Webster's dictionary defines teaching as: “one who teaches; above all: one whose occupation is to educate.” But teaching is much more than this, it is the ability to educate future generations, but also to encourage the student's development in all aspects. Some students have difficulty developing the whole person, meaning they have more difficulty developing the physical, cognitive, and emotional-social parts of themselves at the same time and pace. An observation was completed by a student in a typical 2nd grade classroom and one child stood out among others in his environment in both his characteristics and developmental stages. In order to protect the student's rights, for the duration of this article, the observed student will be referred to as James. When we talk about physical development the first thing we think about is height, weight, etc. However, it is also about movement, coordination and the little quirks that children sometimes do during the day to keep busy or stay focused. Observing James, it quickly became clear that he was very agitated for much of the day and that to stay somewhat calm he had to move constantly. It could be a simple movement like chewing the eraser on his pencil or tapping his fingers on the desk in a way that distracts all the other students, but he constantly had to do something. Without knowing anything about James, from a distance he seemed like a normal 8 year old compared to all the other kids. Once you got closer and started really observing him you could spot several physical characteristics that only he possessed, making him stand out among the other students. Attendance...... half of the paper ......in his class if he receives the right attention to do so. The final stage of a child's development that will be discussed is social-emotional development. Once removed from the classroom and placed in the playground, James played so well with his peers that no one would have ever guessed that he was locked in the classroom. During recess he would run around with the other kids, play what seemed to be a very fun game of tag and then sit with some of his classmates on the swings and just seem like a “normal” kid. Even at lunch he sat and conversed with his classmates, enjoyed a very enjoyable lunch and then returned with his class to the classroom to work on math and science for the day. The moment he stepped foot in that classroom, it was like a switch was flipped back on and he went back to acting withdrawn and only talking to me and the teacher.