Leo: Description of a Child

Background

Leo (pseudonym) is an eight-year-old boy in the second grade. He is a shy to speak in public but is very charismatic and tends to his work. Learning comes easy to him but gets very frustrated when he doesn’t understand a problem. He loves dancing and playing different sports. He is currently in an afterschool program playing soccer. Leo is bilingual, he understands, reads and writes in both Spanish and English.

Physical Presence and Gesture — Leo likes to have his own space when he is focused but gets very fidgety when he is bored. Therefore, he would move a lot in his chair until he is able to gain enough concentration to something that engages his attention. Leo loves reading mystery books and comic related readings. He also loves to draw and let his imagination run loose. Math is a subject that is a bit hard for him and it’s where he gets frustrated a lot. It’s is where most of his anger expressions are visible. At this point he is nonverbal and doesn’t like to communicate how he feels because he wants to be able to solve the problem on his own. He also has a hard time expressing how he feels. For Leo when he gets aggravated he would throw the paper to the floor and stomp on it. It’s a bit difficult trying to reel him back in and bring him ease but having him walk away to the reading section helps. Leo is very energetic and you are able to see this when he is surrounded by his friends. He usually brings his lunch and likes to share what he brought. He is very talkative but knows to not speak when the teacher is doing her lesson. Leo uses both languages interchangeably as it comes naturally for him which helps him see things with different perspectives.

Relationships with Children and Adults — Leo is very friendly; he has a lot of friends inside and outside of the classroom. He has a group of friends he usually maintains with and is very close to them. He talks to them about sports and tv shows. He usually plays with them during  recess and gym time. Leo knows most of his friends since kindergarten and he is very popular throughout the school and he is also known with the school staff. Leo is very caring and loves to hug his teachers. He is a respectful young boy that knows his manners and is pleased to help others. Although he gets aggravated with school work he does not get aggravated with adults or his friends. Leo tends to control his temper and is easy going. He enjoys being part of the group of friends he has.

Activities and Interests — Leo loves different types of sports but mostly soccer and basketball. He will play sports most of the time during recess or gym time if they give him any type of ball to play with. He actively participates in a soccer team after school which he enjoys and would go to the park on weekends to play with his dad. Leo also loves to draw and dance. He likes to make his drawings look like drawings from a comic book. Drawing and playing sports is an outlet for Leo. He’s passion for all three leads him to be more calm, confident and easy going. Leo still is not sure what he wants to be when he grows up but he says he would like to play sports as long as he can or be a famous dancer. Leo likes to show off his drawing skills when given the opportunity in his classroom while doing art activities. Leo also likes to help his classmates and teach them how to do certain drawings or give them ideas. He also enjoys hands-on activities because he gets less bored. He likes when they give him assignments to do at home that relates to art because he gets to spend time with his mom creating.

Formal Learning —Leo is open minded when he is learning new things but gets riled up when he becomes stuck or confused causing him to have a bad attitude. He is eager to learn which is why he gets upset when doesn’t get it after a couple of tries. He pay attention to the teacher but doesn’t like to speak out loud in front of the class even if he knows the answer. There are time he relies on his friends to explain things to him and he is able to understand better. Leo is more of a visual learner as he is super observant and has a good memory recall. He is great with vocabulary and likes to learn new words. Leo is a fast thinker, creative and enthusiastic student. Although he prefers English, and Art he does pretty well in all his other subjects except for Math were he struggles a bit. Leo is a good writer and uses his knowledge of vocabulary to write and create scenarios. Overall, he is a great student.

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