Apr 23: Our Family Roots

1. Watch the video on genealogy at http://www.esl-lab.com/roots/rootsrd1.htm#list

2. Answer the quiz questions.

3. Write in your journal about your family roots.

Apr 21: Michael's case

Read the case study below and answer at least three of the questions.


Michael (age 8) has lived with his non-kin foster mother, Ms. Daniels, since he was removed from his
mother’s care two years ago. While Michael was placed in Ms. Daniels’ care, his older sister was placed
with a relative. Michael has seen his mother nearly every weekend during the last two years. At the time
of our interview, Michael had six more weeks before he would reunify with his mother and sister.

Michael said that he is happy about returning to live with his mother again, but that he will miss Ms.
Daniels a lot. He said that he will go back to the elementary school that he attended prior to his removal,
but that his mother and Ms. Daniels also made arrangements for him to continue playing in the baseball
league that meets near the school he attended while living with Ms. Daniels. Similarly, Ms. Daniels told
Michael that he can visit her and stay the night if he wants.

Michael and Ms. Daniels have created a scrapbook over the course of the last two years which includes
awards, certificates, and a collection of photos documenting Michael’s classes, baseball teams, birthday
parties, visits with his mother, various outings, and vacations. Reflecting on the time when he was
removed from his mother’s care, Michael said that he was initially sad, but that now he feels good because
he has two families. The scrapbook captures Michael’s two families; it includes photos of Ms. Daniels’
extended family, as well as photos that Michael’s mother contributed.

Questions:
1. What are the positive aspects of Michael’s experience in out-of-home care?
2. What are your concerns?
3. How would you address your concerns?
4. What services or community resources would improve the quality of Michael’s experience?
5. What ethnic/cultural considerations seem particularly relevant?

Probes:
1. What are some thoughts and feelings that Michael might experience when he transitions home? How
would you assist Michael during this time?
2. Is it in Michael’s best interest to maintain a relationship with his foster mother? Role play a
conversation that you might have with Michael about the nature of his future relationship with Ms.
Daniels.
3. What function does the scrapbook serve in Michael’s life?

(taken from http://cssr.berkeley.edu/pdfs/vignettes.pdf)

Apr 19: A good night's sleep

1. Listen to the article while reading online: http://www.manythings.org/listen/sleep.html

2. Make a list of reasons why you think it is important to get a good night's sleep.

3. Write in your journal. What can you do to improve your sleep at night?

Apr 17: What are some common personal or health problems we encounter in our lives?

1. Listen to the audio at http://www.esl-lab.com/problem/probrd1.htm#list
2. Complete the quiz.
3. Write in your journal. What are some common personal or health problems we encounter in our lives? What words of advice would you give a person with these problems?

Apr 15: Family size and children

A few decades ago, many families had half a dozen or more children. Nowadays, more and more families are choosing to have only one or two children. Are smaller families better than larger ones? Why or why not? State your position and support it with specific reasons and examples.

Apr 13: Eye for an Eye

Is “an eye for an eye” a good basis for determining an appropriate punishment? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to explain your position.

Apr 11: City versus Countryside

Some people prefer to live in the quiet of the country; others prefer the hustle and bustle of the city. Which do you think is the better choice? State your position and support it with specific reasons and examples.

Apr 9: Tran's case

Tran is a thirteen-year old Vietnamese-American boy. Tran’s mother and younger sister were killed in
Vietnam when he was an infant. Tran and his father subsequently moved to live with extended family in
a large, urban city on the West Coast. A year ago, Tran ran away from the downtown hotel where he and
his father lived: “I don’t like him. He just lay around. He got drunk all of the time. He stole from me.
He hit me bad.” The Department of Social Services subsequently placed Tran in a foster home with Mr.
O’Leary, one of the county’s most experienced and reputable foster parents.

Mr. O’Leary’s home is located in a quiet, middle-class neighborhood in the hills. The house itself is
spacious and lovely. Books and art from around the world adorn the walls. As Mr. O’Leary says,
“They’re there for storytelling and knowledge that there are other worlds out there to explore.” He bought
big comfortable furniture so the four adolescent boys in his care would enjoy spending time in the house’s
common spaces, as well as their private bedrooms. Mr. O’Leary clearly strives for an orderly home
atmosphere and in his efforts to achieve that goal, he regularly solicits support from social workers,
therapists, and volunteer mentors.

During the interview, Tran reported that he doesn’t like Mr. O’Leary because “he talks too much and
thinks he knows everything.” Tran also perceives that Mr. O’Leary has consistently low expectations for
Tran’s future, while Tran himself believes that he will finish high school, go to college, have a job when
he’s older, and generally stay out of trouble. In spite of his criticisms of Mr. O’Leary, Tran said that he
likes the people with whom he lives and is proud of his new home. When asked if he wants Mr.
O’Leary’s home to be permanent, Tran replied, “Yes, my father can’t get at me here, and there’s nowhere
else to go.”

Prior to the interview, Mr. O’Leary told the interviewer that Tran steals from the other boys, regularly
beats up on a developmentally delayed fifteen-year-old boy who also lives in the home, and is frequently
involved in physical fights outside of the home. The Department of Social Services and Juvenile
Probation Department are currently conducting two separate investigations into Tran’s behavior. During
the interview, Tran reported that physical fighting, stealing, drug deals, and arrests frequently occur in
Mr. O’Leary’s home, but Tran did not identify himself as the perpetrator. Tran also said that although he
feels safer in Mr. O’Leary’s home than in his father’s home, he still feels “not at all safe” in Mr.
O’Leary’s home. Out of any place in the world, he feels most safe in church. At the conclusion of our
interview with Tran, we asked, “If you were in charge here, what is one thing you would change around
here to keep kids safe?” He recommended that Mr. O’Leary give personal keys to the boys for their
bedrooms, install metal bars on the windows, and purchase an alarm system for the house.

Questions:
1. What are the positive aspects of Tran’s experience in out-of-home care?
2. What are your concerns?
3. How would you address your concerns?
4. What services or community resources would improve the quality of Tran’s experience?
5. What ethnic/cultural considerations seem particularly relevant?

(taken from http://cssr.berkeley.edu/pdfs/vignettes.pdf)

Apr 7: Internet censorship

The Internet includes many websites with images and content that are inappropriate. Should websites like these be censored by parents? Why or why not? State your position and support it with specific reasons and examples.

Apr 5: Doing what's good for the environment

Carpooling, recycling, and planting trees are all activities that are good for the environment. Write an essay convincing readers to actively participate in one of these activities.

Apr 3: Security at home

1. Listen to the audio at http://www.esl-lab.com/homesecurity/homesecurityrd1.htm#list
2. Complete the quiz
3. Write in your journal. Home owners should always take precautions to protect their places from burglars and theft. In addition to home alarm systems, what are other things that people can do to protect their homes from crime?

Apr 1: Janelle

Read the case study and answer the questions below.

Janelle (age 11) lives with her grandparents, two younger cousins, and a two-year-old foster child in an
urban public housing development. She has lived with her grandparents since she was removed from her
biological mother’s care at age seven. She refers to her grandmother as “mama,” her grandfather as
“papa,” and all of the children in her home as “sisters.” When asked who she considers part of her
family, Janelle identified an exceptionally long list including everyone in her household, aunts, uncles,
cousins, her biological parents, friends, church members, and neighbors.

Over the course of the interview, Janelle offered several images depicting her relationship with her
grandmother: “We are best friends because we love to do everything together, especially shopping… My
mama knows all the stuff that kids want like pizza and ice cream… We always like to go places together
because we laugh at all the same things… I always feel loved in my mama’s family… I can’t imagine
being anywhere else.” Similarly, Janelle reported enjoying the almost daily contact that she has with her
biological mother. Janelle’s biological mother frequently picks Janelle up from school. They typically
spend afternoons together, sometimes with Janelle’s grandmother. To Janelle’s dismay, she sees her
biological father infrequently. While Janelle regularly spends time with her biological mother, Janelle
wants and expects that she will live with her grandparents until she is grown.

Janelle lives in a neighborhood with an unusually high crime rate, but she reported that she has never
witnessed drug deals, nor a range of violent events in or near her home. She said, “There is bad stuff
happening, but my mama makes sure nothing bad is going on out there when I go outside to play.”
Moreover, Janelle reported feeling “almost always” safe at home and in her neighborhood.

Janelle has positive expectations for her future. She wants to go to a college in Atlanta where her uncle,
aunt, and grandparents attended. She said that she wants to be a doctor. Her grandmother appears to
have played an important role in shaping Janelle’s future expectations: “My mama told me that I’ll be
good at whatever I decide to do. I can do whatever I put my mind to.” At the conclusion of the interview,
Janelle’s grandmother brought out Janelle’s certificates and report cards. She also showed us an article
written for a local paper about grandmothers as foster parents.

Questions:
1. What are the positive aspects of Janelle’s experience in out-of-home care?
2. What are your concerns?
3. How would you address your concerns?
4. What services or community resources would improve the quality of Janelle’s experience?
5. What ethnic/cultural considerations seem particularly relevant?

Probes:
1. What are some concrete ways that you could support Janelle (and her caregivers) to increase the
possibility that Janelle will, in fact, achieve her future goals?
2. What lessons could other kinship foster parents learn from Janelle’s grandmother? What could you
do to facilitate and support the positive work of these relatives?
3. Janelle lives in a very unsafe neighborhood, although she does not experience it as such. What
strategies do you think her grandparents apply to make her feel so safe? Had you been the child’s
placement worker, would the neighborhood conditions have influenced your placement decision?