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Case Study of Jai’dyn, Age 8

Edu 220-1001
May 12, 2019
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Introduction

Jai’dyn Haggerty is a 8 year old boy who is currently in the 2nd grade. He attends

a local title 1 charter school. Jai’dyn is a African American and is being raised by a single

mother. With mother being the only working in the household they are considered lower

class. I had the chance to speak to Jai’dyn’s mother and she was able to tell me that

Jai’dyn father is currently incarcerated. He was out of Jai’dyn’s picture when he was just

beginning the kindergarten. He was 5 years old when all of this took place. This has been

a very emotional topic in Jai’dyn life. This is when the change in his behavior began

taking place. He currently has contact with father in random times. When he does he

usually has bad days were he is very defiant and emotional. Mother also says she has

started dating and its been a very difficult to explain what is going on to Jai’dyn. This

observation took place inside the classroom and outside during recess, the hallways, and

lunch time. During observation notes were being taken about every activity that was

taken place.

Observation

Physical

On the first day of my observation I was able to learn a lot about Jai’dyn and his

physical attributes. Teacher is very lively when welcoming students into her class. She

says good morning and gives students a high five or a hug. She will on some students ask

how there morning is going. Most students were walking in with such enthusiasm as the

one giving to them. Jai’dyn is usually the last one to always enter in. He comes in with no
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smile and very sluggish. When asked how his morning is going he response with “its

terrible”. Teacher had asked why he responded with a shrug. Students are to grab a chair

to bring to their desk and hang there backpacks on their hooks. Jai’dyn had grabbed his

chair and dragged it all the way to his desk. He also then took off his backpack and threw

it at the hooks then sat down at his desk. Teacher had asked him nicely to hang his

backpack properly he ignored her and continue to draw on a piece of paper. His teacher

had walked and got down to his level and said “sweetie you know were all suppose to

hang our backpacks, you do such a wonderful job at this can you please show me the

proper way of hanging our backpacks”. Jai’dyn then got up, and hung his backpack up

and then continued to work on his drawing. I noticed throughout the day Jai’dyn would

put his head down and complain of being tired. According to Mayo Clinic “A busy

schedule, not getting enough sleep at night and even being hungry can all make a child

tired. But if a child is consistently feeling tired, especially when he or she is getting

enough sleep, it is a good idea to talk about it with a pediatrician. In some cases, tiredness

may be a sign of an underlying problem.” (Child Who Is Consistently Tired Despite

Adequate Sleep Should Be Evaluated By Physician 2010)When talking to mother she

was able to tell me that Jai’dyn after school goes to the local boys and girls club until she

gets off of work at 7pm. They arrive home and have dinner, Jaidyn works on his

homework and is in bed by 9 pm or 10pm. She has to be at work at 7am, so Jai’dyn

usually waked up at 5 to be at the school for safety at 6pm. Jai’dyn has long days and not

even time to whine down before he has to wake up and do it all over again. This would
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explain the sluggishness and fatigue he has in school hours. Jai’dyn when compared to

his peers is taller and a heavier set. Jai’dyn does play football and is on a strict diet.

During the time that I observed him he was not playing and mothers says he always gains

a lot of weight when he is not playing football. When observed outside durning recess

time, he usually is very active playing with his friends. He does get tired very quickly and

will sit there for the remaining of recess.

Social

In 2nd grade, children are more likely to recognize personality differences among

their classmates, and they’re more likely to become choosy about their friends. They’re

also more easily influenced by friends and others outside their family. It can be a bit

unnerving for Mom and Dad, but fear not—it’s a normal part of child development. “In

2nd grade, kids just notice things more,” says Greg Wiseman, principal at Winnona Park

Elementary in Decatur, Ga. “In some ways, it’s the end of that innocence we saw in 1st

grade.” But it’s also the start of something exciting: seeing your child morph into her own

person.Children in 2nd grade still display a wide range of social and academic skills,

though the gap is not as wide as it was among kindergartners and 1st graders. Parents can

expect their child to mature and become more independent in 2nd grade. (2nd Grade

Social Changes: What To Expect - School family by Patti Ghezzi 2019) When observing

Jai’dyn in class he is can usually work independently when having a good day. For the

most party he gives up very quickly and requires lots of one-on-one work. He gets very

frustrated when he doesn’t understand what is going on. That is when he begins to cry
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and pout. He will also throw his work on the floor and being drawing on his white board.

Teacher will ask several times for him to get back on task and even help him with any

activity. He shuts down from frustration and either yell or begin to cry. When teacher is

instructing in whole group Jai’dyn will being to make noises or distractions to make his

peers laugh. He shows very lack of maturity comparing to the rest of his peers. Jai’dyn is

also very low academically compared to his peers, which may affect his behavior in class.

“Because kids are becoming more sophisticated in their thought processes, frustration is

common. Children don’t like making mistakes, being corrected, or being criticized. Some

2nd graders are especially sensitive to criticism, especially in front of their peers.” (2nd

Grade Social Changes: What To Expect - School family by Patti Ghezzi 2019). Jai’dyn is

always grumpy and complaining about everything having to do in class. When working

with friends if he doesn’t get his way he begins to make fun of them. Everything has to

be a competition with Jai’dyn and if he isn’t in first place he gets very angry. When he

does through a tantrum he usually will grab his chair and throw it down. If he is out of his

chair and teacher tells him to sit back down he will stomp all the way to his desk. When I

had observed Jai’dyn in the playground playing basketball. He will participate and follow

the rules the first 5min of the game. He then begin angry when the ball wasn’t being

passed to him. He walked up to the peer who had the ball at yanked it out of his hand and

pushed him to the ground. A teacher watching at recess had spoke to Jai’dyn about his

behavior. She had him sit out against the wall. He was very defiant and did not to want to

move. The teacher was very sturdy with him and had told him if he didn’t move he would
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have to go visit the principal office. That was when he processed to move and stomped

and mumbled all the way to the wall. “Because kids are becoming more sophisticated in

their thought processes, frustration is common. Children don’t like making mistakes,

being corrected, or being criticized. Some 2nd graders are especially sensitive to

criticism, especially in front of their peers. Parents should praise their children for

thinking “outside the box” and encourage them to speak up when they don’t understand

something or when they have an opinion to share. The family dinner table may become a

more interesting place during this developmental stage.” 2nd Grade Social Changes:

What To Expect - School family by Patti Ghezzi 2019) With Jai’dyn this explains a lot,

when speaking with mother she believes that because Jai’dyn is negative and grumpy

because he feels like he is not good enough. This goes along with now understanding

why his father isn’t in the picture. He is much bigger than the rest of his peers so he feels

self-conscious of his surrounding. He is also behind in his academics so that also adds to

the sensitivity he as to criticism.

Intellectual/cognitive

Piaget believed that cognitive development is enhanced more by peer interactions than

adult interaction (Snowman & McCown, 2013) With Jai’dyn his teacher always had his

table mates help Jai’dyn out with any activity taken in class. The class was very

understanding about Jai’dyn’s behavior and were always willing to help him. When I

observed his peer next to him explaining a writing piece worked on in class he was very

responsive and would work along with his peer. Jai’dyn has that sense of wanting to fit in
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and be accepted so when helped and socializing with his peers he would feel like is being

apart of something. “Peer acceptance becomes more important to your child than in the

early school years. He is learning to cooperate and share. Boys and girls might mix more

easily during playtime. They might become interested in boy-girl stuff without wanting to

talk about it. He likes games and competition. Organized clubs can be attractive to him.
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Lying, cheating, and stealing are to be expected somewhat in early school years. Kids are

figuring out where they fit and what’s acceptable.” (2nd Grade Social Changes: What To

Expect - School family by Patti Ghezzi 2019) This social change from 1st grade into the

2nd grade comes with a lot of pressure for a typical 8 year old. Jai’dyn does feel the

pressure to fit in from his peers, he is looking for acceptance. He is learning to share and

that is something that is very difficult for Jai’dyn. I also believe its also because he is the

only child he doesn’t have to share at home. I did notice that Jai’dyn wouldn’t be as harsh

with the girls so a chance of attraction could be possible. Jai’dyn is the happiest when he

is playing a sport at recess or a in class activity that requires some kind of competition.

Social/psychosocial

A child entering school is at a point in development when behavior is dominated by

intellectual curiosity and performance. “He now learns to win recognition by producing

things…He develops a sense of industry.” (Snowman & McCown, 2013). Jai’dyn works

wonderful with constant positive feedback. He always sees the flaws and negative in

everything he does. His teacher from the moment he steps in the classroom is able to

praise him constantly. He reacts positive when his hard work is noticed. “If parents and

teachers are impatient and do too many things for young children or shame young

children for unacceptable behavior, these children will develop feelings of self-

doubt.” (Snowman & McCown, 2013). With Jai’dyn he is very emotional and requires

lots of patients. His teacher amongst all the meltdown he has she remains patient and very

motivating for him. His mother on the other side if very strict and hard on him and she
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has said she doesn’t have patients for his meltdowns. I believe at home is were he

develops all of his self doubt and brings that to school.

Moral

The normal characteristic for moral development, according to the University of Washington

Child Development Guide, is that they “may experience guilt and shame” (1993). When playing

with his peers and an incident will happen. Where is not being nice and he is taking away from

the activity. Jai’dyn will act remorseful and say very mean things to his classmates. After he is

giving sometime to cool off and gather his emotions. This takes sometime and his teacher usually

will sit with him and make him understand why his behavior is not okay. His teacher will always

make him apologizes. Jai’dyn is always very responsive and will go and apologize. He wants to

keep his friends and he becomes very aware that he did not respond correctly.

Recommendations

“If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you” by Fred Devitto. I believe that Jai’dyn is a

young boy that we can all learn a lot from. I know I learned a lot about a young 2nd grader and I

also believe I learned a lot on how to handle a child like Jai’dyn. Jai’dyn is a young boy who I

believe that cause of his father leaving him and him not having a real understanding why has

taking a big toll on him. It has caused him to be very emotional and always looking for

acceptance from everyone. I do also believe his physical appearance has also affected the

confidence that Jai’dyn has for himself. His mom puts him in a diet every time durning football

season. This has made Jai’dyn very insecure and the awareness of his size amongst his peers and

especially his football players. He is also very low academically which he is aware when

compared by his peers and that can also be added. I believe that Jai’dyns teacher is one of the
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most patient and loving teachers. She gives him the love that he needs. She is constantly giving

him positive feedback. He reacts very positive when he does get that feedback. She also has so

much patients that even when he is having a meltdown and he reacts a certain way she is able to

sit there and make him understand why his behavior is not okay. She also has very close

communications with parents and parents are also very understanding and are very supportive

with Jai’dyn's teacher. I would say that I see how positive it is to give him the time and space for

him to

Physical Development Emotional Development

Philosophical Development Social Development
Intellectual Development

9%

11%
38%

12%

31%
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Reference page

Child Who Is Consistently Tired Despite Adequate Sleep Should Be Evaluated By Physician

https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/child-who-is-consistently-tired-despite-adequate-

sleep-should-be-evaluated-by-physician/

8 Year Old Child Developmental Milestones

https://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/child-8-milestones#1-3

2nd Grade Social Changes: What To Expect - Schoolfamily

Patti Ghezzi - https://www.schoolfamily.com/school-family-articles/article/866-second-grade-

social-changes-what-to-expect

Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2013). ED PSYCH. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning

University of Washington. (1993).

Child development: Using the child development guide.

Retrieved from

http://depts.washington.edu/allcwe2/fosterparents/training/chidev/cd06.htm