Derek
Derek was one of the most interesting third graders I have ever encountered. Like the rest of the class, he was very talkative. He was one of the shortest kids in the class, but easily the smartest. He was an extremely fast writer and finished all his assignments very quickly. After having a couple conversations with him, I found out he also had a brother who goes to Kemps Landing. Since he finishes his work so quickly, Mrs. Cupka gives him extra assignments to go further into what the class is learning. In math, Mrs. Cupka has already introduced algebra to him and we spent half an hour one time discussing Pythagorean's theory.
Besides his intelligence, another thing I noticed was his inability to interact well with others. Three students, including him, were pulled out for an alternate assessment on fractions since they already understood most of the material. In their assignment, they had to measure how much water was wasted when one brushes their teeth. Derek could not seem to understand that there were many ways of going about how to collect the water from the tap to be measured. He argued with the other two telling them they were wrong and that only his way was right. I pulled the three aside individually to show them there were multiple ways and that no one person is right. I then tried explaining to Derek that he is going to have to try harder in working cooperatively with a group and that he will need that skill for the rest of his life.
Mrs. Cupka always kept Derek in the same seat by the door for the entire time of my internship. While everyone else moved around, he stayed in place. I never figured out if there were a reason for this, or if Derek simply like being by the door so he could open for people but I found it to be interesting since only he, Lillian, and William always stayed in the same spot.
Besides his intelligence, another thing I noticed was his inability to interact well with others. Three students, including him, were pulled out for an alternate assessment on fractions since they already understood most of the material. In their assignment, they had to measure how much water was wasted when one brushes their teeth. Derek could not seem to understand that there were many ways of going about how to collect the water from the tap to be measured. He argued with the other two telling them they were wrong and that only his way was right. I pulled the three aside individually to show them there were multiple ways and that no one person is right. I then tried explaining to Derek that he is going to have to try harder in working cooperatively with a group and that he will need that skill for the rest of his life.
Mrs. Cupka always kept Derek in the same seat by the door for the entire time of my internship. While everyone else moved around, he stayed in place. I never figured out if there were a reason for this, or if Derek simply like being by the door so he could open for people but I found it to be interesting since only he, Lillian, and William always stayed in the same spot.