Difficult Decision Case Study

In the case study about Danny, it is clear that her mother, Ms. Tang wants the best for her son but she is finding it difficult to meet the obligations because of her tight schedule that also involves taking care of Danny's other siblings. Danny is struggling in school especially in mathematics particularly in the area of memorizing the multiplication table. Other than that, Danny is also facing the challenge of solving word problems not knowing the best concept to use. He also had a problem in concentration and wasted a huge amount of time doodling with his pencil. This paper is aimed at identifying solutions that could help both Danny and his mother Ms. Tang handle the situation in a better way.

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Ms. Rodriguez, Danny's teacher, scheduled for a teacher-parent conference to discuss the problems facing Danny. She noticed that Danny's agenda was signed rarely although Danny went home with it on a nightly basis. She wondered whether Danny's problems arose from home as she believed that the parent is the first teacher and played a huge role in the child's academic progress. She was sure that Ms. Tang did not care about her son's academic progress because she was already late for the meeting. However, she realized that Danny's mother had her hands full as she was a single mother with three children, two sons (one who was disabled and needed special care) and a daughter. Ms. Tang did not have extra time as she spent after school hours running to complete tasks such as taking the disabled son to physical therapy and driving the daughter to soccer practice a few days in a week. So tight was her schedule that Danny did his homework at the private practice where his brother received therapy since the evenings were spent with baths, dinners and preparing for bed. This type of living arrangement may have impacted badly on Danny's academic performance.

Ms. Rodriguez only realizing the grave nature of the situation sympathized with Ms. Tang and Danny. However, she offered solutions that were helpful to Ms. Tang, although it was again adding more responsibilities to her already full basket. It would be impossible to consider where Ms. Tang would find the time to attend the parent involvement workshop at the school yet her after-school schedule was already full. It would have been better if Ms. Rodriguez would reduce the amount of homework given to Danny to help Ms. Tang to fit this into her schedule well. She would also offer an after-school program or an hour for Danny to complete his homework at the school which would free up some time for Ms. Tang to do her other duties. She could also offer to give Danny some special attention to help him be able to understand mathematics better. She could also take care of Danny after school as her only concern was her daughter at daycare which would free up time for Ms. Tang and which would help Danny with his homework (Olson, 1994).

According to me, Ms. Rodriguez could offer herself to help Ms. Tang by focusing on Danny's academics as she finds a solution that can help her manage her time better for herself and her children. Section II of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Code of Ethical Conduct (2005) that talks about the Ethical Responsibilities of early childhood practitioners and the families, Ms. Rodriguez could well offer her help especially to ensure that Danny's academic performance improves. Ms. Rodriguez could schedule some extra time to tutor Danny and ensure that he can catch up with the rest of the class. This will not only help Danny, but it will also help Ms. Tang free up a bit of her time and be a better parent not only to Danny but to the rest of the siblings as well (Fettig & Ostrosky, 2011). Ms. Rodriguez could schedule an after-school program that would not affect her time and in the end, drive Danny home as she picks her daughter from daycare. By helping Ms. Tang, Ms. Rodriguez is becoming ethically conscious of her position and how she can use it to effect change rather than just for mere teaching (Olson, 1994).

Conclusion

In conclusion, Danny's condition is common, and it faces many families across the world. Single parents find it difficult to manage their time, and it becomes even worse when one of the children needs special attention. One can sympathize with what Ms. Tang is going through because it is not something that anyone would wish for oneself. It is commendable that she is offering herself to ensure her children get the best although it is affecting their growth especially academically. All in all, Ms. Rodriguez is a good teacher, and her recommendations would help. However, she should consider other solutions that are more ethical like those presented in the above text.

References

Fettig, A., & Ostrosky, M. M. (2011). Collaborating with Parents in Reducing Children's Challenging Behaviors: Linking Functional Assessment to Intervention. Child Development Research, 2011, 1-10.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2005). Code of ethical conduct & statement of commitment: A position statement of the National Association for the Education of Young Children. Washington, DC: Author.

Olson, M. R. (1994). Five Ways Teachers Can Help Children form Single-Parent Families. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Problems, 2(4), 31-33.