Ainsley Harrison-Weiss

Part I:
In my science 10 class is a student Ill refer to as Josh. Josh has been diagnosed with
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), however, he now attends class without an SEA. He receives
support from the low-incidence Learning Support Program, where he attends for three out of
eight blocks, to learn life skills and tools for coping. He has an IEP and an official designation.
During previous years, he was quite successful in his math and science courses, however,
last year he began facing more difficulty. He failed his grade 9 math class and as a result, he is
not taking any grade 10 math currently. Unfortunately, he was able to succeed in lower grades
without the proper study skills, so he has never had to learn them. Based on the behaviour I have
observed, I think perhaps in the past his SEAs, or other support personnel, were more concerned
with getting through the material quickly than helping Josh actually learn. I think he may have
been provided the answers, and he didnt understand that he hadnt earned the grade he received
as he hadnt completed the work himself.
Josh also does not like to go home at the end of the day. It does not sound as if there is
any form of abuse at home, he merely prefers to be out. He especially doesnt like eating at
home where they expect him to eat vegetables. He told me that hell often eat an entire pizza
before going home just to avoid his greens!
Part II:
Although Josh attends few academic courses, he is very passionate about science. He
participates in almost every lesson, and he achieves average grades. However, he suffers from
the misconception that he is outstandingly brilliant and as a result, he has difficulty accepting
that sometimes he is wrong. He enjoys regaling me with tales of his previous academic
successes where he expended little to no effort, however, he is beginning to encounter a reality
check. Unfortunately, he has not learned the skills necessary to be an outstanding student, and he
feels that success without effort is much more impressive than hard work.
Josh becomes easily frustrated when I wont give him exactly what he wants, including
answers on the test. During the tests, he will ask me questions that are, in essence, asking for the
answers. At one point while he was writing a test I tried to explain why I couldnt answer his
question and he became angry. However, he also seemed genuinely confused why I wouldnt
just tell him the answer.
Josh can also be extremely demanding of me and my time, and does not always
understand that he has to wait his turn. He will attempt to monopolize my attention during class,
not allowing me to help others. With my students Ill often help them by nudging them in the
right direction without flat out telling them the answer. After, Ill leave them for a few minutes
to try to figure out the solution, and later return to check in on them and provide another nudge if

necessary. However, when I tried this with Josh he refused to work independently, and instead
followed me around the class pushing for the answer.
Part III:
Recently, Josh was assigned a lab write-up that required more work than he wanted to do.
The first draft he handed-in did not meet the necessary requirements and so I gave him the
opportunity to rewrite it. I recommended that he come for extra help after class since I did not
have the capacity to help him during class when all of my students need me. Unfortunately,
when he did come for help he more or less expected me to do the work for him. It required a fair
bit of coaxing for him to complete the assignment himself, and I was able to accomplish this
through humour. In class he had always been extremely somber, but I found working with him
one on one brought out a lighter side that I had not seen previously. I was able to communicate
why I couldnt do his homework for him, and he seemed to understand. Once we joked around
together, he began to open up and shared some personal information with me.
I also took this opportunity to make my expectations of him explicitly clear. While
certain behavioural norms become expected of students by the time they reach grade 10, I
realized that Josh could benefit from a reminder. I knew he was not intentionally being rude and
by making him more aware of his behaviour, I was fairly confident he would take the
opportunity to change it. This entire experience has shifted our relationship for the better.
Several days later, my science 10 class had to write another test. As usual, Josh
repeatedly asked for assistance that I could not appropriately provide during a test. However,
when I told him I couldnt answer his question, he didnt argue with me as he usually would. He
respected my boundaries and didnt push. Later, when I was helping another student, he
interrupted us as he has done many times in the past. This time, though, when he noticed what
he had done he apologized to the other student and said hed wait his turn. The other student was
quite appreciative and I was very proud of him.
Although helping Josh can sometimes be frustrating, I know that I cant measure his
behaviour the same way I would another students. When I am able to communicate why
something he does is inappropriate, he is very receptive and responsive, however, it is more
challenging for him to be aware of his behaviour than it is with most students. I am happy I had
the opportunity to get to know him as opposed to trying to judge him simply by his behaviour. I
hope that I can help him learn the necessary skills hell need in order to be a successful student; I
will continue to encourage him to come after school for help if he needs it, and I will encourage
him to value hard work by praising his effort rather than focussing on the grade.
In general, I think this is an extremely useful approach: focussing on the journey of
learning rather than the destination. Being able to apply yourself and really work towards a goal
is a much more important skill than achieving high grades. This is a mentality I want to bring
with me into the future. Not only do I want to teach my students material, I also want to teach
them life skills, and this includes ability to work hard.