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Donny is a 5th grader in a small, rural school district. Donny’s……
Donny is a 5th grader in a small, rural school district. Donny’s…
Donny is a 5th grader in a small, rural school district. Donny’s family, like many others in the county, is poor because a major employer went out of business. Donny’s mother now receives welfare. Although Donny is generally a friendly child, he has little control over his impulses and often misbehaves. The principal has warned Donny repeatedly that if he acts out again he won’t be able to go on a field trip to a bowling alley in another city. The field trip is an annual tradition that children look forward to all year.
Donny has acted out occasionally since he was in 1st grade, so it is fairly certain he’ll do it again. Sure enough, during recess Donny throws a ball at another boy. His teacher, Mrs. Thomsen, tells him that he cannot go on the field trip because of the principal’s ultimatum. She regrets doing this because she likes Donny.
The next day, Donny enters the classroom scowling. He kicks a piece of paper on the floor and slowly swaggers to his desk, where he begins talking to a boy next to him. Despite his resentment, Donny also smiles affectionately at Mrs. Thomsen.
Mrs. Thomsen says, “Settle down you guys. Take out your colored pencils because we are going to work on those math problems.” As the class gets out their pencils, Mrs. Thomsen pulls a package of new colored pencils from her desk and quietly places them on Donny’s desk. Donny does not look at her, but begins opening the new box. Then Mrs. Thomsen passes out worksheets. (Students color different geometric shapes linked to the solution of arithmetic problems.) “Be sure to write your name at the top of these. There have been way too many nameless papers recently.” Donny immediately writes his name at the top of his paper.
After a few minutes, Mrs. Thomsen approaches Donny’s desk, smiles, and says, “Donny, look how neat your coloring is. Do you mind if I show this to the rest of the class?” She holds the paper up in front of the class as a model. Several students look at Donny, and he smiles with pride. When Mrs. Thomsen hands the paper back to him, he holds it in front of his face admiring it for a few seconds, and then continues coloring. When the worksheet is completed, Donny turns it in.
Later in the day Mrs. Thomsen whispers to Donny to come to her desk. She quietly tells him to write his math homework down in his assignment book. “Donny, you know this is due Monday. Why don’t you set some goals for yourself by doing two problems a day? You have four nights to do this assignment and there are eight problems. If you stick to it, you will be finished with it by Sunday night, OK? (Donny nods.) Your teachers next year in middle school aren’t going to do this for you, so you need to learn how to manage your time to get your assignments done. If you need my help, you know that I am available during lunch or recess since you can’t stay after school. If you show me that you can get this assignment completed by Monday, I will talk to the principal about allowing you to go on the field trip.”
That same day Donny’s mother barges into the principal’s office, yelling at him because Donny doesn’t get to go bowling. After Donny’s mother leaves, the principal tells Mrs. Thomsen about the incident. He says, “I think she is just mad because this incident reminds her of her own experiences in school.” The principal was a teacher when Donny’s mother was in school. In her teens, Donny’s mother had behavior problems, abused alcohol, failed several classes, and eventually dropped out of school due to pregnancy. Donny lives with two half sisters, ages 2 and 6; neither father lives with them. Donny’s mother suffers from depression and alcoholism. Donny cannot stay after school because he has to hurry home to take care of his family.
Need to know which risk factors are operating in Donny’s life. which ones are his protective factors.
Are Donny’s behavior problems and impulsiveness inherited from his mother or caused by his home environment?
How might poverty and maternal depression affect Donny’s success at school?
