London Walsh

Edu 220
12/4/17

PEPSI Case Study

Kayla Walsh was born on January 11, 2006. She is about to turn twelve years old next

month. She currently attends the sixth grade at Harney Middle School here in Las Vegas,

Nevada. She also happens to be my youngest sister. I chose to do the PEPSI Case Study on her

because even when she was an itty bitty child, she has always shown an incredible amount of

intelligence and talent. She has a strong personality and she is a person you could never forget

once you’ve met her.

Kayla was born into a family of four older sisters and an older brother. She is the

youngest as well as the farthest apart in age out of all of us. Her parents got married on August

13, 1999. They are still married to this day. She lives with them along with her older sister

Kassie, who just graduated from high school, a year early, last May. They live on the east side of

Las Vegas near Hal Smith Elementary School.

Kayla began walking and talking by the age of ten months old. By age three, she was

speaking in complete sentences and attempting large words. Although she is the youngest, she

has never really had a childish behavior, except, of course, her occasional fits when she didn’t

get what she wanted. Ever since she was five, she could maintain a conversation with an adult.

At the age of nine, she won Miss Nevada of the Jr. Beauty Pageant. Her talents include singing,

acting, hula hooping, and dancing. She got to go to California for Nationals and although she

didn’t place in that one, it is remarkable that she won the Junior division here in Nevada.

Throughout her years at school she has always received A’s and B’s, with the exception of a few
C’s here and there for math or science. Now that she is in middle school she tells me that she is

earning straight A’s.

Upon doing research, I found that kids of the middle school age level mature physically

quicker than emotionally. They develop awkwardly, with growth spurts lasting a few months.

Their bodies may not be proportional at this time. The average age for a girl to begin

menstruating is 11-14. When I was younger the average age was 14-16, but now girls are

menstruating at younger ages. Kayla began menstruating at the age of 10 and has been

developing physically since then as well. Upon first look, most people think she is at least 13 or

14. According to Dr. Mills chart for girls ages 2-18, Kayla falls between the 75th and 95th, above

average, percentile for her height according to her age. She is 5’3. She weighs 116 pounds,

which puts her in the 75th percentile for Dr. Mills weight-to-age chart. She is within the healthy

range for her height, age, and weight. Because of her growth spurts, Kayla has a very high

appetite most of the time. She is almost always hungry. She gets an average of 6-9 hours of

sleep each night. Usually she is pretty good about not staying up late but thanks to technology

sometimes she stays up late talking to friends. She doesn’t play any sports, but she did try out

for both cheerleading and dance. I believe that it is because of her grade level, not her ability

that she didn’t get in either. If she stays active and keeps practicing the routines, next year she

can be in whatever sports she chooses.

Emotionally, I would like to think Kayla is pretty stable, but during this time in her life,

with change around nearly every corner physically, socially, academically, etc. being

emotionally stable will not come easily. She is really good at making decisions and she is well

aware of possible consequences of her actions. She surrounds herself with good friends. It is
hard for her, at this age, to find good friends because she is more developed than other girls,

therefore she gets criticized often. I try to tell her as often as I can not to worry about what

others may have to say about her and sometimes she is able to block it out but on other days it

becomes too much for her and she has breakdowns. She is a very sweet girl, who I hope does

not bully, but being at her age, sometimes peers will be cruel towards those not in their peer

group. Most of the research I found, suggested that kids this age become rebellious towards

their parents. Out of all of us kids, I feel that Kayla is the least rebellious. Our parents are very

lenient as long as they know where we are and who we are with. I remember being her age and

lying about who I was with or where I was but Kayla is very open with our mom. She talks to her

constantly, about things from all different topics. She shares mostly everything with her and she

definitely follows our parents’ values. I believe it is because of our parents’ openness and

understanding that have allowed Kayla to form her own beliefs and thoughts about things

without feeling criticized from family.

At this time in her life, Kayla is discovering who she is. She recently came to me to speak

about sexuality, being unsure of who she is and confiding in me. She understands various topics

that other kids may close off. She speaks about things as if she has already experienced a

lifetime. When I speak to her sometimes I feel that I am talking to a philosopher twice my age.

Of course she wants to fit in with her friends but she is also unique in many ways. She struggles

with self-confidence, as many kids do at this age. I read in our book, Psychology Applied to

Teaching, that often times, girls who are highly developed at a young age tend to have a lower

self-esteem. I feel that this is because, philosophically, kids at this age are aware that others

have different perspectives and so kids are always worried about what others think about
them. Kayla has been called horrible names, such as “slut”, just because she has breasts that

other girls her age do not have. She is at an age where she is very sensitive to this criticism but

at the same time, well developed enough to talk herself out of letting others’ feelings bring her

down. A good support system will help her to grow and keep discovering who she is and who

she wants to be.

Kayla was scared about middle school because it was new and challenging. She went

from sitting in the same classroom all day to six different teachers throughout the day. Most of

all she was scared because her best friend since third grade would be going to a different

middle school. Thanks to technology and close living distance, she remains in contact with her

best friend and even gets to see her every weekend. Kayla has never really had a problem with

making friends. She is easy to talk to, and very nice. Of course there are always kids that don’t

like her, for whatever reason, but for the most part Kayla is generally liked by peers and

teachers. While reading about the five milestones for 11-13 year olds, I learned that kids this

age tend to spend more time with friends, and less with family. This is definitely true for Kayla.

She always wants to go to the park with her friends, or to the mall, or to a friend’s house. She

has become quite independent in most things. Although, she does still try to spend time with

our mom, she leans to her best friend for advice and support when she feels lonely. Her friends

are who she confides in, but she also confides in our mom and her sisters. Our dad is a bit

harder to talk to, considering the mention of a boy will send him into a frenzy, so she keeps the

“girl talk” between the women in the family.

According to Jean Piaget’s Theory for Cognitive Development, Kayla is ending the

concrete operational stage and entering the formal operational stage of thinking. Now that she
can logically sequence numbers, tell time, and understand concrete thought processes, she is

gaining the ability to think abstractly. This meaning she can do more than add numbers

together, but she can think of “what if” situations, plan ahead, and discuss abstract concepts

such as love and justice. She is learning to understand metaphoric uses of language and will

probably begin reading poetry in school, if she hasn’t already. She will learn how to analyze

what an author wrote and decipher the “true” meaning behind their words, rather than the

literal meaning. She can understand figurative language. Kayla has told me that she loves

talking to me because I do not talk to her like she is a child, but rather like she is as old as I am,

which is 21. And this is because when I hear her speak, I do not hear a child. I hear someone

who speaks their mind, and understands the worlds around her in a way that many children are

still figuring out. She knows right from wrong. We talk about life and death and everything in

between. Growing up around people who are all older than her has helped her to have high

language capabilities and as long as she surrounds herself with people who challenge her

intellectually, she will continue to thrive.

Overall, Kayla is well developed in all five areas of development: Physical, Emotional,

Philosophical, Social, and Intellectual. She is above average in her physical development,

appearing more as if she in high school. She is still discovering activities that she enjoys doing.

Emotionally she isn’t quite stable, but who is? She is still discovering herself, which will be a

long journey. She has a good group of friends as well as a strong family foundation of support.

She is very smart. She can hold a conversation with just about anybody. She is motivational,

often times helping others get through tough times. As much as I don’t want her to grow
anymore, I am thrilled to see how much more she is going to develop in all of these areas as she

grows.
 Sources

Physical:
1. Physical Development:11-13. (2017). 2017, December 4. Web.
https://www.kidcentraltn.com/article/physical-development-ages-11-13
2. Middle childhood and Adolescent Development. (2007, July). 2017,
December 4. Web.
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/tillamook/sites/default/files/documents/
4h/ecno1527.pdf
3. Physical Development: 7-11. (2016). 2017, December 4. Web.
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/psychology/development-
psychology/physical-cognitive-development-age-711/physical-
development-age-711
4. Dr. Mills. Too Soft. (2017, December 7th) Web. http://halls.md/chart-girls-
height-w/ http://halls.md/chart-girls-weight-w/

Emotional:
1. Stewart, Janelle. 9-to11-year-olds: Age and Stage Development. (2013,
January 7). 2017, December 4. Web.
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/9_to_11_year_olds_ages_and_stages_of_you
th_development
2. Glenndale- River Hills. (2007) Developmental Characteristics of 6th Graders.
2017, December 4. Web.
http://www.glendale.k12.wi.us/glen_hills/grade__teacher_pages/6th_grade/
developmental_characteristics_of_6th_graders
3. Developmental Profile for 6th grade student, age 11. (2013). 2017, December
4. Web. http://www.iteachersuite.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Sixth-
Grade-Students-Age-11.pdf

Philosophical:
1. Anthony, Michelle. Social Development in 11-13 year olds. 2017, December
6. Web. http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/stages-
milestones/social-development-11-13-year-olds
2. Snowman, Jack. McCown, Rick. Psychology Applied to Teaching 14th
edition. Wadsworth Publishing. 2014, February 28. Print.
 3. "Characteristics of Middle Grade Students,” Caught in the Middle (1989).
Sacramento: California Department of Education, pages 144-148. Web.
https://pubs.cde.ca.gov/tcsii/documentlibrary/characteristicsmg.aspx

Social:
1. 5 Developmental milestones: 11-12 years old. 2017, December 6. Web.
https://www.education.com/slideshow/developmental-milestones-11-12-
years-old/possible-setbacks-11/
2. "Characteristics of Middle Grade Students,” Caught in the Middle (1989).
Sacramento: California Department of Education, pages 144-148. Web.
https://pubs.cde.ca.gov/tcsii/documentlibrary/characteristicsmg.aspx
3. Developmental Milestones: 11+ Year olds.2017, December 6. Web.
http://www.fundamentallychildren.com/child-development-advice-
including-special-needs/child-development-by-age/11-year-olds/

Intellectual
1. Anthony, Michelle. Cognitive Development in 11-13 Year Olds. 2017,
December 7. Web.
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/stages-
milestones/cognitive-development-11-13-year-olds
2. Anthony, Michelle. Language Development in 11-13 Year Olds. 2017,
December 7. Web.
http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/stages-
milestones/language-development-11-13-year-olds
3. Brain Development: 11-13. 2017, December 7. Web.
https://www.kidcentraltn.com/article/brain-development-ages-11-13