Classroom Observation -Troublemakers

     Today I’ll be talking about one student perceived as a “troublemaker” in my placement classroom. 

    Last week at my placement I visited the school ready at 9:00 am. One student in particular gives me no issues, but on my first day walking into my placement the students were quick to describe him as “bad”, or “ he’s really bad, he gets in trouble all the time”. I took note of that, but explained to the students that we should not be dragging each other down, and to remind them that he could have other things going on at home that affects his morning which influences his behaviors in class. I am in a second grade classroom with a white presenting teacher, and I did not see any teachers of color in the grade. 

    My student that I thought about is not necessarily a “troublemaker” in my eyes. I say this because this student will simply stand at his desk every once in a while and my teacher will exclaim he needs to sit down. Apparently this student in the past has physically put his hands on other students, but I have worked with him in small groups and I think he is ready to learn, he just needs more reminders and more structure. 

    It’s true that my student has been moved around the classroom about 2-3 different times because of altercations with other students in groups. My student sits alone currently and is starting to improve on his school work. I have yet to see my student display ignorance to other students in the classroom, just a kid who wants to have conversations with his peers and not feel isolated. My student is shorter than most other students but has a nice personality, I believe he is slightly misunderstood.My student is African American presenting and has vitiligo. Overall, I enjoy my time in my placement and try not to focus on the “troublemaker” title, he is just another student in my eyes.