PEPSI Screening

Erika Barron
 Isaiah Terrell is a shy, sweet, intelligent, and hilarious 12-year-old boy. He was born a

week early on November 17, 2004 to Robert and Vanessa Terrell. He has an older brother,

Robert, who goes by Little Robert, who is ten years older than him and just recently joined the

Army and is now stationed in New York with his pregnant wife. His mothers family is Army

(his grandfather was a second lieutenant in the Army before he retired) and his father is retired

Air Force. Isaiah was born in Japan and lived there for seven years before finally moving to Las

Vegas where his father retired from the Air Force this year. He is very close with his mother,

fights like cats and dogs with his father (who, ironically, he is just like, despite his desires not to

be), and, in spite of their extreme age gap, he has a very strong connection and closeness with his

brother.

I observed Isaiah off and on throughout the semester. He was eleven when I started and

turned twelve a little before I finished. He is of stalk build, in fact, he is built exactly like his

father. He is about 5 feet tall, brown eyes, olive skin, and brown, wirey hair. He recently went

through a small growth spurt which started in the summer, but as far as puberty goes, he is very

withdrawn about it and shy and wont talk about it. The only way anyone would know (voice

change) hasnt happened yet, but that doesnt necessarily mean that it hasnt started. A neighbor

of Isaiahs, a girl, is taller than he is and looks much older, but her birthday is only a month after

his. According to the book, this is totally normal. Due to the timing difference in the growth

spurt many middle school girls look considerably older than boys of the same age (McCown

& Snowman, 2015, p. 93). His mother would say he is early-maturing, but it is hard to tell

considering how conservative he is. She told me when he was born he was like a little monkey

he was so hairy, so it is hard for her to tell if the hair he has is due to puberty or due to the fact

that he is just a hairy kid. However, he is taller than most people in his class, which shows me
that he is an early-maturing boy since his growth spurt has begun and typically, [t]he growth

spurt for boys begins on average at about thirteen (McCown & Snowman, 2015, p. 93). He

also has all of the characteristics of an early-maturing boy, [s]elf confident, high in self-esteem,

likely to be chosen as [a] leader, [and is] more likely to socialize with older peers (McCown

& Snowman, 2015, p. 94). In fact, one of his very close friends is 15-years-old. He is also in

choir, which is comprised of children ranging in grades from sixth (Isaiahs grade) to eighth, and

Isaiah is friends with just about everyone, even the older ones. Finally, he is part of Pokmon

Club, which is also comprised of students in grades six through eight and, again, he is friends

with everyone in the club, even the older ones.

Isaiah also tends to have a problem with his weight. He tends to eat often and will usually

grab something to eat when he is feeling happy or sad or when he is bored. According to the

California Department of Education (1989), children at this age [h]ave ravenous appetites and

peculiar tastes; may overtax digestive system with large quantities of improper foods

(Characteristics of Middle Grade Students, 1989). This is true in Isaiahs case. When he

snacks, he snacks on foods that are unhealthy for him such as cakes and chips. He doesnt play

any sports, so anything outside of the physical activity he has to do at school, he doesnt work

out often, so his weight increases.

The recommendations I would give to Isaiahs parents when it comes to his physical

appearance would be to continue helping him stay an individual. Yes, Isaiah does what he can to

conform to the other students in his school, such as having the shoes everyone wears, but, for the

most part, he is unique, which is a quality, I think, that is hard to come by these days. I think his

parents should continue to embrace this and encourage it. However, they should keep an eye

about how much he is eating and what he is eating as healthy eating is an extremely important
lesson to teach early in life. In correlation with healthy eating, I recommend a healthy lifestyle

that involves more physical activity. Maybe have him try a sport he might have an interest in. If

he really does not want to play a sport, have him walk the dogs, go for walks as a family, go to a

trampoline park. Just anything that gets him outside and moving.

Emotionally, Isaiah would seem like he is all over the place. He is highly emotional, takes

things very personally, and is concerned about everyone around him. This is completely normal

for his age group, as some theorists have described adolescence as a period of turmoil. Feelings

of confusion, anxiety, and depression; extreme mood swings; and low levels of self-confidence

are felt to be typical of this age group (McCown & Snowman, 2015, p. 97). For example, when

Trump won the presidency, Isaiahs father kept saying that World War III was going to start

because the rest of the world hates Trump and will do anything to get him out of power, even if it

meant bombing America and going to war with them. This really upset, confused, and worried

Isaiah, who started crying and asked his mom if Little Robert would be safe since he is in the

Army now. He kept asking if Little Robert would go to war, and if he went to war, would he be

killed since everyone now hates America. He kept asking Is there anything we can do to keep

Trump from being President?! I dont want Little Robert to die! His father would laugh, say

There is nothing we can do. Just have to wait and see what will happen. And Isaiah would cry.

He doesnt appear to have grasped the concept that his brother voluntarily joined the Army, and

that, if called upon, will gladly fight for his country. He also doesnt understand that the bad guys

arent going to come after Little Robert personally, that in the long run, he might be safe the

whole time. He just hears war, Army, and Little Robert and instantly paints this horrible picture

in his head that ends with his brother dying. Also, Isaiah didnt comprehend that his father was

just messing with him, that there more than likely will not be a WWIII. [Adolescents] are not
able to read a person's emotions and easily misinterpret other people's reactions to events,

behaviors, and circumstances (Kuykendall, 2012, p. 79). He completely misinterpreted his

fathers joke that WWIII was going to occur and then blew it up into a bigger deal than it really

needed to be, which happens often. For example, his father was joking about a cell phone. Isaiah

wants a cell phone and has been asking for one for weeks because all of her friends have them at

school. Isaiah pulled a charge cord out of a cell phone roughly and his father joked that is why

you arent getting a cell phone! Isaiah took this to heart and was upset. He instantly tried to put

the phone back to show that he could be gentle, and even after his father told him he was

kidding, he still did everything he could to show that he could be responsible with a cell phone.

He completely misinterpreted reaction and joking emotion.

Isaiah is becoming acutely aware of the physical and emotional changes that are taking

place within [him], [he] assumes that everyone else is just as interested in, and is constantly

evaluating, [his] appearance, feelings, and behavior (McCown & Snowman, 2015, p. 98) He is

very particular about what he wears and how he looks. This can be hard sometimes considering

his stalky build, and the fact that he has put on a little bit of weight in the last few months. He

cant wear skinny jeans due to his lower body thickness, even though those are what are popular

these days. To make up for this, he has the best of the best shoes (today, its the light up shoes

known as Hoverkicks), and his shirts are always the newest style (Aeropostale, Oakley,

Timberland, etc.) His hair has to be a certain way, not too short otherwise the other kids call me

Baldy and it is always combed and picked just right. His clothes always match, his shirt and

shoes are always the same color, and he is very clean, as he hates being dirty. For Halloween, he

didnt want to go trick-or-treating since his older friend mentioned earlier wasnt going and he

thought it would be uncool to go. He also didnt want to go out with just his parents since no
one else goes out with their parents anymore, I dont need to either. And finally, whenever he

experiences something he is interested in, he shares it and explains it like everyone else knows

what he is talking about. For example, he went to see Dr. Strange with his father. When he

returned home, he instantly ran up to his mother and started telling her about the movie using

characters names as if she already knew who they were and their importance to the movie. When

his mother asked him to repeat their names or their backgrounds or how they were important to

the story, Isaiah would roll his eyes, give a quick description with an annoyed tone in his voice

and continue with his story. After all, [b]ecause adolescents are preoccupied with themselves

and how they appear to others, they assume that peers and adults are equally interested in what

they think and do (McCown & Snowman, 2015, p. 44). Isaiah just cannot seem to understand

why his mother doesnt know everything about what interests him because if he loves it, she

should love it just as much.

The typical self-centeredness that seems to correlate perfectly with children of Isaiahs

age can also be seen through Isaiahs recent depression around his brothers wife being pregnant.

When Little Robert told Isaiah the news that he was going to be an uncle, Isaiah ran to his room

crying. He kept yelling I told him to wait! I told him not to have a baby yet! He didnt come

out of his room the rest of the night. He kept mentioning this again the next day, that he told his

brother to wait and he was so mad that Little Robert decided to have a baby. It is so selfish of

him! His adolescent egocentrism [has] take[n] the form of a personai fable, or the adolescent's

belief that his or her experiences, feelings, and reactions are unique and have never been

experienced by anyone before (Horn, Drill, Hochberg, Heinze, & Frank, 2008, p. 95). Isaiah is

only seeing how this new baby is affecting his life: his brother wont have any more time for
him, he will have to share his love with his child and Isaiah, he wont love Isaiah anymore, etc.

and isnt thinking that this is big and scary news for everyone else, including Little Robert.

There are a few recommendations I have for Isaiahs parents when it comes to his

emotions. For one, this is a stage. Hormones are running wild, his brain is still fully developing,

and he is going through changes he doesnt know what to do with. Eventually, hormones will

calm, his brain will develop, and those changes he is going through, he will know what to do

with them. However, in the meantime, his father needs to understand this a little more than he

appears to. He honestly might not know that Isaiahs reactions to his joking is real and that the

way he says things hurts Isaiahs feelings. He might not understand that Isaiah really doesnt

comprehend that his is kidding, and not because he is stupid, but because that part of his brain is

not fully developed yet and he truly cannot hear the sarcasm. Little Robert should also take time

to let Isaiah know that even though he is having a baby, Isaiah will always be his little brother

and nothing can take that away from him. As far as schools and teachers go, I would recommend

exactly what the book recommends: special programs that have goals in recognizing and

managing emotions, adopting realistic goals, understanding how others think and feel, creating

positive relationships, making sound decisions, and getting along with others (McCown &

Snowman, 2015, p. 98). I think having Isaiah be a part of any of those programs, which could be

ran by a trusting teacher, could help him talk about the things that are upsetting him, could

potentially hear other children who have similar issues, and can understand that maybe if he

looks at things another way, he can see where other people, like his father, are coming from. That

not everyone is out to upset him.

Philosophically, Isaiah is right there with his age group. Recently, Isaiah was the in the

middle of a hazing joke gone wrong. The older boys in his choir group were pantsing children
who walked into the room. Isaiah, unfortunately, was one of the child whose pants were pulled

down. He was extremely embarrassed and cried. When the principal asked him who did it, Isaiah

refused to name who it was. He wasnt afraid of the boy, in fact, he was friends with him. He

consider[ed] the wrongdoers intentions when evaluating guilt (McCown & Snowman, 2015,

p. 60). He knew that he was just part of several kids who were getting hazed, something he

thought he friend was doing as a joke and didnt mean to hurt anyone in the process and felt like

turning him in would only make his punishment worse. So, he kept his mouth shut. He also

didnt want to be seen as a snitch, which could get him picked on. (I want to note that the boy

quickly turned himself in when he realized he had hurt Isaiah, he hated to see him cry and felt

extremely guilty. He apologized profusely.)

As I am sure I have mentioned before, Isaiah is a very kind boy. In fact, when he noticed

a child at school didnt have lunches made for him, he asked the kid why. The next day, he asked

his mother to make two lunches, please. [The child at school]s mom lost her job and cant buy

him lunch every day. Can you just make two sandwiches so [he] can bring him one tomorrow?

His mother made him the two lunches and Isaiah gave the lunch to his friend. When asked that

evening about if his friend liked the lunch, Isaiah quietly nodded his head. His mom asked if

anyone else knew or saw what he had done, Isaiah said no, Mom. I didnt want people to see.

Isaiah didnt do this because he wanted recognition. The right action is one that would be

carried out by someone whose behavior is likely to please or impress others (McCown &

Snowman, 2015, p. 61). He knew he was doing the right thing and he knew it would please his

friend. He also didnt tell anyone because he thought it might embarrass his friend. By mid-

adolescence, they can, for example, understand that offering unsolicited academic help to a

classmate may embarrass that individual (McCown & Snowman, 2015, p. 96). While he didnt
offer academic help, he did understand that offering his help could have made his friend

embarrassed, so he made sure not to let anyone else know. He also didnt want anyone to think

that he was doing something too good, that he would look like a goody-two-shoe and people

might make fun of him (and then his friend) for it.

Recommendations I would give would possibly be to keep encouraging Isaiah to

continuously give. The lunch story is my favorite one of all. Every time I looked back on that

story, my heart just burst with pride, and he isnt even my child. I couldnt believe what a caring

heart a child so young had. I know his mother keeps encouraging these things (he still makes two

sandwiches for lunch sometimes) and I am so thankful that she does. A recommendation I would

give teachers and the school would be to possibly talk to the Isaiah to see if that child wants to

open up to one of them about the struggle his family is going through. Perhaps they have a

program or could recommend a program to the mother so she could find a job easier. I also

would like to know what the school did in terms of punishment for the hazing that occurred

that upset Isaiah so much. I hope they have something in place for bullying, or I would

recommend they put something in place for it. I also would recommend they let Isaiahs family

know what happened with those children so they can rest assured that something like this would

never happen again. I would recommend that teachers get training to notice the warning signs of

bullying and the children who possess those signs so that they can stop bullying before it

happens. They could do this by setting up programs within the school that also get the students

involved. They can take many forms, such as teaching students who witness such incidents to

report them immediately or to intervene; promoting rules that discourage discrimination; using

videos, speakers, and discussions to make students aware of the feelings of bullies and their

victims; and teaching those who bully more appropriate forms of social interaction (McCown &
Snowman, 2015, p. 447). They could also get parents involved in these programs so they can

look for warning signs and bullying in their own homes.

Socially, Isaiah has lots of friends, but he is very shy when you first meet him. He

typically does not start the conversation and will wait until someone will approach him and

befriend him. This works out perfectly for Isaiah since [a]dolescents choose friends who are

similar to them on some dimensions and dissimilar on others (Collins & Madsen, 2006, p. 197).

This is because [i]t seems that rather than seeking friends who are identical to

themselves, adolescents prefer to be around people whose similarity allows a comfort level for

asserting and developing one's own identity (Collins & Madsen, 2006, p. 197). Which is a good

thing for Isaiah. If all of his friends were as shy as he was, he would never make any friends

since neither would approach each other. But, they Isaiah and his friends have a common

interest, which is what sparked their friendship in the first place. For example, one of his good

friends is in his Pokmon Club. After telling Isaiah about the club and how he would enjoy it and

should join, Isaiah did. Had his friend not known that they had a common interest (Pokmon)

and was just as shy as Isaiah is, Isaiah might never have joined a club that he now thoroughly

enjoys and looks forward to every week.

Isaiah, while an individual, still seeks attention where possible, especially now that his

brother is gone. At school one day, he noticed a friend of his got praise for doing well on an

assignment that Isaiah didnt complete. That night, Isaiah came home and went straight to doing

his homework, something his mother mentioned to me he hasnt done in a few weeks. When

asked why he is doing his homework so quickly and early, Isaiah responded that his friend got

an A and special recognition from the teacher and [he] was embarrassed because everyone

noticed that he didnt get anything. So, [he is] working on my homework so the teacher can see
that I am a good boy too. A student who notices that a classmate receives praise from the

teacher after acting a certain way may decide to imitate such behavior to win similar rewards

(McCown & Snowman, 2015, p. 388). This is shown perfectly in the example above. Socially,

Isaiah just wants to be accepted, even if he is very shy. He doesnt like attention drawn to him, so

he will do what he can to keep the attention off him. However, he doesnt like appearing weak or

less than, so he will do what he can do seek praise. When he saw his friend got praise for

working on his homework, Isaiah wanted that same feeling of accomplishment, so he did his

homework early to ensure it got done.

The recommendation I would Isaiahs parents would be to continue to promote Isaiahs

involvement in clubs. When surrounded by other children, his shyness might slowly dissipate. I

would also let Isaiah know that getting homework done is very important and not something that

should be done solely to get a praise or a reward. They could help him understand that while

getting good grades is important, learning can be something fun, not just a means to an end. As

for teachers, I would recommend cooperative learning for Isaiah. It might help him get out of his

shell and learn to interact with children more when he has to do projects with a group in which

the entire group benefits when all people involved perform well. When Isaiah has to talk to

someone, he is more open and social, so maybe more interactions with children throughout the

school setting could help encourage this breakout even more.

Isaiah is a very smart kid, he excels in almost every grade, and is a straight A student

(especially once his mom got on him about getting his grades back up when they started to fall

after his brother left), but Math, English, and Science are his best subjects. Even if the work is

hard, Isaiah will continue through the homework and stays focused. After all, [s]tudents with a

moderate to strong sense of self-efficacy will persist at a given task, particularly when progress
becomes difficult (McCown & Snowman, 2015, p. 100) However, PE is his least favorite class

and he is currently not getting an A in the course because he does the bare minimum and wont

try harder than he needs to. Plus, if something gets difficult, he gives up easily. This is also true

for children his age because [s]tudents with a low sense of self-efficacy tend to abandon tasks

at the first sign of difficulty, thereby establishing a pattern of failure, low expectations of future

successes, and task avoidance (McCown & Snowman, 2015, p. 100).

Isaiah is in the Formal Operational Stage, but you can tell he is just at the beginning

stages of it. He is able to generalize and engage in mental trial and error by thinking up

hypotheses and testing them in [his] head (McCown & Snowman, 2015, p. 43). For example,

his mother asked him to get the mail from the mailbox. She told him to stay on the right side of

the driveway, since the mailbox is on that side of the street. He noticed, however, that the left

side of the driveway doesnt curve as much, so maybe, if he took the left side then crossed over,

it might actually be quicker. He tested his hypothesis a few times in his head, as well as in

person, and found that he was correct.

A recommendation I would give Isaiahs parents on his intelligence would be to continue

working hard in those classes he loves. Maybe find out why he loves those classes so much and

how he can mix his favorite classes with the classes he doesnt enjoy so much. For example,

baseball is all geometry. Perhaps, if there is a PE test that surrounds baseball, Isaiahs parents and

teachers could work together to make baseball and the physical activity that is involved with it

fun by applying the geometric equations to it. Perhaps then, he will want to do more physical

activity while bringing his PE grade up in the process.

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