Interview with Homeroom Teacher

      Tell me about Ben as a student.

As a student Ben is proficient in science and social studies. He does a nice job finding nonfiction information in textbooks. He is partially proficient in writing. He is proficient in reading nonfiction text and partially proficient in reading fictional text. Ben is currently working on 6^th grade level math.

What are some of his strengths as a learner?

Ben is good at computational math. He also does a nice job with nonfiction text. For example, he easily finds evidence to support responses in his social studies text during his open book tests. Ben does an excellent job with spelling, grammar and punctuation when writing.

Are there any difficulties he has is the classroom setting?

Yes. Ben has a lot of anxiety and can escalate quickly when he becomes frustrated. He struggles with social situations. For example, during community circle time he has difficulty listening to other students and being respectful of their answers. He has difficulty with comprehending fictional text. For example, he recently read the book Hatchet and answered 50% of the comprehension questions correctly. When I asked him about the ending of the book he was not able to tell me about it. Ben also struggles with ideas for writing. He has difficult time thinking about what the content of his paper should be about.

What is the procedure when he has disruptive behaviors in class?

It depends on the situation. Ben gets very upset when there is a schedule change or if there is a sub in the classroom. For this, I try to give Ben advanced notice of schedule changes and I try to introduce him to a sub beforehand. In most situations I take a firm stance with Ben and tell him that I will not tolerate his behavior. Depending on the situation I may pull him to the back of the room to discuss his anxiety. If that doesn’t work, then Ben is removed from the classroom and sent to the Lion’s Den.

How would you say Ben relates to his peers? Does he have any strong friendships in school?

Ben struggles to relate to his peers. His peers work hard to make him feel a part of the classroom. Ben expects certain things from his peers but rarely ever shows appreciation. For example, during snack time last week Ben didn’t have anything to eat. This typically results in a meltdown if he does not get food. Another student anticipated this and quickly gave Ben part of his snack. Instead of showing gratitude, Ben took the snack, ate it quickly, and then came back to this student to get more. I do not believe Ben has any strong mutual friendships in the classroom. However, there are a couple of students that are willing to come along side Ben and help him when he gets frustrated or needs assistance.

What is his parents’ involvement level in his education?

Ben has extremely involved parents. Ben’s parents attend every field trip. They attend every afterschool activity. Ben’s dad has coached flag football afterschool and has helped out with science club. Ben’s parent would like communication in the mornings before school, during my lunch break, and afterschool. They have also text messaged me during the school day and at night. They email frequently too. Boundaries needed to be set regarding the amount of communication that was appropriate. The new plan is that we will communicate via email and if they need to have a meeting about Ben they must make an appointment with me. 

Are there any particular accommodations you provide regularly for him?

See answer to question four for part of my response. Ben is given a yoga ball to sit on instead of a chair. This is given to him because chairs make him uncomfortable and it helps him get out some of his energy by lightly bouncy on the ball. Ben has a soft pencil grip on his pencil. Ben goes to the Lion’s Den if he gets too anxious and feels like he’s going to have a meltdown. Ben has a behavior plan in place right now, but we often need to switch up his behavior plan because he gets used to it and starts acting out again. He is currently being monitored for being respectful and for the amount of complaints he makes during the day. Ben’s parents get this chart at the end of the day and will contact me via email if they have any questions. Ben is in an advanced math class so he has one on one math instruction by a teacher in the Lion’s Den. Ben also has speech minutes weekly with our speech pathologist. Ben is seen by our special education teacher weekly as well.

What are your hopes for Ben as a student this year, and in the future?

I hope that Ben will be respectful towards his teachers and his classmates. I hope that Ben will learn to listen appropriately in class and understand that his peers are trying to listen and learn as well. In the future I hope that Ben will be able to be independent and that he will excel at school. I would like to hear about Ben going to college some day and having a successful career.

Is there anything else you would like to add about Ben?
That’s it. Thank you.