Year Long Observation

Larson Chin
TC 1 was one of the youngest boys in the Bamboo class. He was moving up from
the toddler class of Hawaii. When introduced by his grandfather during the Hello
Visit, he smiled at me and we were playing the building blocks together. He
displayed a warm-hearted temperament and shyness on day one.

In the beginning of the school year, he would cry in the morning when his
grandparents sent him to school. Sometimes he cried so hard that he could not be
able to walk upstairs and needed help from the Chinese teacher to carry him up.
When he reached his cubby, it took a very long time for him to get his stuff settled.
For example, he would sit on the cubby appearing to be lost or look out the
window with a dull, absent look on his face. Only when the Life teacher was
talking to him, he would reluctantly and laboriously hang his backpack on the
wall and then change his shoes. In most cases, he was unable to identify which
one of the shoes it should be for the right foot and which one for the left.
Sometimes he felt struggled to put on his indoor shoes and eventually cried.
Sometimes he would just sit in the corner talking to himself when he was
supposed to change his shoes.

In the class, he was especially fond of Practical Life, Sensorial, Culture activities
and artwork. He was able to concentrate on his work for a long time. When he
faced a challenge while working and it made him so upset if it was beyond his
ability, he would start to get emotional that his lower lip would be quivering, his
face contorted and his tears bursting. For instance, one day he was trying to
make a bracelet by putting a nylon cord through multiple beads with small holes.
When he was nearly finished right before the last step of tying the two ends, he
dropped the bracelet and then wailed. The same situation would happen
whenever his work was disturbed by other children, and he would get mad,
shouting, “I hate you!” and then cry hysterically. Most of the time, during the
circle, he showed no interest in what the Montessori teacher has prepared for the
children and slumped on the floor.

Among all the younger children, he was the one who did not like to socialize with
others but me. He would constantly walk to me and have conversations.
Sometimes he would come to me and hold my hand, saying, “Teacher, can you
play with me?” Weeks later, the lead teacher paired TC1 with one of the oldest
children. It worked very well. TC1 called this older boy “Big brother” and seemed
to always follow this newfound friend. The lead teacher would ask the older boy
to show him some work. In the PE time, they also played together.

In the midst of the first semester, TC1’s separation anxiety has faded significantly.
While occasionally he would still cling on to his grandfather, he has been more
willing to come to school and happier. Sometimes, he would ask the Chinese
teacher, “Is my big brother here yet?” When he reached the classroom, it took
lesser time for him to change his shoes. He would talk to his classmates around
him and sometimes do silly things when changing his shoes. In the class, he still
preferred work in Practical Life, Sensorial, Culture and art. His attention span
remained optimal. His social circle has also expanded: he has developed a good
relationship with one of the youngest little girls. It all happened when one day
the little girl was push over on the carpet during circle time and was crying hard,
and TC1 walked over and gave her a hug.

During the second semester, he has settled into the school life. He has been
emotionally stable when he came to school. He is able to walk upstairs to his
class without the help of the adults. He was more likely to put on his indoor
shoes in the correct way. He seemed more confident in the class when talking to
his peers or the teachers. He can express his feelings in some simple English
words. During the circle time, he would be able to follow some instructions by
the Montessori teacher. In respect of his social ability, he felt more comfortable
working with other children.

Although he has become less timid and did not cry often, he was a bit more
assertive and sometimes aggressive when he was in a fight with other children,
which caused him some troubles. For example, one day he and a girl were
fighting over a crystal bead they both found on the ground. The fight was soon
escalating to the boiling point where he used a colored pencil to scratch the girl’s
face, leaving an obvious mark on her face and she was crying hysterically. Both
parents came to school for this incident.
In general, TC1 is well on his journey to the state of independence and
normalization. It is projected that in his second year he will be more confident
about his life in school.