Nature, Nurture, and Getting the Big Picture

Sometimes when you meet a student and have the opportunity to work with them, you begin to think that you have a "big picture" of who they are.  You think.  You observe their actions, you listen to their words, and you read their writing.  You imagine different ways to support them and feel genuinely motivated to help them as best you can.  

But, can you ever really know the "big picture?"

 A particular student that I am working with is in second grade, and this is her second year in an English speaking classroom.  She struggles with math, she struggles with English Language Arts, she struggles with every thing.  When I'm helping her write sentences, I notice she has to refer to the alphabet  chart on her desk because she doesn't know the alphabet well.  This makes me cringe; it makes my heart clench.  How can I help this student write sentences, when she doesn't even have a grasp on the alphabet?  

Slowly, I'm beginning to see just how far behind this student is, and I can feel a sense of overwhelming nervousness.  I try to differentiate instruction for her and give her strategies to use.  But, as I look at her and speak to her, I can literally feel and see her disengagement. 

Later, my cooperating teacher explains to me that the student's mother is a fluent English speaker.  This information puzzles me.  How can this student be struggling so much with English when her mother clearly speaks it.

 

But do I have the whole big picture? 

She also shares with me that the student was a preemie, born at 6 months.  She indicates that this student could be suffering form developmental delays and cognitive delays. 

Oh my!  I have so many questions.  I want to know all of the pieces to the puzzle of this child.  I want to support her needs in every aspect: emotionally, developmentally, socially, and academically.  

I want to know who she is, and how she became this way.  I want to know how to help her.