Each child has a unique story to celebrate and gifts to offer the class.  It will be my job as a professional to systematically go about the business of “kid watching” in order to help develop my students to their fullest potential.

Description of student:

Brett cook is an adorable, eight-year old, who always seems to be happy and full of life.  He is the first student to offer his help if anyone needs it, whether it is various tasks for the teacher, or being the tutor to his classmates.  One can usually see Brett working hard at his desk or hunched over a classmates’ desk, helping someone finish their work.  After talking with Brett, I found out that he comes from a large family.  Brett has two older brothers and recently in April, his mother just gave birth to a new baby girl.  Since the birth of his sister, I have noticed his behavior change a little bit.  He seems to crave more attention and does it in very unusual ways.  Overall though, Brett is a very smart young boy.  He has great grades and attendance.  He does not seem to struggle with many things and loves to work with others.  Brett is the leader of the class, always volunteering and giving a hand. 

Suggestions:

Brett is a great student, however there are a few things he could work on.  He seems to struggle a lot with writing even though he enjoys reading.  I think that Brett needs to be provided with more writing opportunities that have a personal connection so Brett can feel excited about writing.  Brett seems to daydream a lot during writing time, so maybe the teacher could give Brett a choice of writing topics so he could get the hang out things.

I think that Brett knows how smart he is.  Sometimes Brett will blurt out the answer without being called on.  When he does not blurt out answers, Brett will raise his hand for almost every question.  It is good that Brett is involved and wants to participate, however, Brett needs to understand the rules and realize that blurting out answers is not the way to answer questions.  The teacher should ignore his outbursts and only call on the students with their hands raised, so Brett can see.  In addition, even though Brett’s hand is raised, the teacher should call on a variety of students so Brett can get the idea that the classroom is where many ideas are exchanged.   It is evident that Brett craves attention a lot of the times.  When his sister was born, I noticed a lot more outbursts than before and he even was involved in a little fight at lunch!  He is also once of the few that still cannot read completely silently.  I believe that talking with Brett’s parents would help with these situations. 

Brett seems to be forgetful sometimes.  There were weeks where homework was left at home.  He often forgets his snack at home and ends up feeling hungry.  However, he never forgets to bring in his toys to show off.  Perhaps his parents or family could intervene here and help Brett remember what he needs to bring with him. 

Overall, Brett is a pretty typical 3rd grader.  The things that I feel that he needs to work on are pretty minor, normal things.  These behaviors can be corrected with communication between school and home.  


Click below to see examples of Brett's work:
Samples taken