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.
Hi Whitney! I love your topic. Interestingly enough, I personally was not adopted buy my mother adopted five kids who were biologically our cousins. I think that you brought out a very major point about how all families are not always that "Traditional" family that we sometimes expect and that is a great focal point to point out especially when involved with children who are not in the home with their own parents.
ReplyDeleteHi Whitney,
ReplyDeleteI love your topic and is highly interested in this topic. Referring back to our discussion post,the term family is now multidimensional including but not limited to foster family.I believe that the findings from this your project will enable early childhood educators understand their students better. Hanson & Lynch(2013) state, " Learning about each family's background and life experiences creates a context that professionals can use to better understand the family's perspective- .."(p.38).
References
Hanson, M. J., & Lynch, E. W. (2013). Understanding families: Approaches to diversity, disability, and risk. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Hi Whitney,
ReplyDeleteI love your topic and is highly interested in this topic. Referring back to our discussion post,the term family is now multidimensional including but not limited to foster family.I believe that the findings from this your project will enable early childhood educators understand their students better. Hanson & Lynch(2013) state, " Learning about each family's background and life experiences creates a context that professionals can use to better understand the family's perspective- .."(p.38).
References
Hanson, M. J., & Lynch, E. W. (2013). Understanding families: Approaches to diversity, disability, and risk. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
Hi Whitney,
ReplyDeletethis is a very interesting topic. I think adoption is one of the topics that I never really considered. But it relates and can affect a child's growth and development. I know that it is a topic that needs to be researched and addressed, and I am glad you are doing such. Another family situation that you should consider is "grandfamilies". Many grandparents are now adopting and raising their grandchildren for a variety of reasons. I look forward to reading your future post.
Hi Whitney,
ReplyDeleteYour topic is one that I have not experienced as a 2nd grade teacher. I am interested in the affects and life of adoption and foster care. This would be a great topic because it is important to know what a child is feeling like each day as they walk into the classroom or how they interact with their classmates. As a teacher, I would like to know what strategies or methods I could use to help a student. As it relates to foster homes, it can be beneficial for some children, but many times children are placed in multiple homes, which mean they have to up root from their lives and replant themselves somewhere else. Excessive transitioning could cause children to struggle in school, be set back a grade level or overall affect their academic achievement going forward (Miami University, 2010). Whitney, I am sure your project will help change the lives of students.
Miami University (2010). Foster care homes and their affect on child’s education. Retrieved from http://performancepyramid.miamioh.edu/node/1189
This is a great topic and adoption is one of those subjects that gets little attention. I have had students that were adopted in my classroom and some were adopted by family members others were adopted by outside families. These children were treated better than my students that had biological parents. My adopted students families showed a higher level of concern and care for their children and were actively involved in their education. The students didn't know they were adopted and it was not a topic that was discussed. One strategy I would recommend for you is to have a family day in your classroom. During the week read and discuss different types of families (ones that are reflected in your actual classroom) then at the end of the week invite all families to come in and mix and mingle. This is a great way for students to see the different types of families and learn about others in the classroom. I would recommend you do this is the beginning of the year when students are getting to know each other. Good Luck!
ReplyDelete