James Island Middle School is located at 1484 Camp Road, Charleston, SC 29412 and is located in the Charleston County School District. JIMS is public with grades 6 through 8 with an enrollment of approximately 400 students. It is located in a neighborhood setting. There are an equal number of boys and girls in most classes. Males: 198 (49.9%) and females 199 (50.1%). Eligible for reduced lunch: 31. Eligible for free lunch: 164. Eligible for either reduced or free lunch: 195. The school is approximately ½ black and ½ white with 8 other students of different race or ethnicity.
Ms. Stauder’s sixth grade academy class has thirteen students. Most of Stauder’s students do not read beyond a first or second-grade reading level. These students require intense help to maintain their skills and even more help if they are going to catch up to their peers. The day begins with 120 minutes of English language arts instruction followed by other core curriculum classes throughout the day, including math, science, and social studies. It is a slow process for the students in her classroom. The main goal is to provide intervention and achieve literacy. This classroom allows the students to achieve more than they may be able to in a general middle school education class.
Sean* is the only young white male in the class. His first and only language is English. He is from an upper middle class family. Sean lives at home with his Mom, Dad, and sister. Sean has a learning disability, which leads him to have the most trouble with reading, math, and written expression. Sean needs intense literacy and math intervention. He also receives Occupational Therapy to help him both academically and socially. Sean’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) states that all his class work and tests be read to him; he should receive preferential seating for redirection/on-task behavior; extended time to complete any work; he should receive modified tests; a schedule of daily routines be provided each day of the week; and guided notes or a copy of the teacher’s notes should be provided.
Mikey* is a young black male from James Island. He comes from a lower class family. He lives with his mom and six siblings. Mikey is the middle of the seven children. His mom works two jobs and does not have a strong presence in his life. Mikey is below grade level, but does not have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). He has been placed in the Sixth Grade Academy class for intense literacy and mathematics intervention like Sean.
Sean has very few friends. He often tries to interact with other students, but more often than not does not succeed. He is often the victim of bullying. As the only white male in the classroom, he is excluded from the other males. The day after Halloween, Sean found a lollipop on the ground and wrongfully claimed it as his own. When another fellow classmate realized Sean was eating his lollipop a feud broke out and all of the black males in the classroom quickly got involved. Teacher intervention helped mitigate the situation. The next day, I witnessed a private and friendly candy exchange between the two boys.
Mikey has some friends, but would not be considered popular. He often upsets and angers easily, but is improving his interactions with others. He acts as a bully at time, but is also improving with his peers. He looks up to the popular students in his class. Mikey is a very sweet student towards Ms. Stauder. If at any time he realizes his behavior has not been up to par or classroom standards, he often writes letters to Ms. Stauder apologizing and reminding her of how important she is to him and how much he appreciates her. As a teacher is, Ms. Stauder is Mikey's mentor and role model.
From observation, Sean has an extremely difficult time paying attention in class. He often plays with shoelaces and pencils. His on-task behavior is a concern, but has improved over the past few months; however, he normally has to be reminded multiple times to begin a task. Sean is a creative student; he loves to make anything with a picture or any activity that has a coloring task. It is also true that Sean does comprehend well; it is just a matter of getting him to do the work without interruption.
From observation, Mikey is one of the stronger students in the class. He makes A/B Honor Roll and is stronger in math and reading than his classmates. It is not a matter of knowing how to do the schoolwork; it is a matter of being motivated to do the work. When he is working well, he is often helpful with other students and quick to participate. Mikey's concerns reside within his temperament. He has drastic mood changes to the point where he may need to be medicated. There was a situation in which Mikey approached Ms. Stauder and claimed to have attempted suicide and felt like he needed help. When his mother was contacted, she was quick to rebuke and deny the occurrence; Mikey quickly took back his statement, which was most likely a result of his mother’s reaction. He frustrates and angers easily for various reasons and I have observed this on multiple occasions.
In order to improve Sean and Mikey's productivity in class Ms. Stauder has implanted both academic and behavioral strategies. In terms of academics Ms. Stauder uses visual aids, scaffolding to walk students through activities, provides students with hands on learning activities, and much more. She does an excellent job of modeling what is expected of the students and what is expected out of activities. With the help of the school, she is able to use interactive learning tools online. The small class size allows for more one-on-one time with individuals when needed. The classroom environment allows students to work at their own pace by allowing students that work faster to move and be challenged, while allowing other students to work at a slower pace to master ideas and concepts.
In terms of behavioral strategies, Ms. Stauder uses the same techniques and tools with all of her students. Firstly, Positive Paws is a school wide initiative. In Ms. Stauder’s classroom, the students can receive points for positive behavior; in order to do so, the entire class must be well behaved for the day. Once the number reaches 30 points, the students are given a pizza party, which they look forward to and strive for. In order to correct, or calm, negative behavior, Ms. Stauder has a “distance learning” desk/area for students that are off task and may need a few minutes to think, de-stress, or cool off. If students become out of control or break school rules, they can be sent to BIC, “Back in Control” room; this normally only happens if students are disturbing class after several requests to get back on track and the distance learning desk failed.
If Sean and Mikey were in my classroom, I feel that I would take many of the same measures as Ms. Stauder; however, I do think there could be a few more individualized strategies in order to engage the two students. In order to help Sean get on task, I would put a checklist on his desk everyday. This way, Sean would know what is expected and what he should be doing in case he forgets. Ms. Stauder may also want to try a “fidget” toy for Sean; for example, a stress ball. If Sean uses a stress ball, he can fidget and do work at the same time. In order to engage Mikey and help with his temperament and emotional difficulties, I would provide Mikey with a journal. He can write in the journal at the beginning of the day if there is anything bothering him and then if there are moments when he is feeling upset or angry, take a few minutes to jot that down. In this case, Mikey is getting his emotions out while also allowing the teacher to know what is going on without interrupting the class and taking away from instructional learning time.
* Student names have been changed.
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