On September 30, 2022, I presented at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual conference in Los Angeles, California for my co-presenter Rosalba Serrano (who was unable to attend) and I about 5 Struggles Your Foster Students Wished You Knew. This was a passion project for us because we both came through the foster care system.
We had originally intended to present together in September 2020, but the pandemic had other plans. So we recorded Rosalba’s part as well as added in Jessica Jones’ perspective. We recorded and are sharing this presentation with the hope that it could live on and continue to benefit foster youth. We appreciate you making time to watch and share your learnings.
Note: that there are captions so you can turn them on because the audio did not record as clearly as I had hoped it would.
You can download a one-page PDF version of the takeaways to share with your colleagues here or read my blog post called What I Wish Teachers Knew About Living In A Group Home.
Thank you for sharing your stories. You are role models for children who may be struggling to be successful in school at this time in their lives but can take hope and inspiration from others. It is also an important perspective for educators who may be supporting students in foster care currently but lack the awareness of factors you encourage educators to think about.
Thank you so much, Sonia. Our sole goal was that students in foster care would benefit from their teachers being better able to empathize because they’ve learned more about their story.
I’d say that goal was definitely met! Thank you for being brave to be vulnerable so that other foster kids can have teachers who are more aware and understanding and supportive!
❤️❤️❤️
Beautiful and meaningful presentation. Thank you for sharing your personnel experience along with the 2 others. Foster youth really do need to have caring and understanding adults in their lives and teachers can serve as fantastic mentors. Foster kids can be amazingly resilient and with much needed support, they can thrive. I love your tips for teachers-spot on. Many many thanks for educating teachers on this much needed subject. Nothing is better than gleaning feedback from those who have experienced being a foster youth.
Thank you so much, Amy. Your words mean so much to me. I appreciate it.
I finally got a chance to watch this presentation, and I wish I could have been in the room when it was live. I am thankful for the recording, being able to pause and listen to parts again were invaluable. What a great message Robert!
I was a reminded of a former student who approached me after class one day and opened a little bit about his situation. I knew it was a huge risk for him, and I told him how honored I was he shared with me. We developed a great relationship, and then one day he was just gone. I found out why later, but I know if I had heard this talk then there was so much more…
Well anyway, I just want to thank you on a personal level for the work you do, for elevating those around you, and for creating space for all of us. While I want to say so much more, I’ll leave it there. Be well and I wish you all the best.
Thank you, Jeremiah. What you said about “one day he was just gone” really resonates with me right now. I guess that must have been how it was for my teachers. The second semester of 9th grade began and I just never came back. Days turned into weeks and weeks into a month and then I didn’t come back. They probably never knew what happened. Anyway, getting lost in my thoughts…
But I appreciate your kind words.
Thank you to you, Rosalba, and Jessica for your vulnerability and sharing your personal lives to help us better understand and support our kids.
Your kind words are much appreciated, Charice.
Hello-
I stumbled across the article, found it interesting and ended up watching the entire video!
I didn’t grow up in a foster home. So Im not a foster kid. However, I did have a couple friends that lived with a foster family. At school only, not on the block,
not only were they teased about the clothes they wore but about their haircuts. They were always late or didn’t bring homework back. Etc;. Here’s food for thought…Perhaps a section directed to youths educating them about the Foster Care Program; what a Foster Group Home is, etc;. I don’t recall anyone ever telling me what a “foster kid” was or what a ‘foster home” was. I learned it from other kids at that time. Maybe, it would soften the bullying if they knew what type of circumstances go with a ‘foster kid” and what its like to live in a “foster home.”
Great presentation, informative video and excellent choice of those that participated!
I’m sure it will make an impact in the lives of those that can relate and even those, like myself, that didn’t grow up in the system.
Thank you, Starlene. I appreciate you watching the presentation and sharing your own experiences. That could be a great idea.