[Archive]

Originally Posted By Kris

What a wonderful thing you do! That is so neat you try to get them the best education possible. Thanks for the note

[Archive]

Originally Posted By Don

I personally would have some concern about giving the teacher/school TOO much information all at once.

(I am an adoptee, and have also worked with foster and adopted children for a number of years, in and out of the school system), am also looking into adopting...

My concern is confidentiality and the child's rights.

Often, adoptees are YOUNG children- and they grow up with everyone around them knowing more about them and their "history" than they know themselves- I feel a lot of information regarding the Child's background should not be shared with people before the child himself/herself knows

that info and tha child then can decide who to tell.

Granted- educational info needs to be shared- but the teacher does NOT 'NEED' to know the child is adopted, nor does the teacher NEED to know any background info other than education related info. I have KNOWN teachers that have treated adopted children differently simply BECAUSE they were adopted and came from a disadvantaged background ("No wonder s/he is that way,

s/he came from ......"). This sets the child up for unfair treatment/discrimination, and self fulfilling prophecy!

As far as family tree assignments- hey!- being an adoptee,

I knew I was adopted since I was 5 yrs. old- when those family tree assignments came up, I did them as if I was a biological member of my family...nothing wrong with that! The "point" f the assignment is still met-

(I also knew a lot about my bio family, as I grew older, and when I reached university- did a seminar for my socialogy of the family class, doing a family tree on BOTH families,

and presenting my "whole" family situation and used that as an example for the main thrust of the seminar which was

"adoption disclosure- pros and cons" )

ANYWAY---- I would say "be careful" about what info and how much you give to teachers- quite frankly, there are, unfortunately, a lot of unskilled teachers in the system now,

and a lot of biased teachers....they don't need that kind of ammunition.