I am continuing to monitor the interventions I have put in place through observation and self-reflection. I have let Jase’s mother know of the interventions by giving her a copy of the visual aid from Kelso’s Choice and writing a note once per week to inform her of Jase’s successes. Although Dondra does not write back to me on a regular basis, our recent phone conversations have been positive and I have felt more relaxed with her than I have in the past.

Jase continues to have some difficulty solving problems, but the interventions have helped her become more independent and understanding. The class meetings have allowed me to be the teacher and not just the problem solver in the room. For example, Jase and another girl in my room have continuous conflicts. One minute they are best friends and the next they are viciously angry with each other. Before I implemented the agenda, I would have gotten involved and tried to deescalate arguments between the two girls. My attempts did not meet with much success and took me away from my other students. Because we have brainstormed solutions to these difficulties, when a problem arises, I refer the girls to the chart where those solutions are written. Although they do not always make good choices and solve the problem on their own, I feel I am helping them become independent by giving them the opportunity to try.

When Jase has a problem that we need to solve together, I reflect on how I handled the situation and what I could change the next time I help her. I take brief notes on what happened and on what we both said and did. I not only do this for improvement purposes, but also in case I am ever questioned about what I told her and how I helped (or did not help) her.

All of Jase’s difficulties at school are not solved, but I believe that by fostering her social interactions, which are so important to her and her family, she will continue to grow into a more confident child with the skills needed to make long lasting friends.

The quote at the beginning of this paper describes how I feel children should be taught. Every child is vastly different from every other child and to think that they all should be given the same instruction in the same environment under the same rules is a notion that good teachers know is outdated. All children have different environmental, intellectual, emotional, cultural, and even unidentifiable factors that affect who they are and how they present themselves. The best we can do for each child is to help them reach their own goals and meet their personal potential. The Cultural Inquiry Process is a tool that can help teachers accomplish this. Although I will probably not have the time to write up such a detailed case on another student, I feel that this CIP case will remind me to look at all of the factors that could be affecting a child before drawing conclusions.