Adoption and the Schools

From requests for baby pictures to the ubiquitous Family Tree assignment adopted children and their families face challenges and embarrassment in the classroom. Adoption and the Schools: Resources for Parents and Teachers is a complete guide to understanding the dilemmas faced by adopted children in the school setting. It offers insights into the experiences of young people who are faced with assignments, activities and occasions which make participation difficult or painful simply because of the way they joined their family. Suggestions for expanding assignments, including adoption in every day classroom activities, and honoring differences in children and families are included. From pre-school through high school, adopted children's understanding of adoption and the way it is perceived by teachers and classmates shapes their concept of who they are in the world.

The book is written to help parents and teachers increase adoption awareness and sensitivity in the school community. Teachers will be able to explore both the impact of adoption on the children they teach and their own influence on the way the adopted child experiences school. Parents will learn more about the impact of adoption on their children's education and how to educate the educators about adoption.

Contributors include experienced parents, professionals, and the students themselves. Their drawings, poems and stories enliven the material and remind us that teaching and parenting is, after all, about the children.

Jen's Pick: "Although bookstores abound with parenting books... little written practical advice exists to answer the special school concerns of adoptive parents." Filled with easy-to-read information, articles, poems, and drawings, this guide is written by and for parents, children, and educators to help them understand the many factors that impact an adoptive child's school experience.

Adoption and the Schools