My challenge I have chosen for my course project falls into
the category of children exposed to risk, stress, or trauma, with a focus on
substance abuse. I selected this challenge because I grew up with a mother that
was an alcoholic, and I also see many situations as an educator of lives being
torn apart, due to substance abuse. Working with students that live with this
challenge is difficult because every child deals with substance abuse in
different ways. Children that live with an addicted parent(s) may often feel insecure
or scared and long term can contribute to mental health issues such as
depression or anxiety. Some of the challenges that children face due to living
with substance abuse include behavioral issues, medical or psychiatric issues, educational
issues, socioeconomic strains, or emotional consequences. Often overwhelmed and
distracted by issues occurring in the home, these children may be unable to
focus on homework assignments and may arrive to school feeling anxious and
preoccupied about their parents' behavior. I feel it is my job as an educator to learn
more about this challenge to nurture, guide, and help these students, so they
too do not fall into the same situations as their parents. What educational
strategies have you found effective when working with these students? Are there
any programs out there that are effective in dealing with substance abuse? How
can we help our students beat the odds and flourish in a negative environment
such as this?
Emily Williams
I think that this is a very important topic and I am interested in reading more about your research and your work with it. I dealt with this myself as a child, as my mother was functional, but drank often. I would often hear my father and her fight over her bringing home a bottle of vodka instead of a gallon of milk. In my situation, the drinking itself did not effect me, but the consequences of the drinking did. Mainly, my parents marriage breaking down. As you stated, my grades did decline for a time during the worst part of it, which should have been shocking to my teachers at the time, but not one of them went out of their way to talk to me about it. As educators, and as teachers who want to support our students in difficult situations such as these, I believe the first step is to build a trusting and open relationship. I often think that if a teacher had made the effort to talk with me about what was going on at home, I would have handled things much differently. I believe that the first step is simply showing that you care and that you are aware. This in itself can create a positive environment for the child to turn to when their home is negative.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
ReplyDeleteWhen I read your post, I realize an educator need to have a working knowledge of all the fields for application into the children in their care or students.
This is a topic that need serious attention because I often wonder about the eventual fate of these children. Depending on the State, there are programs out there that suffice for these challenges. During last year's Walden Global Day for Change, I joined the group of a Walden PhD student who won the Social Change Scholarship for 2012. She opened a Non Profit Organization, wrote to high schools for accommodation for Walden's Global Day and invited all categories of students, their parents, principal, counselor, staff of the school and the community.
She also sent e-mail to any Walden students willing to participate or entrepreneurs who could model their life, experience and talents to the teenagers. She invited television guest speakers, recovered substance abuse parents and those who could speak to both parents and the students.
She wrote to Star Bucks and Dunkin Doughnut and other companies who supplied breakfast and drinks.
I got a lot of materials on substance abuse from the program, mostly from the department of education, National Institute for Drug Abuse (NIDA) substance abuse rehabilitation centers. She made us a shirt with the inscription of the program termed Solid Foundation for Healthy Families.
You can organize this kind of program in your school or serve as Walden representative for this year's Walden Global Change. I am sure you will make an impact
Thank you.
Shade
Thanks Shade! Great post and topic of interest. Be careful in not allowing the up-close and personal experience with this topic to affect your representation and/or interpretation of research found on this topic.
ReplyDeleteNice work!
Dr.B.