PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

Sarah Cummings

March 21, 2017

EDU 220

PEPSI Screening

Subject: Rachel Cummings

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

Rachel Lynn Cummings was born and raised in Las Vegas Nevada. Rachel is a 14 year

old girl who is in the eighth grade at Cadwallader Middle School. Her father, Randall Cummings

is a retired inspector for the city of Las Vegas. Her mother, Kathy Cummings is a P.E. assistant

at Bunker Elementary School. Rachels parents have been married for 25 years. Her brother,

David Cummings is 24 years old and currently a bug inspector. Her sister, Sarah Cummings is 20

years old and is currently in school to become a kindergarten teacher. Rachels grandma is also

living with her as well as her dog, Charlie. Rachel was raised in a mormon household, so her

duties include her going to church, helping with service projects, and attending church gatherings

daily. Rachel takes her schooling very seriously, she makes it her goal to get straight As and to

never miss a day of school. Rachel is also very talented in cooking and singing. Rachel's

personality is persuasive, persistent, and confident. Rachel is very social and can make friends

with anyone. Rachel also likes to experiment with makeup and different looks.

As for Rachels physical development, she is currently in no sports. However, she does

show an interest in basketball and baseball, as she has played in these before and has good hand

coordination. Rachel is 54 and weighs 140 pounds. Rachel's BMI is slightly overweight. She

should be in the 85th percentile, but is in the 86th; making her BMI 24.0 (BMI Calculator for

kids, Chapter 3 Notes). Indeed, after researching more about this I found that average girls this

age and at this height should weigh no more than 109 lbs (The Average Weight And Height Of

Kids, Livestrong and Disabled World). Rachel gets 9hrs of sleep a day, sometimes less during

the school week and possibly an hour or two more on the weekends. Rachels eating habits are
not so great as she consumes a lot of fast food within the week or grabs unhealthy snacks. I

understand

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

that During our teens, the body demands extra nutrients to support growth of muscle and bone

(TeensHealth). Nonetheless, looking at the foods Rachel consumes and after doing research on

this I found that Rachel may have an eating disorder. Eating disorders happen when they often

eat quickly, eat when they are stressed or upset (instead of just when they are hungry), and do

other things while they eat (like watch TV or do homework). They don't stop eating when theyre

full (TeensHealth). Rachels main issue is constantly bringing junk food to her room and binge

watching a show. Rachel also struggles with eating when she is stressed or upset (she will throw

a tantrum until she gets food which calms her down). Despite that, Rachel participates in her

Physical Education daily at school and her favorite game to play is pigball (where you throw a

football into a basketball hoop). Rachel hit puberty at age 12 and hit her growth spurt at age 13.

Examining Rachel with her friends and looking at the way Rachel is physically developed, I see

how she relates to other girls in this age group. Girls bodies begin to change (fat distribution in

buttocks, legs, and stomach increases; hips widen; pubic hair grows; start of menses; breasts

begin to develop) (Child Development of the 12-14 Year Old). Recently I see Rachel making an

effort to be more active. Examples include her walking to target (1.2miles) every week with her

friend, swimming every chance she gets, and getting into an exercise routine which consists of

jumping jacks, squats, and sit ups.

 For Rachel's emotional development, she is in the Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18yr

old) stage (Eriksons Identity vs. Role Confusion in Adolescent Development). Rachel is pretty

confident in who she is and has no shame, nor does she get embarrassed. In fact, she loves when

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

all the attention is on her. I see her struggle with role confusion as she tries to act out for

attention such as cutting her hair/dressing like a scene or emo girl, or doing an act and looking

back at her peers/brother for approval. Rachel is set in her mind what is right and wrong, and if

you do something she doesn't believe in, its hard to get her trust back. Rachel is experimenting

with different aspects of herself, as she tries different makeup and hairstyles (Eriksons Identity

vs. Role Confusion in Adolescent Development). Teens are self conscious, have low self

esteem, have an immature concept of intimacy, are vulnerable to comments from others and are

also in need for a best friend.(Lakeside Connect). Rachel can't stand negative feedback, even if

it's in a teasing matter. Rachel also occasionally has breakdowns about how we don't love her,

if we don't get her food. Rachel often soul searchers on what she wants to become when she

grows up. Her options include teacher, police officer, or marine biologist. Rachel keeps up with

her research on these things and examines what is best for her.

Philosophical development is based on knowledge, values, and morals. Rachel views life

as a playground. She loves to make jokes, laugh, and make other people laugh. Rachel is very

active and a live in the moment type girl. She is very spontaneous and loves to travel, and

encourages travels. Rachel is very close with her family, specifically her siblings. Rachel is

serious about important things such as school, church, and family, but loves to joke about
everything else and not take life too seriously/take risks. In teens, the frontal lobe (where our

decision making happens) is not as connected to the rest of the brain as it is later in life. This

means teens literally cannot come to a decision as fast as an adult. Teens take an average of 170

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

milliseconds longer to go over the consequences of a decision, which in turn makes them more

likely to decide the risk is worth it. (Mental Floss) Most teenagers think that no one understands

them, and they usually don't talk about their feelings to their families. Its normal for teenagers to

be more moody or seem uncommunicative, but they still want you to be involved in their life

(Raising Children.net) Indeed, Rachel is comfortable and trusts her family. Rachel considers her

brother and her sister to be her best friends and opens up to them often; these are the people who

know her best and she knows it. Rachel is also very loyal and protective of her family. Most

teenagers still want to spend time with their families, sharing ideas and having fun (Raising

Children.net).

Rachel is a very social teenager. She goes out of her way to make friends, and easily

confronts stranger/can hold a conversation with one. When she is at an amusement parks such as

circus circus, she talks to people in line and convinces them to go on rides. As stated above

Rachel can make friends with anyone. Friendship is important in teens because friendship

provide teens with opportunities to develop conflict resolution skills, learn about companionship

and recreation, and teens talk through a lot of issues together (Family Works: Friendship is

Important). Unfortunately, like most teenagers this means Rachel is addicted to social media.

Most teens are on their phones all the time - in school, in bed at night, when they go to the
bathroom, while you are trying to talk to them, and while they are trying to do their homework.

(Huffington post: Teens Addicted to Social Media). Research shows teens are extremely

deficient in face-to-face communication skills. What else are they missing out in terms of

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

personal growth and development, social skills, and academic discipline and learning?

(Huffington post: Teens Addicted to Social Media). Neuroscientist have found, using MRI scans

that teenagers seeing all those likes on a social media post may be especially intoxicating to

growing brains. It is also found that pressure from social media might be linked to an increased

risk of depression and anxiety in teens. Using the MRI, you saw the nucleus accumbens (a part

of the brain that lights up when doing something pleasurable and rewarding), social activity and

visual lights up which could influence the brain. Just because there are many potential bad things

teenagers can encounter while using their social media, doesnt mean it's specifically bad; its

just something we need to look out for. (Huffington Post: This Could Explain Why Teens Are So

Obsessed With Social Media). I also learned that our personality during adolescence predicts our

future happiness. Those who were outgoing and emotionally stable in their youth were found to

be happier in later life than those who were introverted or emotionally unstable. (Daily Mail)

Looking at Rachel, I guarantee she will find lots of joy in her life. As for schooling, Rachel states

that it sucks and has many suggestions for changes.

Nonetheless, Rachel's intellectual development is right where it should, if not higher. As

stated before, Rachel makes it her goal to get straight As each semester, every year and tries her

best to not miss school. Rachel was awarded a trip to washington two years in a row for her

grades, but unfortunately did not attend because she did not feel comfortable getting on a plane
by herself and leaving her family for a long period of time. Rachel was also awarded to be

student aid, which meant her grades were above average allowing her to skip a class and work

upfront in the office. Rachel is at a critical time for brain growth; considering current research

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

shows that young adolescents go through tremendous brain growth and development (Brain

Development in Young Adolescence). Significant intellectual processes are emerging.

Adolescents are moving from concrete to abstract thinking and to the beginnings of

metacognition (the active monitoring and regulation of thinking processes). They are developing

skills in deductive reasoning, problem solving, and generalizing. (Brain Development in Young

Adolescence). A middle school student can generally retain from 5 to 7 bits of information at one

time, so teachers should not try to cram too much information into one lesson (Brain

Development in Young Adolescence). During this age, Rachel is able to think about possibilities,

think about abstract concepts, her metacognitive abilities improve (she can think about thinking),

and can understand things from different points of view (Middle School Tips: Cognitive

Development). During early adolescence, the prefrontal cortex of the brain (the frontal lobe)

does not develop as quickly as other regions, and in fact, is not fully developed until the ages of

18-20. Nonetheless, adolescents problem solving skills and deductive skills have increased

dramatically (Middle School Tips: Cognitive Development). Rachel stated that her strengths in

school are her elective classes (especially choir) and her weaknesses in school is Math (although

she does really good in it). It is obvious that her distractions are talking in class, or any group

activity. Nonetheless, Rachel is a very intelligent person.

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

Developmental Graph
PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

Abstract

In conclusion, after doing this observation and research I noticed there was room for

improvement in Rachels development. In Rachels physical development, The first

recommendation I have for her is to eat better foods, and at least try to cut out fast food. She
knows how to be active, has the ability to lose weight , and knows she needs to eat better but still

refuses to do so or finds an exception to eating poorly. My second recommend is for Rachel to

cut down on doing things that could lead to her having an eating disorder such as eating in front

of the tv. My third recommend is to be more active during the school days. Rachel does not have

a problem on being active during the weekend with her friends, but on school days she ignores

her friends and watches tv. Rachel also has the skills and interest for sports such as baseball and

swimming, but has stopped signing up to do those things. I recommend Rachel to get at least an

hour of physical activity every day. As for Rachel's emotional development, I don't see too many

issues. She is confident, friendly, knows who she is/what she stands for, and sets goals. In fact, I

don't have any recommendations for her in this area. I also see Rachel's philosophical

development is right where it should be. While observing, I noticed she doesn't like to be

serious, unless it's something important such as her schooling; which I consider a good trait to

have. You should enjoy life, not dread it. For her age, I believe her philosophical development is

sustainable. Although, Rachel can be moody she believes in being loyal and putting her family

first. If I had a recommendation it would be for her to get her own beliefs on the world, and not

rely on mom and dad's approval or religious beliefs. Considering Rachel is outgoing, friendly,

and very social to everyone; I don't see her lacking in the social development. However, I do

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

recommend that she slows down on the social media. I know you can't take social media away

and every teenager is going to find some way to get addicted to it; nonetheless I believe Rachel

could set it down for a few minutes and be around the people she is with. It seems the older she
gets the more she relies on her social media and ignores the people around her. I believe it can be

very intoxicating for her development at this age. For Rachel's intellectual development, I

believe she is above average. Ive never seen her struggle in school, in fact her peers come to her

for help. It is recorded that she is rewarded for her grades and makes goals to be the best student

she can be. It states Rachel is going through a tremendous amount of brain growth and I can see

her intelligence grow. I recommend for her to never stop setting goals for herself, and to not

slack off not matter how tempting it can be. Needless to say these are my recommendations for

Rachel as I observed her growth/development and applied them to the 5 principles of

development.

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

References:

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Teenagers. From:

https://www.disabled-world.com/artman/publish/height-weight-teens.shtml
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From: http://kidshealth.org/en/teens/binge-eating.html

BMI Calculator for kids, Chapter 3 Notes

(2015, May 21). Brain Development In Young Adolescents. NEA.

From: http://www.nea.org/tools/16653.htm

Callaway, Chris. (2013, August 16). LiveStrong. The Average Height and Weight by Age. From:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/328220-the-average-height-and-weight-by-age/

(2014, August 12). Child Development of the 12-14 Year Olds. The Behavior Corner. From:

http://behaviorcorner.com/age-12-14-years/

PEPSI Screening: Sarah Cummings

Erikson's Identity vs. Role Confusion in Adolescence Development. study.com., (2014, March 7)
From:

http://study.com/academy/lesson/eriksons-identity-vs-role-confusion-in-adolescent-development

.html

(2013, April 23). Family Works- Friendship Is Important To Teens. Family Works-Friendship Is

Important To Teens. From: https://extension.illinois.edu/familyworks/teen-05.html

(2015, July 21). Middle School Tips: Cognitive Development. Developmentally Appropriate

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From:

https://sites.google.com/site/dapforteachers/home/middle-school-tips-cognitive-development

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scent-personality-affects-lives-SIXTIES-according-research-University-Southampton.html

(2012, February 2). 5 Reasons Teenagers Act The Way They Do. Mental Floss.

From: http://mentalfloss.com/article/29895/5-reasons-teenagers-act-way-they-do

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Snowman, Jack. (2015). Psychology Applied to Teaching, 14th edition. Stamford, CT.: Rick

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(2016, April 14). Teens Addicted to Social Media. The Huffington Post.

From: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/judith-johnson/teens-addicted-to-social-_b_9696378.html

(2016, June 3). This Explains Why Social Media Is Irresistible To Teen Brains. The Huffington

Post. From:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/this-could-explain-why-teens-are-so-obsessed-with-social-
media_us_574f7084e4b0ed593f134279

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(2015, April 20). What Parents Mean to Teenagers. Raising Children Network: The Australian

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