Comparison with Initial Handling of the Problem

I formulated a hypothesis at first to take a step on how to work with Anibal. I started

working with Anibal by asking him what were they giving him, did he understand the material

the teachers were teaching him, how did he feel, what was he going to do, among other

questions. These were the usual activities. This was to take initiative and get to know data to

work with him. I started to teach him more responsibility, more commitment to school, among

other lessons. I wanted for him to recognize that school is important and that he needs to dedicate

time to school in order to progress and that he needs to behave in order to have a good image and

be someone in the future.

Initially, I thought it was all it would work out. It did, to an extent. I realized that I was

neither his big brother nor his father (which is obvious) to do this kind of stuff. I was behind him

like he was a sibling or my son. Consequently, I developed caring for the boy. Still, that is not

(and will not be) my job. He has a parent for that. That’s when I knew this kid needed support

from his parents and that this fact would be a real initiative to handle the problem. Anibal lacks

study skills, responsibility, and commitment, all which could be modified with the help of his

mother (his mother because she is the only one that lives with him; note that I have mentioned

his father several times, but this is because this study recognizes that his father also plays a vital

role in Anibal’s life).

The study led me to this result: Anibal’s parents need to support him and keep leading

him through the path he needs to follow. I imagine: How would Anibal’s life be if he had a

serious relationship with his mother or his father? Would he have bad grades in English? Would

he have developed language acquisition in a proper way? Develop responsibility? Develop

commitment? I believe so, and I believe there is still time. I could do tutoring, I could dedicate

time to socialize alone with Anibal and get information from him as well as take the kid and chat

from time to time with him, but eventually I will go away and his parents will stay. So,

comparing it with the initial handling of the problem, I could say that I, in a way, knew that

Anibal needed support from his parents, but I didn’t know it would be this desperate. At first, I

started trying different communicative approaches to know him, help him, and support him. It

turns out that this was what he needed.

The initiative to work with Anibal was to address his lack of study skills, his

irresponsibility, and try to get him more interested in the classroom. Still, school is limited to

five hours proximally (due to interlocking). He spends more time outside school than inside

school. In other words, teachers are limited to what they can do. However, his mother is not,

even though she works a lot. Family is family and Anibal needs from his family. A child is a gift

from God and they should be conserved always. How Anibal’s life would be if his mother had

been always with him? How his life would have been if he didn’t pass through a divorce? Things

sure would be different. Still, we cannot judge no one and we cannot turn back time.