Observation Of Cashmire In High School

During the 2016-17 school year, I had the privilege of being Cashmire Stephenson’s second grade teacher. I found Cashmire to be a bright student that strived to be a good citizen and was eager to please his parents, teachers, and peers. However, in the classroom Cashmire struggled with maintaining attention, hyperactivity, organization, and impulsivity. At times Cashmire would make poor choices in an effort to make friends. Cashmire would often refuse to speak when he felt strong emotions such as anger or disappointment. This made it difficult to assist him in resolving peer conflicts. I observed inconsistent returning of homework, adherence to the uniform dress code, as well as changes in Cashmire’s mood and behavior from week to week. Mr. Stephenson was in

Stephenson came and sat with Cashmire in class to observe his behavior. Mr. Stephenson met with me at the beginning of the year to communicate the complex nature of the custody order. The first time Cashmire was directed to parent pick-up he proceeded to walk home. Because of this confusion on Cashmire’s behalf I developed a card system to indicate to both Cashmire and other adults involved with dismissal how he should go home each day. It was necessary to brief the entire second grade team, the principal, and dismissal staff of the complex nature of the custody order and how that impacted Cashmire’s dismissal. Additionally it was necessary to include the specific dismissal plan by date in the emergency substitute plans and classroom split list. The dismissal cards were labeled with specific dates to avoid confusion. Furthermore, whenever school communication was sent home, including but not limited to progress reports, report cards, and permission slips, a copy needed to be provided separately for each parent. Mr. Stephenson typically was the parent that returned papers requiring a signature. I was grateful for the heightened parental support provided to Cashmire throughout the school