Within days of meeting one’s students, educators can often depict a select few students who

may present with areas of concern or display concerning behaviors. It took only but a few
exchange of words for me to put Ms. Ackley’s fourth grader, Max, on my watch list.

Max’s sarcastic remarks to both Ms. Ackley and his classmates often get him in some trouble.
His stubborn personality often leads him to disobeying those who are in authority. Max also has
the mentality that he is always the one that is correct, being blindsided by the fact that there is
always two sides to every story. I consider Max to be an extremely intelligent student; however,
he often does not rise to his fullest potential due to his classroom behavior, anger management
issues, and social awkwardness. With that being said, I am particularly concerned about Max’s
behavior and overall perception of himself.

After not receiving the anticipated approval of his performance on an assignment, Max
immediately had a meltdown. I recall Ms. Ackley providing him with several words of affirmation,
but she did kindly ask him to reevaluate his performance and add some color, rewrite some of
the words that were unlegible, and elaborate by adding some more details. Although Max did
receive positive comments about his work, he was only able to hear the negatives. This led Max
to believe that his bare book was “the worst thing in the entire universe” and that it “deserved to
be “incinerated.” I found Max stomping on his bare book, crumpling up the pages, and throwing
it against the wall. It concerns me that Max was unable to see the good in his work, causing him
to see nothing but negativity and react in the manner that he did.

On another occasion, Max expressed to me that he hates himself and that he feels like
everyone else hates him as well. As any fourth grader would, Max was crying, as he told me,
“Nobody cares about me, so it does not even matter if I am alive or not.” These words shot
daggers through my heart, as my insides hurt for him. These are words that no one ever wants
to hear from another person. My concerns for Max continued to grow. Since then, I have made
a conscious effort to assure Max that he matters, and he especially matters to me.

It is not unheard of to hear about students, even elementary students, causing self harm and/or
attempting suicide, and such cases are becoming more and more common. I recognize the
seriousness of Max’s behaviors and expressed feelings. Max’s self perception is especially
upsetting, and I know that Ms. Ackley and the other school staff work hard to help Max work
through his episodes and assist him in building his self esteem and confidence.