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 A little off topic news article 
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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070215/ap_ ... d_children

Here is a an online news article/horror story I came across today after studying how to teach students with Learning Disabilities.

Sorry to add more cause for worry in child adoption, but I think some of the ideas brought up in this situation could apply to the discussions we had today on trying to get custody of children and making them "feel safe". This just shows that there are some real problems/ misunderstandings out there in child care.

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Robert Chase Glenn


Thu Feb 15, 2007 9:50 pm
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Like Dr. Turner said in class, these are going to be the lives of some of our students. I think the article and the stories told in class yesterday should remind us all to be a little more understanding in situations when a student may come to school hungry, late, unclean, sleepy, or without their homework assignment done. Instead of scolding the child in front of the class for not doing his or her homework or falling asleep in class teacher need realize that a child's situation at home might be affecting their life and behavior at school.
I know that as teachers we are required by law to report any suspicion of child abuse to the principal. Does this include reporting a student who is complaining because they have not eaten all weekend? Does this include reporting those children who come to school unclean and not dressed properly for the cold weather?


Fri Feb 16, 2007 7:03 am
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I agree Clayton. We definitely need to be more aware that children could have a lot of problems in their home. We need to be understanding and sensitive to those needs. I think that in the case of a child not eating all wekend, it seems like social services or somebody might need to intervene in this child's life. In that case, it would probably be better to report this incident to the guidance counselor or someone who would better know what to do for this child. If a child is going through a lot at home like an adoption, but is still consistently coming into class with their basic needs met, it would not be a teacher's responsibility to report this unless there were signs of abuse. However, if a child's basic needs are not being met on a consistent basis due to family circumstances, the student is not able to learn as well and becomes a distraction to other children. In these cases, it only makes sense to report what is happening with this child.


Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:45 am
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Robert,

I read the news story. What can I say? And DSS spoke up for the parents' need to keep the children confined. Oh boy. :cry:

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Gayle Turner


Fri Feb 16, 2007 1:15 pm
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This article is very sad. I think that these parents should have known better. In these people's case they adopted 11 kids, some with special needs. These kids often need lots of attention. I think they should have thought about that before they decided to take on such a full load. I am glad that they adopted, but at the same time there is no way each child could have had their needs met when 2 parents are trying to take care of that many children, some of whom need special attention. Putting children in cages is never the answer. I have worked with many children that have experienced this kind of life when I was in India this summer; they were abused, abandoned, and unloved. No child anywhere deserves that.

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Elizabeth McPhail Dawson


Sat Feb 17, 2007 1:16 am
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Eleven children with special needs are a lot of work - regardless of their ability or knowledge about children. I wonder if any one realized exactly how many children and special needs they have in their care.
I think one way to get to know your families better, especially in early elementary school, is to do home visits. These are optional for the families, of course. I think meeting the families in their home gives you an opportunity to meet them on their "turf." Also, you learn more about the families in that brief 30 minute visit than you can in a month.

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Lesley Paige de Paoli


Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:08 pm
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After reading that article I could only think of how terrible that must have been for those children. They were already in foster care for various reasons and then had to go through a terrible ordeal with their foster parents. The article reminded me of the book A Child Called It, although the story in the book is worse. Children do not deserve to be put in terrible situations because the grown up doesn't know how to act.
As a teacher, I want to help my students as much as possible. As Clayton said, I don't want to call them out in front of the class because I never know what could be going on at home. I will also report any signs of abuse or neglect that I see. Students will want to learn and will be less of a distraction to others if they feel safe.


Tue Feb 20, 2007 2:14 pm
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This IS sad that children are treated this way, especially special needs children. My question is, how were these people granted the right to adopt these children. I know a married couple (both teachers) that was trying to adopt and it was a long, tough process.

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William Byrne


Tue Feb 20, 2007 6:25 pm
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That article was very sad and very disturbing. I spoke in class about my sister and nephew's situation and I am so thank-ful that it is not to the degree of what was stated in the article. It just goes to show that all kids have some kind of problem. Some children, like my nephew, face problems with their parents' marriage problems. Some children face even serious problems that their lives are endanger. I think as a teacher I will really focus on getting to know my children and making sure that they are taken care of; from family issues to life issues.

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Alyse A. Bowden


Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:16 am
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This article is disturbing because it is true. I am actually more upset about DSS's involvment in the horrific living conditions and wonder what other children in the same system are living in. I hope, however, that we can be thankful for those foster parents who do provide a loving home, as we hear so much about the bad situations and so little about the good.

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Erin Nevitt


Mon Feb 26, 2007 12:14 am
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Wow. I could not imagine caging up children...this article almost makes me sick. I would never ever want to see a child treated like this and like many of you guys have said, we will probably run into a child in a situation like this during our teaching career. It is so so sad but the reality of these situations are so true like what we talked about the other day in class.


Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:04 pm
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It's so hard to believe that something so terrible and disturbing actually happens. As awful as it was I couldn't help but laugh at the thought that a social worker actually testified that caging these children was not only beneficial but complimented the bright coloring. All in All this article was extremely disturbing.

I'm not sure if any of you remember but this reminds me of a similar adoption case.

http://www.childrenintherapy.org/victims/jackson.html

The story of the four Jackson children who were adopted and starved beyond belief. These poor children spent years on a strict diet of uncooked pancake batter, peanut butter and jelly and oatmeal. It is absolutely disgusting to think someone could do things like these to another human being, let alone children. I think it is extremely important to always keep an open mind when teaching in regards to the lives of our students. Who knows what happens to them after the school bell rings.

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Chelsie Alfaro


Tue Feb 27, 2007 2:23 pm
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