Cassidy Turner

Capstone Review Board

Capstone Portfolio

27 February 2017

Observational Analysis

For my capstone, I am undertaking a character development program within the extended

day program. My primary population of focus is pre-k and kindergarten students. In beginning
my capstone project, I first have to note some of the interactions between students that need to be
addressed. By observing these interactions, I am able to discern which character traits need to be
used in the program. Some of the scenarios I observed are not all unlike adult conversations and
social interactions. There are bullies, gossips, the mentally unstable, those who are shy, or
prejudiced, and any other social group a person can find in an adult cooperative.
One of the most noteworthy of these student scenarios were the antagonistic groups.
There are two drastically different types of these negative coalitions. Their methods of
antagonizing the other children are at times different, especially when the genders of the groups
are different, but the dynamics of the groups they for are remarkably similar. In more masculine
groups, one can typically expect there to be some form of heckling and violence. For example, if
a particular student is being hassled by a male group, the leader of the male group typically takes
the majority of the hassling for himself. This could be physical or verbal, as more masculine
groups tend to be violent, but this is not always the case. I have seen students choosing to play
football together, and one of the boys makes a mistake. The antagonistic group will approach
him, the leader hurling either punches or insults, and the rest of his posse joining in a more
supportive fashion. This will continue until the victim stands up against them, which could lead
to a more severe altercation, or a teacher intervenes. Yet, female groups can be just cruel at
times. In a female group, the members will often surround the victim, hurling insults or shunning
her in solidarity. Often these altercations happen between the group members themselves. These
conflicts can at times be more severe than those created by male groups. This can be attributed to
turning the girls allies against her, whereas in a male situation, there is hope that his friends will
stand up against the antagonists. In both groups, you can expect the selected victim to be weaker
than the antagonists, whether that is socially, physically, and at times mentally, as students in
those situations are far easier targets. Unfortunately, at such a young age, teacher intervention is
usually necessary either because of the cruelty, or because the other children do not know how to
address the situation, so they make no effort to stop or prevent it. This makes a character
education program more essential to an school environment.
 Oftentimes these students, whether they are being antagonized or not, are very focused on
self preservation. They are more concerned with what will help them in the short term rather than
doing the right thing. At times, I have even seen students approach their leaders with a problem,
for example, when a student once gave me an account of being bitten, when in reality, they bit
themselves and wanted to seek revenge on some other student for an unrelated problem. This
type of behavior almost makes character seem like a novelty of the past. Thus, educators must
prioritize the development of these traits during a childs formative years so we can ensure they
endure within our society.
During my brief observation period, I discerned eight important traits to cultivate in our
students. Honesty, because without honesty, there is no possible means of justice. Without the
truth, discipline cannot be properly applied, and students cannot learn right from wrong. Second,
respect, because without respect for authority, no matter what we as educators try to instil in our
students, we cannot make progress if the students will not listen to our council. Third,
responsibility, because if a child will not take responsibility for their actions, then there can be no
resolution to any disagreements. Those monitoring our children cannot see every altercation
between every set of students, and as a result, when students are taking responsibility for their
actions, an educator knows who needs to be punished, and who does not. Fourth is
trustworthiness, because if a teacher or monitor cannot trust their students, they cannot
administer praise or justice accurately, as they are never certain of the truth. Fifth is generosity,
because if students are not willing to help and give where they can, then selfish becomes the
priority, and all interactions are governed in the best interests of few, not the majority. Sixth is
forgiveness, because if students cannot move past their differences, nothing can ever be
accomplished. Seventh is patience, because waiting to get to the bottom of a situation, and
waiting for whoever is in authority to make decisions allows things to run much more smoothly
and efficiently. Finally, and most importantly is compassion, because without empathy and
regard for others, there can be no justice, there will be no empowerment, there will be no
solidarity, and the wonderful aspects of human nature could be lost forever. These traits, and the
reasonings behind them, were then selected for the study and have been applied to the character
development program.
Once the program began, I immediately noticed improvements in the students behavior.
Following the week on honesty, I noticed more of the students catching themselves lying, and
trying to avoid it. In one scenario, a student walked up to me and told me another student had hit
him in the face for no reason. As I was calling the other student to get to the bottom of the
situation, the child stopped himself, and decided to tell me the truth. The reason the other child
hit him was because he had pushed that child off of a swing and then kicked him because he was
bored. Although both types of behavior in themselves were unacceptable, the fact that the child
was willing to be honest and take accountability after only a few hours of instruction is
astonishing. During the next week when we discussed responsibility, I realized that the results of
my instruction, though effective, were not as widespread as I had anticipated, so it became
necessary to supplement the program with more individualized instruction. Thus, I decided to
also incorporate the character development instruction into disciplinary discussions.
During the week on responsibility, a student was refusing to pick up his trash after
throwing it on the ground. He and I had a conversation about responsibility, and I explained that
if he doesnt take responsibility for his own actions, what is to keep everyone else from doing the
same. He didnt see the problem with that. So I showed him that if no one took responsibility for
their trash, the playground would never be clean, unless one person did all of the cleaning. I
asked him if he would like to play on a dirty playground, or to be that person who has to clean all
the trash. He said no to both, and after finally using that logic, said that he understood my point.
He had to do his part so it didnt all fall on someone else, and so he could reap the benefits of a
clean playground. By using the logical question and answer method of explanation, the children
were able to see the value in the character traits, and were more apt to apply them.
Using this methodology throughout the remainder of the character development program,
I was able to see the importance of communication and understanding when working with
children. An educator has to not only teach the character traits, but also develop an appreciation
and understanding of the principles behind the traits because only then will the programs be
effective. Doing this however, requires one on one attention with the students that educators
cannot always provide. This shows the importance of home training or the instruction students
should receive from their parents at home. Without that pillar of authority backing character
development programs, none of the lessons being taught at school can take root. Thus, showing
the importance of interplay between the educational system and the home environment as a child
grows and develops.
As I concluded this study, I realized how many important elements it provided me as an
aspiring educator. It showed me different teaching methods I could use in my career. It showed
me how important consistency and one on one attention is in teaching the next generation. But
most importantly, it showed me how difficult it is to be an educator, because no matter how
much time and effort you put into teaching the lessons, unless the child wants to learn, and has
the home environment conducive to that learning, there is only a certain level of effectiveness
you can expect. I feel that these lessons were of the utmost importance to me as a student and
future teacher, because they show me the reality of life in education, and give me a realistic view
of some of the challenges I may face in my future endeavors.