The Young Kindergarten students just returned to the classroom from their afternoon recess. Everyone was packing up their folders, backpacks, and water bottles as it was near the end of the day. Students were very tired after a long week, so the teacher turned on Wild Kratt’s for the kids to relax until it was dismissal time. Some students were half asleep watching Wild Kratt’s, and some were coloring at their tables.
Glida: 2
Mrs .Smith, I just crawled under your desk and now I have mud all over my leg.
Mrs. Smith looks down at Bob’s leg to inspect the mud. Mrs. Smith quickly realizes that this isn't mud on Bob’s leg. It is poop!
No ,I didn’t poop my pants I went in the potty.
Glida: 3
Bob, please show me where the mud was. Then please go to the sink, get a wet paper towel w/ lots of soap and scrub your leg. I believe you've crawled in poop.
Glida: 4
Bob please settle down. I know it's disgusting but it's also embarrassing for the person that had the accident so please don’t bring too much attention to this.
WHAT? POOP? Sick! Who Pooped? (yelling very loud)?
Glida: 5
Ok, I understand (laughing).
Glida: 6
Mrs. Smith calls down to the janitor to disinfect the floor. Mrs. Smith then walks around the room sniffing kids and checking how their bottoms look to see if there is a bulge from poop.
Glida: 7
Sam did you have an accident? We found poop on the floor and I know you have had some recent accidents so I just wanted to check.
Glida: 8
Ok, Thank you for you're honesty.
Glida: 9
This behavior is characteristic of neurotypical development in the 4-5 year old age range. At this stage, some children may still experience accidents, and most would feel shy and embarrassed about it, leading them to not admit to it. This aligns with Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development, specifically the preoperational stage (2-5 years old). Children at this stage may not fully comprehend how their actions impact others or understand the social norms surrounding such behavior, which may lead to their reluctance to admit to accidents.
Sniff
sniff
Mrs. Smith kept walking around the room, sniffing, inspecting, and never determined who pooped their pants that afternoon.