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After observing Student B in his general classroom and music class as well as discussing

his background, academic performance, and general attitude with his teachers, I have a greater

understanding of the behavior he exhibits in class. Student B is diagnosed with childhood

depression. He is eating less, sleeping less, not interested in normal activities for students his

age, and has had thoughts of self harm (which was caused him to be assessed for depression).

Student B lives with his grandmother and older brother. His mother has been in and out of jail for

drug use, and his father committed suicide. Student B’s brother is also depressed and refuses to

go to school. Currently, Student B’s mother is out of jail and attempting to regain custody, but

rarely visits Student B. Student B wishes to live with his mother, but his mental health has been

declining since his mother failed to keep a recent promise of going to court to fight for custody.

In addition to displaying symptoms of depression such as lack of motivation in the

classroom, Student B has often been disciplined for defiance, although never suspended. Student

B’s teachers describe his general behavior as unpredictable-“up” one minute and “down” the

next. Sometimes he participates fully in class activities with the other students and other times he

refuses to do anything.

I had the opportunity to observe Student B throughout a regular school day. During this

time I witnessed the “rollercoaster” behavior described by the teachers. In the morning, Student

B was participating with the rest of the class, displaying seemingly “normal” behavior. The class

begins working on a group project, in which Student B does not seem particularly interested. He

lets the rest of his group make all of the decisions, but the other students don’t seem to mind him

sitting out. When the class transitions to a math activity, Student B often gets distracted and

begins to stare off into the distance for long periods of time.
Student B’s behavior begins to change when the class goes to P.E. Suddenly, Student B is

uninterested and does the bare minimum required for class participation. Student B’s behavior

continues to decline throughout the rest of the day, resulting in him taking a break from the

classroom to refocus and regain control of his emotions. Student B’s teacher says there are no

“typical” days for Student B-they are all completely unpredictable.

After gathering information about Student B’s background and observing him throughout

a full day, I have a much better understanding of this student. It seems that the struggles he is

facing in his life have affected him in a visible way. If I had not done this investigation, I might

have assumed Student B’s behavior was typical of any developing child. Now that I can better

understand his circumstances, I can be more prepared to handle situations where Student B may

not comply when in my classroom. I will give him positive reinforcement every chance I get and

will attempt to talk to him individually in instances when his mood is “down.” I will plan to give

Student B a designated space in the classroom if he needs to step away from the class activity for

a moment, as well as come up with a signal to let me know if he is having a bad day and needs

that space. I will respect Student B’s personal experiences by creating a comforting environment

in the music classroom so he can feel at ease while in music.

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