw the photo on the Facebook page the students have created; she is in the photo with two other students. I see this photo and can’t help but wonder how strongly she feels about what is happening and how much social elements are influencing her actions.
School in the Student’s Life
School appears to be what takes up the majority of Student DW’s time and energy. While the classes themselves don’t seem to be something too interesting for Student DW, extracurricular activities are where she spends most of her time. Student DW is involved with Thin Blue Line (a rule enforcement group), Media (working with the morning news and other technical tasks), and a committee that works to approve grants for other student organizations at the school. When I spoke to Student DW about school, she said she attended SMS because of its reputation, but had no interest in the social justice aspect of the school. In fact, she wants to be an architect when she is older.
While there are many different facets making up the meaning of “school” for Student DW, I feel that she is most interested in the extracurricular activities and other areas outside of the curriculum. With these clubs, Student DW has more choice in what she may do, and she can choose things that appeal to her interests. While I only observed Student DW in her Court class, I also saw her participate on the committee to approve grants for other school groups. Unlike sitting passively in class as I have seen before, Student DW was focused on her role on the committee. She was outspoken and engaged with the other students present.
Engagement in Class
Watching Student DW in class proved to be a challenge in determining where her mind was, but I was able to decipher her actions once I talked with her and got to know her better. In class, Student DW sits zoned-out and absorbed in her own duties for the day. She would be in the center of a group of students, but not interact with any of them. At first, I took her to be shy, but now I understand that she is just intently focused on her schoolwork and what she needs to do. After talking to Student DW and hearing that she was interested in being an architect, I asked what she thought of the social justice aspect of her school. Student DW has no interest in that idea and was especially put-off by her Court class simply because she didn’t see how it could relate to her future.
Factors Contributing to her Behavior
Student DW’s level of maturity definitely affects her behavior in class. Unlike many of her peers, she is very focused and somewhat serious in class. I feel like the largest contributing factor to her behavior is her mature demeanor and her high involvement in extracurricular activities. Because a lot of other students around her are not as mature, I can see why she doesn’t socialize with them often; they simply have different sets of priorities. Something else that keeps Student DW serious and aloof in class is her busy schedule with school clubs and other activities. Student DW has such a full plate when it comes to dividing her time and energy, that she is often looking off into space going over what she still has left to do for the day or the week. Other students were often chatting and distracted from the lesson, and while I don’t know the stories behind each of these students’ behaviors, I do know that they were not as quiet as Student DW. It could be that these students prioritize socializing more than their duties as students and club members, but I don’t want to go any further in assuming their actions.
Student’s Needs
Assessing Student DW’s needs as a high school student, I see that a lot of what she needs is lacking from her environment. Student DW needs to be challenged and she needs to be offered more courses and activities that interest her. A part of the problem is that Student DW doesn’t desire to pursue any career in social justice, which is the draw of this magnet school. While Student DW does have plenty of extracurricular activities to keep her occupied and engaged in the school’s community, the school itself doesn’t provide courses that she feels would be useful for her future.
Something else that I feel needs to be addressed in Student DW’s school life is her interaction with other students. I understand that Student DW is very busy, and has reached a different level of maturity than her peers, but I also feel that having a social life is vital for students in high school. Being socially connected provides a student with resources and support during this difficult time of ups and downs. I felt hopeful when I saw the photo of Student DW participating in the silent protest with some of her peers, but other than that, I am not sure that she has a network of friends to lean on when she needs to relax or rely on someone.
What I Have Learned
Having had this experience shadowing a student at SMS and knowing of the different developmental aspects and lenses of observations to consider while doing so, I feel that I have gained a lot from this experience. One thing that I took away from observing Student DW is to always be considerate of students’ lives outside of my classroom. As a teacher, I may only see my students in one setting, but in reality, they are busy with so much more academically and developmentally. Something else I more strongly recognize is the need to know students personally in order to understand where they are coming from. Had I not spoken with Student DW, I would not have known a lot of the reasons behind her decisions and behavior in class.
One specific situation I was able to experience while observing was the interaction of students with two different teachers. The students with the student teacher were very distracted in their work while the students with the regular teacher were on task and respectful to what the goal of the activity was. In watching these two different groups, it became evident that showing genuine interest in students’ lives and being respectful of what was important to students was what made the student-teacher dynamic more successful with the regular teacher. In my future classroom, I will strive to maintain a mutual interest and respect with my students so as to create a strong community conducive to learning and living together.