How Teachers Can Support Their Students in Foster Care
Вставка
- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- 0:00 Intro & Teacher Gifts
2:08 New Kid in Class
5:00 Strength Focused
6:37 Viewer Mail
11:41 More Teacher Talk
✅ Video audited 8/4/2021
There is always a need for ❤LOVING❤, 💪SUPPORTIVE💪, and 🕒PATIENT🕒 foster parents who will ⚖ADVOCATE⚖ for the kids placed in their home. We hope that by us sharing our journey as a foster family, that it inspires others to learn more. Contact your county, foster care agency or visit www.adoptuskids.org to learn more.
⭐ Please consider granting wishes to children who are in foster care by visiting One Simple Wish: www.onesimplewish.org/giving/... ⭐
Connect with us on our social media platforms and check out relevant links: linktr.ee/bethevillage
Be The Village
P.O. Box 348
Maineville, OH 45039
![Lp. Последняя Реальность #100 КОНЕЦ ГОДА [Новогоднее Чудо] • Майнкрафт](/img/n.gif)
I needed this! I had a student who was in foster care during my student teaching this year. She was in 8th grade and was getting bullied. Her foster mom pulled her from school and went remote. She told me one day when we were getting ready for class on zoom. She was the only one in the zoom meeting since we were waiting for everyone to join. She told me that her foster family is adopting her. I started crying happy tears for her because this is something she wanted. She said and I quote, “I can now focus on being a kid and not have to worry about anyone hurting me anymore.” She has seen so much in her short life. She has left a lasting impact on my teaching experience.
Oh wow. That is incredibly heartwarming.
First year teacher here. How do you know? I’m curious. Glad you were able to connect with her in that way
@@nancyirwin3150 the student told me directly and her foster mom contacted me. She told me that because of me, the student was excelling in my class. I would zoom with her during my planning time to help her with other subjects. I did this with other students as well. It turned into a study hall and the students were helping each other. I was just the facilitator. I wanted her to succeed and she wanted to succeed. We both worked together and brought up all her grades dramatically before progress reports. She never had this type of support from a teacher. Ya I was just a student teacher, but I saw that she could succeed with the needed support.
I vividly remember one of my classes coming in and one kid handed me a note explaining that he didn't have any of his books, pens, etc with him, and his uniform wasn't completely correct because he had gone into foster care the night before. It really woke me up and reminded me that we often don't know what is going on in our students' lives. Equipment and uniform are not at all important in the grand scheme of things. This kid just needed a kind and consistent adult that he could rely on :)
When I was a kid I had a foster brother (I’m a bio kid) that was my age. The foster brother left our family and stayed in our school for the remainder of the year. We were in the same class and our teacher chose to seat me and my foster brother together to help both of us and maintain the relationship. At the time I was too young to understand the reasoning but as an adult I appreciate what that teacher did for us.
As a current preschool teacher, I have a child with one of the worst stories ever and to see his family go from the very ruins of it all to back together again and him growing into a smart young man...I am beyond amazed
❤️
my pet peeve is Mother's Day and Father's Day. It's incredibly awkward for foster kids and schools make such a big deal out of these events...I think the most important thing for teachers to know is that foster kids aren't the only kids with non-nuclear families. There are families with single parents, gay couples, etc. I think the best thing a teacher can do is teach broadly and remind the whole class about diversity. :)
I used to teach 4th and 5th grade in high poverty schools and I chose to take classes to help with trauma informed teaching as well as restorative justice in education to help my kiddos. I did have one student that was in a foster home while teaching, but I think that anyone that teaches (especially in a high poverty school) should take classes to be trauma informed. All students in high poverty schools could use a little grace when it comes to things that are stressful for them to deal with. I always had a policy with my kids that it was totally fine if they needed to go to a corner and use the calm down tools they could. One thing that I also thought was so helpful for kids in high poverty was having free access to snacks throughout the day. I kept a basket that anyone could grab a snack from whenever they were feeling hungry. I told my students that I get grumpy when I'm hungry and it's hard for me to focus, so I imagine it's the same for them! I usually used the leftovers from breakfast (my schools always had free breakfast for all students because they were high poverty) but I would occassionally supplement it by buying bunches of bananas or bags of apples or oranges. Teachers that are worried about being able to afford something like this, talk to your cafeteria workers!! They usually have leftover fruit that they would love to give you so it doesn't go to waste!
Yes yes yes! My mom worked in the cafeteria while she was looking for work after my father's job moved us. She came home with bags of bananas, apples, and oranges. We usually gave most of them away since I was such a picky eater.
As a retired Kindergarten Teacher I want to say thank you for sharing and for all your kindness!💜
I would also add, as a former teacher, to pay even more attention to students who are in group homes, as they have a different home environment than foster children in foster families, and they may be facing other challenges as a result of that.
Also, I love that you were talking about emphasizing doing your best! My parents always said to me, "the best you can do is the best you can do" and it always made me push to do my best.
As someone studying to teach middle school and looking to be a foster parent when I'm older this was a great video! Definitely gave me lots of ideas on how to help new kids coming into my future classroom.
As a first year teacher, a huge fan of your channel, and someone who is interested possibly being involved in foster care eventually, this video is a HUGE plus! I know I don't have any kiddos in care in my class right now, but there's definitely the potential for having them in the future. Thank you for talking about this :)
So glad this was helpful for you ❤️
Picture of Sawyer is so cute.
I love memoirs too. One of my favorites is _Educated_ by Tara Westover. I also love _Shout_ by Laurie Halse Anderson. For sure my top is _Becoming._ The writing is just phenomenal, and it doesn’t hurt that Michelle Obama is one of my favorite people.
I am an aide in a social behavior support classroom and I have a student in foster care who is in the midst of transitioning from a long term treatment foster care home to a kinship home. Everything you mentioned are strategies I use in class every single day. It is hard with my precious foster care student sometimes because of the behaviors she exhibits but we work hard everyday. Thank you for supporting us and having insight in ways the other foster parents don't always show!
Hi!!!!! Love your content and I really think this helps to spread awareness, even to people all around the world who have absolutely no experience with foster care and how it works! Keep on going!
I love this topic! I know in school, as in life. You go through seasons. The teachers I had greatly effected how I did in a class. Having teachers that understand you and vibe with you makes such an impact on your life. As a education major in college, I would love to be a foster parent and be involved with at risk kiddos. I want to grow my own ability to help guide and inspire children. Being able to connect with the kids you have, being willing to put the extra time to foster growth for those you come in contact with is a vitally important part for the life of children. It is something i truly am passionate about and feel the need to learn about. Thank you for putting this channel online. This is such a wonderful channel to learn about foster care and get advice and expectations about foster care. This area of life is so under represented and your content on this channel is such a wonderful learning opportunity. Your advice specifically in this video, and many others, is so greatly appreciated. I have kept up with y’all for the past few months and it has had an impact on my education, life, and mental health journey. The way you are able to remain positive through the traumatic experiences of not only the children you take into your home, but the trauma of having kids come in and out of your life is truly astonishing. I have struggled with my mental health since my early teens and slowly have gotten to a place that I am becoming ambitious and motivated to help kids in educational settings that are experiencing trauma. As a child that was bullied from a young age, I personally know the impact that a positive family can have on you life. Even if you are with them shortly. This impact that you are making is a lifetime impact that can fuel a heart through so much trauma and hardship. Truly touching a child’s heart and making them feel the love and support you have as a parental figure. It gives them the tools to pursue whatever they feel passionate about. You are not only role models but warriors for the children you have. You are creating a safety net for children. You are providing and fully loving someone else. You are giving them the gift of family and normalcy they may never have known without you. God bless you for this beautiful life they may not have understood. I cant begin to express the way in witch this channel you have impacts my own education and guides me clearly in the way I should be. I have learned through you how I should enter my work field and support the kids I am given. The impact I should strive to have as an educator, as a parent, as a community member. You make me strive to be the best I can everyday, especially to the children who struggle. Because we never know what could be happening at home. Approaching struggling students is a topic that is conversed about often in an educational setting, having a foster families view on this topic is something I will site as a resource and continue to defend. We need more families like yours in the world. Thank you for sharing what you can. It will impact more people than you know❤️ Daisy Ann
Because of you and your family I’ve decided that I’m going to work to become a foster parent as soon as I am financially able to do so. I can’t thank you enough for sharing your experiences, it truly is a gift. I hope you and the family are having a great week!
❤️
Thank you for this. I’m not a teacher but work at an after school program. I always try to be more understanding when I notice the kid has a different home life.
you are the bomb ... so nice to send stuff for all the teachers...
I’m a teacher and we just had a trauma training today, what timing for this video!
Oh wow! So glad that was offered for you.
I would like to add in for the teachers to also please be patient with kids from abusive or neglecting homes. Speaking from own experience and from experiences from my peers in these situations. It can be very very difficult to focus in school and on school work when you don't have your basic needs met. I promise we try our best but we will spend our whole day being worried and distracted about things like (TW): "Is my sibling at home safe today?" "Will I be hit and kicked again tonight?" "Will my mother have another episode that I have to take care of even though it scares the hell out of me?" "Are there groceries in the fridge and what about dinner?" On top of mental health issues we might allready displaying like early PTSD signs, attachment issues, depression and automation, anxiety, anorexia/boulimia, the list goes on. We try, but it is a lot to deal with for a kid.
As a swim instructor please be very careful with the back floaties. Small children are top heavy so with only a support on their back it can be very hard for them to pick their head up when they start to get tired. You'll need to stay within arms reach so if they start to struggle you can immediately reach them. And spending time without floatation aids (with you helping them just enough to keep them afloat) is important because it helps kids (well any age really) to be aware of their skill level. I've seen people rescued because they thought they'd figured it out after only swimming around in a life jacket. But as soon as they took it off they sank.
Not a teacher but my parents are retired teachers now and I know they were always sensitive to the different home situations in their classrooms. As always, thanks for what you do, and thanks for sharing a bit of your lives 💕
Glad to hear that ❤️
Just ❤️ U 2 & all the kiddos!!!!!!! 🙃👍🥰
Lol at Johns package, keep up the great work Whitney.
Love the strengths based approach 💕
It’s sometimes a challenge but we do our best.
K-3 special education teacher here and hope to be a foster parent some day! Thank you for all you do!
love you guys!
I love your channel! I was adopted & Im in college right now to be a teacher. You give such good info❤️❤️
I wasn't exactly a foster placement, but I was in kinship care after my 2nd parent passed (going into 9th grade), and I moved from VA to IL to live with my Aunt, whom I had never spent more than 1 week with before. She really didn't know my education baseline and was extremely hard on me for not excelling at math- even when my teacher told her I was a good student in class and I did all of my work, she focused on the low letter grade. My own parents had never punished me for not achieving, they only gave gifts (i.e. $5 for an A) for classes I did well at. Having the teacher acknowledge that I was a good student while my guardian was fuming really meant a lot to me. I felt like she was in my corner and she had my back. She often offered extra credit and made sure I ended the year with at least a C since I was working hard. Kids really do need those good teachers to advocate for them.
You guys are amazing. Also, just wanted to say that your makeup (especially eyes), looked so pretty in the last part of your video. 😊
Thanks! I wanted to finally be put together lol
Thank you as a educational assistant in schools.
It is a really good idea for students that are teacher candidates to get training for students that are in foster care that the teacher candidates will observe / student teach.
My son & {I Grandmother} don’t grown the youngest granddaughter for f’s. We focus on her just doing the best she can. Vitual learning has been hard on kids. Especially Autumn. Since back n person she’s brought her grades up & is doing better. Yes teachers need to be made aware of the child situation so they can handle their teaching them. Once a child gets adjusted shouldn’t b a problem.
All these stories people are sharing of teachers meeting foster-kids where they're at and doing what they can to help have me 😭😭😭
As a Behavior Analyst (living and working in CINCINNATI - Woot Woot!), I coach teachers in the public school system on how to use interventions with students that exhibit problem behaviors in the classroom, I can tell you that you have just recommended several evidence-based strategies and have explained them in very easy to understand terms. Giving wait time and offering several choices (to give the kids a small sense of control) actually goes a very long way with many of our students who are facing, or have previously faced, trauma. I recommend those strategies all the time. Focus on the positive and work to make small strides. We always focus on meeting the kids where they’re at. It’s so important. They will make greater gains more efficiently that way, rather than when we tend to force things on them. Very well said, Whitney! Thank you!
I would love to hear more about this!
@@BeTheVillageCommunity I would love to chat! My husband and I just finished our foster care classes, too! Not sure how to connect privately (start with email?), but that would be great if you have the time! 😊
I would have never noticed but now I can’t help but hear all of the “ya know”s that you pointed it out 😆 great video though !
Someone mentioned it before in a much earlier video…. I try to edit most of them out (which is why they are choppy sometimes. But this one I was saying it a million times lol
@@BeTheVillageCommunity aww youre all
Good !
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Thank you for not getting your teacher's something stupid. :) I worked as a preschool teacher and the most appreciated gift was a $25 gift card to Applebees and my lest appreciated gift was cookie mix in a jar... lol Very well done!
that happened to me. All my mail was gone through and taken and all I got was the letter you got along with the box and envelope the items would of come in.
Darn shame. It’s weird too because the box was in perfect condition. Wasn’t opened and the tape was still the original tape. Very weird.
Here’s my tip as a former swim instructor/ coach. Any kind of floatation device can give a kid a false sense of security in the water. Make sure that even if you let the kids have a bit of freedom with their floaties you are giving them safe hands-on time without it so that they can get a sense of what they are capable of in the water. I have definitely seen brave little kids jump into pools because they THOUGHT they could swim- because they’d never been in the water without their floatation device.
I hear you, good advice
You are so pretty with the grayish glasses and I think that look I nice on you.
I started watching another channel and the person is a foster parent. I Love the channel but I don't understand one thing. He puts the foster kids on his videos with sunglasses on. Even with sunglasses, you can still see what they look like. I just thought you couldn't do that so I was just curious about it. I Love your channel. Thanks for All You do for the kids. Y'all are Awesome!!!!!
It’s different everywhere… personally I don’t like that tactic.
Love y'all! Hope to see John in his new dress soon😂😂😂.Poor guy,what a disappoinment ☹️You guys are so compassionate,and giving.God Bless you,hugs from Missouri 🤗
🤣
Early!!
Ok I need to know what stitch fix said 😂😂🤣
They were incredible! Refunded his styling fee, sending a new box with no fee, and said we could keep the dress because it’s not theirs 🤣
@@BeTheVillageCommunity awe maybe a future foster child will love that dress!
🤘🤘🤘🤘
Idk I think John would look pretty good in that dress. 😂
Can you sign foster kids up for swim lessons? Granted it prob does cost a lot and the county prob doesn’t want to pay
I also wonder how many of these kids come in with an undiagnosed learning disability and/or distracting home life that hinder their ability to learn as well
Yes, we can but logistically we are at our max.
Good job with the gifts, very thoughtful! I have a question for you: Do the biological parents know where you guys live? Can they visit?
It depends on the situation. To start, no. But as the case goes in if the foster family feels comfortable and the visits follow the rules set for them, it could happen.
@@BeTheVillageCommunity Thanks for answering! Love you guys!
Are you a huge fan of Laurie Berkner -- the queen of children's music?
I have never heard of it
Hey💜💜💚
I worry for kids in group homes who don’t have foster parents advocating for them.
Same
Have you ever had to give a notice for a foster child to be removed from your home?
No
That was supposed to b ground not grown. lol