Stefanie Hughes December 2, 2012

Child Profile

Childs Name: Sumaya Age: Seven Grade: Kindergarten

Descriptive Profile:
I walked into my kindergarten class one afternoon excited to meet the children, and instantly one young girl stood out to me. At the age of 7, Sumaya could have stood out because of her colorful head covering her; garbarsar, or that she was sitting away from the other children, but she naturally stood out to me because from ear to ear she wore the most genuine smile I had seen in a while. Although she is one of the oldest in her class, her developmental stage is average; right along with the other children, and shes very willing to learn along with her peers. As far as actions go, Sumaya never seems out of place. Her willing spirit sweeps her from one activity to the next as she speaks and communicates well with her peers. I watched from day to day and never once observed a bad mood, a sad face, or any difficulty getting her to listen to rules; much of this seemed to come easy to her. Never did Mrs. Lisa or I have to remind her of the rules. Her casual persona made me, and Im sure her peers, perceive it to be fine that she wasnt included in their games. To me, Sumaya was always eager to tell me about her day and enjoyed talking to Mrs. Lisa as well. During the interview I asked Sumaya to draw a picture of her family and I noticed in that picture, as she does in each picture she draws, a flower. I asked Sumaya why she drew a flower, and she told me it was because she loves flowers and pretty things. This little idea helped me bond with her very quickly because I too, love flowers. Although different subjects seemed to be difficult for her at times, Ive never seen her give in to defeat. Much of the subjects in kindergarten are fun to the students; they dont necessarily feel like theyre doing work. They

enjoy, at times, making a mistake and finding how to solve it themselves. Sumaya, just like her peers, enjoy this as they arent constantly being told theyre wrong. I chose to ask Sumaya of her goals for the future during a random conversation one day; this was so she didnt assume I was looking for a specific answer. I started by asking her what one thing she wants to improve on, or wants to do better in. She waited a while before replying and finally said, Well I want to learn how to write better. After she mentioned this goal I began talking to Sumaya about an Action Plan. After I asked her how she thought she could become a better writer, she mentioned practicing at home. The last week I worked with the kindergarteners, Sumaya ran up to me and showed me all the work she had been doing at her house to become a better writer; she even got her family involved in helping her. I then made sure to watch her as she wrote that day, and although she still struggled with it she was noticeably better. She plans on continuing her practice at home until the end of the year; this way she keeps up her learning.

Implications:
Ive made a few conclusions, with information from Yardsticks, about Sumaya and her learning growth and progress. One of these is that shes close to her developmental level at the age of seven. At her age she couldve been in 1st grade, yet her scores on academics explained she should maybe be in kindergarten instead. She is an average student in her class, and is very close to being above average. For Sumayas age, she definitely pays close attention to small details and tends to be more quiet and reserved compared to her five and six year old peers. During creative work time she works hard and takes the longest to make sure her drawing or writing is the best it can be; this is right up there with seven year olds as mentioned in Yardsticks. Another conclusion I made was although shes very similar to her younger peers in academics, she stands out when it comes to actions and behavior; to me this almost helped the other students recognize how they should act. Most of the time Sumaya could be seen looking quietly around the room when she wasnt working or paying close attention to details during story time. Although different in actions, Sumaya was right up there with her peers during play time or when working in groups. She listened to others and did her share of work.

During my exploration and concluding how her actions worked with her age and peers I began to see the importance of using observations when being a teacher. Much of this new found knowledge came from our readings in Yardsticks and my observations during class. Knowing that Sumaya is older than her peers, as a teacher, can help me understand why her actions may be significantly different than the others compared to her academic level. This could also be a time to discover why she was held behind a little. Was it because of family, culture, her developmental capabilities, or something else? Ive been gathering crucial information from my clinical work and school readings that all leads to one main idea: teachers must get to know their children outside of school. I didnt understand why this idea was so important until I saw it first hand; and Sumaya was one of them. When a child walks in mad, tends to be silent the majority of the day, doesnt have many friends, has poor scores, or acts out in class, it can all originate outside of school. Knowing about your students family lives, how they get to school, or even if theyre bullied for certain reasons can help the teacher in understanding why their child is acting a certain way. With Sumaya being older this idea could be presented, but we also must keep in mind that just because the children acting a little different or are behind doesnt automatically mean something is off in their life; sometimes thats just how they learn and may need additional help in school. Having the understanding to look out for occurrences that can be avoided will not only help the child out, but also the atmosphere and learning environment for every child.

Descriptive Review:
How are children from other cultures adapting to white dominant schools? This is a question many have wondered for the past few years, and a question Id like others to consider while reading. The child I observed, Sumaya, came from Somalia. Adapting to school rules and ways of acting havent seemed to slow her down; her skills and language are right up there with her peers. There was a balanced presence as Sumaya moved from one activity to the next as her energy level was that of an average 6-7 year old, but it never became an issue for her or others. Sumayas voice, at times, would seem calm and quiet, yet when asked of something that excites her she spoke loud and clear. Although some days she seemed to have less focus than previously,

she always made a point of sitting and speaking, or not speaking, when the students were told the first time. On occasions other students seemed to ignore Sumaya as she spoke, and unlike other girls her age, she walked away and happily played with something or someone else. While observing Sumaya I often saw her doing many things on her own, so I was curious to how she would answer my question of who she considers her friends in school. She did list two girls in her class, but seemed hesitant to think of people after I asked. Sumayas recognition in the group seemed to change every day. One day many of the students played together with Sumaya and seemed to enjoy her company, but other days the students seemed more preoccupied in tighter groups. Just observing one might believe she was more comfortable around adults, but Sumaya got excited when asked to explain what she was playing with the other children. While interviewing Sumaya, she spoke frequently of her love for playing Barbies and with her 5 siblings; her favorite thing to do is spend time with her family and play games. I observed many times how she enjoyed doing lots of hands on games; many times by herself. I tried asking in different ways what type of things she liked to play with her friends and family and she always replied with Barbies; this showed me what her main interest was, and that she may like to play with them because of the realistic interaction they can bring. Anytime Sumaya did an art project, even in the picture she drew for me of her family, I noticed a lot of time and patience in her work; she likes to give 100% in everything she does. As mentioned before, Sumaya was always eager and willing to do new activities. While observing I saw her rely a lot on memorization and trial and error. With everything the students read or listened to the children needed to write and draw a picture about what they learned. Being accustomed to this consistency, I recognized Sumaya using what she knew and remembered to accomplish each task. At the beginning of my clinical practice Sumaya seemed to make mistakes every so often, and I watched as Mrs. Lisa or I helped her correct the mistake. After time she began self-correcting more frequently. At the end of my clinical practice she began making far less mistakes as she began learning and improving. I monitored this in reading, math, and science; each subject she seemed to adapt the concept of self-correct and used it properly. Arts and crafts seemed to come very easy for Sumaya because she enjoyed doing them, yet writing seemed to be the one area she struggled with the most. This subject, reading and writing, are

ones that most kindergarteners struggle with; this shows Sumaya, as well as the others, that they arent alone on their learning journey.

Reflections:
This experience has taught me much more about becoming a teacher than I originally expected. The main idea I learned is to make sure Im fully prepared when accomplishing a task, and even if I feel Ive fully planned an event, modifying it to accommodate how the children are learning and taking in the information is really important. I learned this because I felt fully prepared and ready to do my interview with Sumaya, as I began the interview she wasnt answering the questions with as much detail as I had been hoping; I quickly had to create new questions in my mind to ask so the interview wasnt a complete flop. I collected enough to use, but I feel if I could go back and re-do the interview I wouldve stuck to things she would be more interested in; that way she would have said more. With observation I think it went well for the most part, but if I was able to do it over again I might have taken more notes right after class so I didnt miss or forget anything. I wouldve also spent more time questioning her on random days to get more information, instead of just relying on the interview to give me all the information I needed. From the beginning I had a hunch Sumaya was going to be a very easy person to get along with and talk to; there was a glow about her. I have never witnessed her get upset or put another student down. Much of her personality is admirable because she almost seems to never get upset. During the interview I asked her if she ever gets into arguments with her siblings (it seems like an idea most relate to) yet she looked at me very straightforward and said, No, I never fight with my siblings. We just play, but sometimes my brothers fight. This was very fascinating to me; she truly is just a composed kindergartener who likes to go to school and play. Seeing students like this helped me realize the vast array of personalities and abilities each child brings to the classroom, and that each year will always be different than the last year. Getting the experience to work with kindergarteners for a few weeks was a great eye opening experience. Observing Sumaya and the other children helped me realize how each individual learns separately, and you can never be too prepared when working with children. I

also began noticing many concerns about becoming a teacher during this experience as well. One of these concerns was using half day kindergarten. To me, it doesnt seem like a positive way of teaching them; many seem as if theyre in need for more one on one time with the teacher. Another concern was learning how to adapt lessons to each individual so everyone learns and doesnt get left behind. This is a concern Ive seen with many other teachers as well, so I know itll be a struggle throughout my career. These struggles and concerns are why people become teachers though; we want to help the next generation be as capable as they can be.