Captain Grayson
It's a bird, it's a plane..no...IT'S GRAYSON
Behind the Mask
Grayson is a 10 year old 4th grader with severe violent outbursts and behavioral disorders.
- Greyson currently lives with his Aunt, due to a non supportive environment with his parents, the government became involved in his life about 2 years ago.
- His meltdowns range from becoming very emotional and crying to verbally threatening to hurt others.
- Last documented verbal threat was 6 months ago before he moved in with his Aunt.
- His behavioral triggers are when someone tries to assert their power over him.
ie: If a teacher is to say "Well I'm the teacher and I said so" or if a teacher is to tell him to sit away from the other students because he is being disruptive.
- He loves reading comic books, particularly ones about super heroes.
- Struggles with reading but wants to do better.
Who he admires
If he could have any super power
Fun Fact: What does Grayson mean?
Every Super Hero Needs A Sidekick
Establishing teacher- student relationship
Examples: Helping me pass out papers or being the classroom "conflict manager"
-He has a very hard time feeling belittled so I will make sure that I and every other teacher or para who comes in my room is careful with how they use their "authority". We are there to help the kids not over rule them and make them feel like they are less than us.
-Establish a reward system in addition to the behavior plan already in place with him that allows him to be recognized for his good behavior or "citizenship" in the classroom.
Examples: If he gets all his books read for AR for the month let him read a comic.
-Make a safe zone for him for when he does have a meltdown he has a place where he can go in the classroom that helps him calm down and feel safe again.
Example: Make an area in the corner with pillows he can hold and maybe a picture of Captain America or other super heroes on the wall so he can remember how they would handle the situation.
-Make sure he knows I care about him and want him to succeed
All Hands on Deck, We're in this Together
-At the end of every month or week let the students either write or draw a story about themselves and what they would do in certain situations and share them.
Examples: If they were their favorite animal, if they were a super hero, if they were smaller than a bug.
-Always encourage diversity, help them understand that not everyone has the same background, some kids struggle and others might not but it's all okay.
-Get the kids involved in some volunteer work, host a bake sale and raise money for kids who are in foster care, or adopt an angel from the giving trees at Christmas time.
-Keep a positive environment in classroom, especially when the student has a meltdown, have the class make him feel welcomed and not shunned.
Time to Express
Comic Book Surprise
Phrases
Assessments
- When assessing this student (and the whole class) in reading, and writing allow them to show their creativity by providing extra materials such as computer. This will allow them to discover what learning style works best for them.
-When assessing math skills, provide other means of solving the problems such as tiles, cubes, or even a fractions table. This will teach them to find their own ways to solve problems not only in math but in life as well.
-When assessing all subjects, try to apply questions to real world examples so that he can feel like what he is doing is worth something.
Encouragement is Key My Dear Watson
-Every student will be given he opportunity to use alternative tools for their assignments.
-All students will be given the chance to share their stories about what makes them special, or what they would do if they were a super hero.
-All students will be treated with the same respect as Grayson, not a single student of mine will feel that they are lesser of a human being than I am.
Sources
http://www.behavioradvisor.com/InclusionOfEBD.html
I also used the knowledge of one of the behavioral specialists who comes to the school I work at. I sat down with her and asked for her professional advice on how to keep things light and free spirited in the class room for him rather than bogged down with rules and regulations.
The other person I had a chance to sit down with in addition to my special education teacher during our interview was the school councilor, I asked for her knowledge on the subject of children with backgrounds such as his, she suggested volunteer work to make the other kids aware of how some are not as fortunate as others.