The relationships that children form with adults has a strong influence on the behaviors, goals, and beliefs that the child develops. It is my belief that the bond that a teacher forms with a student, generally, comes only second to the relationship that one has with their parents. This may not be so for students who have been adopted or are in foster care. The U.S Department of Health and Human Services (2015) reported that at there were 415,129 children in foster care at the end of September 2014. Over 116,000 of these children were between the ages of 5 and 10, elementary school aged.
The first thing that my supervising teacher told me before I entered her classroom as a student teacher is that "students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care (Watts, B, personal communication, 2011)." I selected this as my project for several reasons. The first reason is that, based on the premise from my supervising teacher, relationships are key. My interactions with children who are not living in homes with their biological parents is limited so this project will increase my knowledge base. Secondly, with an increase in standardized testing, I would love provide my future students and their foster families any resources or strategies available to better serve them. I believe that children are resilient, however I would like to be a change agent by providing outlets for students where they feel comfortable and may be able to cope.
I have many questions that I seek to find answers to as I complete this project. One is about the strategies to help students interact and form a family within the classroom. The thought of a traditional family with a mom and a dad has changed. Now students may have two same sex parents, one biological parent, or even living with an adult whom they have no blood relation. I know that some assignments like bring in your baby picture, make a mother's/ father's day card, and family tree projects may need to be avoided, but I would also like to know what biases general teachers have in assignments that may be offensive.
References
Children's Bureau An Office of the Administration for Children & Families. (September 2015). AFCARS Report #22. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/resource/afcars-report-22 on June 2, 2016.
The first thing that my supervising teacher told me before I entered her classroom as a student teacher is that "students don't care how much you know until they know how much you care (Watts, B, personal communication, 2011)." I selected this as my project for several reasons. The first reason is that, based on the premise from my supervising teacher, relationships are key. My interactions with children who are not living in homes with their biological parents is limited so this project will increase my knowledge base. Secondly, with an increase in standardized testing, I would love provide my future students and their foster families any resources or strategies available to better serve them. I believe that children are resilient, however I would like to be a change agent by providing outlets for students where they feel comfortable and may be able to cope.
I have many questions that I seek to find answers to as I complete this project. One is about the strategies to help students interact and form a family within the classroom. The thought of a traditional family with a mom and a dad has changed. Now students may have two same sex parents, one biological parent, or even living with an adult whom they have no blood relation. I know that some assignments like bring in your baby picture, make a mother's/ father's day card, and family tree projects may need to be avoided, but I would also like to know what biases general teachers have in assignments that may be offensive.
References
Children's Bureau An Office of the Administration for Children & Families. (September 2015). AFCARS Report #22. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/resource/afcars-report-22 on June 2, 2016.
