Summary Of Child Observation

For this observation assignment I attended Horseshoe Trails Elementary School in Cave Creek, where I observed a boy in second grade. To keep the confidentiality of the child, I will refer to him as Colin. Colin is a Caucasian 8-year-old male, who lives with his older sister and both parents in Cave Creek. His teacher, Ms. Sunshine, informed me he is a bright child who performs above average in all of his core subjects. She reported he has several friends in class and has started to take an interest in girls. Ms. Sunshine stated while Colin is very intelligent, he can be a disruption to the class due to his attitude and frequent dramatic outbursts. The outbursts tend to be in response to an altercation with a peer, or when he is scolded for misbehaving. Ms. Sunshine stated both parents have high expectations of him academically, but do not help him with his schoolwork. Each week the children write letters in …show more content…
According to Erickson’s theory, Colin is currently in the school-age stage where children struggle between industry and inferiority. During this stage, children are faced with new social and academic challenges (Crain, 2011). Additionally, this stage is imperative for ego growth; if children do not excel or meet certain expectations they develop a sense of inferiority (Crain, 2011). Colin displayed eagerness to learn; he asked appropriate questions and finished academic tasks efficiently. Although he did not answer any questions incorrectly during my observation, Ms. Sunshine reported when this occurs he becomes angry with himself. Despite Collin performing above average, it is evident Colin receives added pressure from his parents to do well academically. If he does not receive 100% on an assignment, his parents are disappointed which translates to a sense of inferiority and frustration. Collin appears to display this frustration by acting out in class or pouting in a