Practicum Post #2

 I ended up following two students. One, let's call them E, gives off the idea that they don't do anything in class, but actually got all of their work done. This student acts as a class clown in a way. They will make side comments and test how far they can go. E was quiet during instructions and did work on the assignment and complete the assignment. There were points where they got distracted by others in the room, but they did manage to get back on task and finish the in-class assignment. Observing them I got the vibe that they were a lot smarter than they let on, and they acted out more because they were board. I also may be seeing this because of the TAG lens I am developing. The main thing that I noticed was they finished the assignment quickly and then would sit there and distract others. This makes me want to push E more, to see if they really just need more challenge in the classroom. With this student's comments and jokes I would play along a little bit, but stop it when I notice it becomes distracting to other students, by telling them that is not appropriate for this time, or something along those lines. In general, get to know E personally, so that we have that rep-ore and respect, because I have to earn their respect just as much as they need to for me. 

Student two, let's refer to them as M, is constantly distracted, and was so through out the time I interacted with them. In the particular class period where I was actively watching them they got up to go to the bathroom in the first 10 minutes, sat with their feet on the table, didn't open their Chromebook until 30 minutes into the 45-55 minute period (Their assignment was on their Chromebook), and preceded to distract almost everyone around them. I also noticed that this student struggled with planning ahead. We did have one student in another class with ADHD, I don't think this student has a diagnosis of ADHD, but I would not be surprised if they did. I don't want to assume ADHD though, because I feel that they more act out for attention than anything else. There was one point when they were working in study hall and this student was in a location away from their peers and with a little prompting they managed to complete their assignments no problem, so this makes me wonder about the social component. I think this is one of the kids that is a great example of needing to create that relationship with them to see if it is something where they are seeking attention, lost and need extra help, or a condition that is inhibiting their potential. I don't think it is realistic to have it so M sits quietly in their seat and fully focuses on their work. I think this is a great goal to work towards, but by enforcing that I feel that I would loose all respect with M. I think this is a student where compromise is the key and taking together and establishing a set goal to work towards in my class. Whether that is sitting properly in their seat the whole class period, or just doing the work. An example of this would be one time in class he was laying on the tables instead of sitting in his seat, but he was quiet, not distracting others and participating in what was going on. I would rather M laying on the table, not distracting others and actively participating than just sitting quietly in their seat.