Conclusion

Overall from this course I learned of the different types of families, the changes from older to newer types of families, relationship patterns among many other things. The one this that shocked me was the statistics on cohabitation before marriage and the amount of children who come from homes that have an alcoholic within them. I would have thought before this class that by living with the partner before marriage would allow for the partner to get to know each other and have no surprises after marriage for how they really are like. It is a common fact that after you move in with someone you really get to understanding who they are, and personally I would want to know almost everything about that person before I decide to make the commitment to marry them. Also from this class I learned that 1 in 5 children have alcoholic parents. That was a huge eye opener for me. This statistic made me want to become a much more supportive and aware teacher.

To conclude this course I will add some photos of the family that I grew up in:

My mom and Dad

Immediate family

Brother and Grandparents

 Family on Whatmore side

Brother Justin and I

Teacher and The Family

The role of the teacher in a family

I believe the teacher can have a profoundly impact on the family. The role of the teacher can be a very important role when dealing with a child who comes from an unhealthy home. Some of the roles that I believe the teacher would be a part of within the family are:

1.       Provide support for the student emotionally, physically or academically. This can be something that may be lacking within the home structure. The student can be provided with face-to-face interactions with the teacher when the demonstrate a need.

2.       Teachers can provide a safe space for the individuals to go to. Some students may be from broken homes, abusive homes or unattractive homes and by being able to go to a space provided by the teacher, the student might feel safe and away from major stressors.

3.       The teacher can provide companionship in the form of a role model or friend. They might find someone who is attentitive to their needs, always there for them regardless of their needs and also someone they can enjoy and have fun with.

4.       The role of the teacher can also be to protect the student by reporting abuse they know of or suspect within the home. The teacher sees the individual almost every day and if they are constantly coming dirty or without a meal the teacher has the mandatory responsibility to report neglect within the household.

5.       The teacher can also educate and give the individuals an education that is not getting this need within their home. The teacher can provide education about socialization and interactions, their culture and issues in the world around them and general curriculum learning’s.

There are many other roles that the teacher can take on, but these are a few I came up with. A teacher can be a central role within the individual’s life. The teacher may be the role model within the student’s life and a supportive figure outside the home. If a student is coming from a home with alcoholic or drug using parents or broken homes or in general unhealthy homes, the school is a place where the individual can feel safe and away from this home life. A teacher can have a major impact on where these students go with their lives and impact that can be often over looked by a person coming into the teaching profession.

                        In Classroom Case Study

http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=11831

This article addresses the life of Taylor, child in the home of an alcoholic parents. Some of the issues he shown within the classroom was:

·         Lashing out at other students

·         May appear to be pale, but no apparent illness.

·         Cries easily

·         Avoids group activities.

This problem isn’t rare. The article suggests that 1 in 5 students will come from this same type of family that Taylor comes from. The article suggests that the teacher can invite the parent in to talk and if they admit to this problem the teacher can offer immediate help. The teacher needs to ensure that they are making the supervisor aware of the conversation. Perhaps the teacher would also be able to invite a social worker to the meeting and suggest family or local agencies specialists to help with the problem.  The teacher, within the classroom, might also make an attempt to work closely with the boy and gain his trust and encourage creative play again. The teacher should allow the student to take the lead and allow them to spark an interest in any area they see fun and fitting within their lives. The teacher should be alert to any spark of interest and follow up on it.

The end of the article notes: Anytime a teacher has concerns about the safety and well-being of a child at home or suspects neglect for any reason, including substance abuse by a parent, the program director should be informed and take whatever steps are appropriate to protect the child.  

Children Of Alcoholics and Drug Users

As a child I was exposed to my uncle David being heavily into alcohol and drugs. We were always moving him and carefully watching him when he was around for fear he would steal from us to make drug money. He was married and divorced and out of that marriage he had a child, Kash, and two step-children, Skylor and Cody, who he raised as his own. In 2007, my uncle died of drug related causes leaving his three children to fend for themselves. Kash was 11 at the time, Cody was 13 and Skylor was 14.

Skylor: When David died Skylor lived with his biological father and started working with him. He quit school and started taking part in the drug and gang life heavily. Two years ago Skylor was arrested for many charges including attempted murder and has spent the last two years in jail. After recently getting out he is still very involved in this reckless life. I believe that because he really had no one to turn to as a role model when David died he felt a sense of acceptance in the life he had chosen for himself. He had people that would be there for him and take care of him, something his real dad, mom or David was able to do for him. Skylor is a much different person now than when we grew up together.

Cody: When David died Cody stayed with his biological father and his mom. He also failed to continue in his education and began using drugs heavily as well. I haven’t had much contact with Cody for a few years but last I seen him I remember hiding my belongings when he was around for the fear he would steal them. Last I heard of Cody he was starting to get his life on track and taking college courses.

Kash: When his father died Kash choose a much different life for himself than the other two boys. He moved back in with his mother, and due to her abandonment to camp jobs up north he took on all the bills as a young age of 11 and 12. At 13 he moved in with a friend, whose family took him in and helped raised him as his own. He is now 17 and is moving into his own apartment, graduating from school this year and doing an apprentice. With the help of my family, my grandparents and all the other important people that took him is as their own, Kash was able to stay on the right path away from drug use.  

For each of the boys the common theme is having someone there for them. For Skylor he had the `gang’ and for Kash it was his immediate family and friends. Kids of narcotic using parents need someone to take them in as their own so they don’t feel as alone. Teachers can be this person who takes them in as someone to talk to, trust, and be an immediate role model and as a source to get away from the troubles at home. As a teacher, I can be an important person in the lives of these children.

"New Robots Can Provide Elder Care For Aging Baby Boomers"

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416212725.htm

I found this very interesting article addressing the aging population and the use of the technology robots.  They call this robot the uBot5.

Some of the robots functions are:

·         Family members can visit their elderly family from internet connections.

·         Doctors can perform virtual house calls.

·         Can dial 911

·         Remind clients to take medication

·         Help with grocery shopping.

***all these don’t allow for one on one interaction with other individuals***

This product may be very good for elderly who wish to live at home independently, but I believe this will have major consequences on the senior’s social skills. If they are not coming into live contact with their family, medical professionals or friends they are not getting that needed interactions with other individuals. Many seniors are not “just waiting to die,” they still have lives and want to do things that are some enjoyment to them. I believe strongly in the use of elderly homes because they will get that real-life one to one interaction with peers and medical professional instead of having their life run through a computer. Yes, the robot is break through technology to support the growing number of seniors in the world, but I don’t believe this technology will give them appropriate social interactions or a personal care when supporting them.



Leaving the Nest

I experienced leaving the nest last year when moving from Whitecourt to Red Deer for college. At the time I had just turned 17 and it was a big step in my life and was also a great loss in my parent’s lives. For me moving out led to a great deal of loneliness (I was living completely on my own in a basement suit), had a hard time adjusting to being on my own and not having my parents there for me to do things for me and I also was mourning that my brother was still apart of the family and could go to every family function and I could not. Because I was already very independent living at home, creating an independent identity without the supports of my parents was actually one of the easier things for me. For my parents, they felt a great deal of loss and sadness when I left. My mother especially had a difficult time with this. She still tried to hold on to me as I was trying to create my own life and identity which created a lot of tensions between us. She would try to always know at all times where I was, the grades I was getting, where my money was going to, the friends I was meeting and calling me 2-3 times a day. For me, this created a lot of anxiety when I was deciding if it was OK for me to go out and create my own identity. I was constantly feeling bad about not always wanting them in the loop with every move I made, when they constantly wanted to know this. Overall, leaving the nest was a very hard transitional time for me and for my parents.

Weddings

Are these weddings ruining the institution of marriage?

This man married his dog.

In this wedding a women married a dead man. He had been dead for 5 days before marrying him. They got married in a mortuary and was accompanied by bridesmaides, friends and family while the priest blessed the air. She even gave him a ring and concluded the cermony by kissing the courpse.

I believe that these are absolutly undermining the institution of marriage. Getting married to a dead person and to a dog in my mind is absolutly outragous. Marriage should be about two people in love and celebrating their union and I dont know how it can be possible to celebrate a union to a dog or corpse.

Now what about gay marriages?

Some people believe that this type of marriage is also outragous. I do not agree with this statement. I beleive that two people in love, regardless of sex, should be able to celebrate their special relationships in the same way that a heterosexual relationship would. This rite of passige shows the celebration of two people in love -- fully functioning people, not like a courpse or dog -- and should be accepted in todays postmodern culure.

I have a friend who is gay and has a boyfriend. Even though I do feel like I do have some troubles seeing public displays of affection between the two, I accept that it was a life they choose for themselves and accept the relationship between them. I would go to their wedding (if it were to happen) and celebrate their union as I would go to a heterosexual couples wedding. They are in love and should not be told that this love is wrong because you believe yours is the only way.

Learned Helplessness

Learned Helplessness

I believe that because of women always having to do something their way or the perfect way men develop learned helplessness when it comes to household chores. My boyfriend and I are cohabitating and I know for myself I will always get as much housework done before he gets home from work so he doesnt feel obligated to do it when he gets home. I believe I do this because I know if he were to do it I would  be constantly watching over what he does and nagging him to do it the "correct" way. For me I know it is much easier just to do the chores myself, it gets done quicker and also doesnt start an argument between my boyfriend and I.

As many other girls mentioned in the class, I do most of the housework, but I dont mind it because I feel it to be cleansing. I am a very organized and clean person and I know that when my house isnt clean I get really anxious, have a hard time concentrating on homework in my home, and also have harder times getting to sleep because I stress about how clean it is. 

For myself I believe that my boyfriend has developed learned helplessness because of being so paticular with how I want everything to be done.