| about adoption. Order from Cindy Fleischer and Lisa Maynard, P.O. Box 178, Pittsford, NY 14534 (716-924-5295 or 716-586-9586). |
SUMMARY
The school system has a tremendous impact on children. To assure
that the impact on adopted children is one that helps them learn and
ultimately mature into productive adults, the school system must become
more aggressive in learning about and meeting the needs of this growing
segment of the population.| • | Parents must consider their own child and school setting in making a decision about sharing adoption history with the school, considering carefully the ramifications and "hidden messages" of sharing and not sharing. |
| • | Parents may decide to educate the educators individually, through group presentations to teachers and guidance counselors and/or students. |
| • | Parents must seek ways to involve their own child in decision making about the design of any educational presentation (either individual or group). The child's particular history should never be shared in a public forum. |
| • | Parents should be alert to the impact of school assignments or interactions with peers at school on their child's understanding of adoption and his feelings about himself, his birth family and/or culture, and adoption in general. |
QUESTIONS
| 1. | Do you feel you should share your child's adoption history with the school? Why or why not? |
| 2. | What critical incidents regarding adoption has your child dealt with at school? How did your child respond? How did you respond? |
| 3. | How do you intend to prevent future critical incidents at school? |
| 4. | What resources do you need to educate teachers and guidance counselors in your child's school? |
| 5. | Are you interested in forming a support group for adopted children in your child's school? What would be the necessary steps to implement such a plan? |
NOTES
1.
L. Freidman-Kessler, "The Measurement of Teachers' Attitudes Toward
Adopted Children," Ph.D. dissertation. Fielding Institute, Santa Barbara, California, 1987, as quoted in National Adoption Clearinghouse website: www.calib.
com/naic/factsheet/school.html.
2.
Patricia Irwin Johnston, "Teaching about Adoption," Adoptive Families Magazine, May/June 1999, 56-57.
3.
"Adoption and School Issues," National Adoption Information Clearinghouse website: www.calib.com/naic/factsheet/school.html. Updated 1999.
-221-
Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information:
Book title: Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child:Making Sense of the Past.
Contributors: Betsy Keefer - Author, Jayne E. Schooler - Author, Jack G. Kammer - Illustrator, Kristi Anne Kammer - Illustrator.
Publisher: Bergin & Garvey.
Place of publication: Westport, CT.
Publication year: 2000.
Page number: 221.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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