Are there are legal ramifications or boundaries for teachers taking students into custody and care?
How does that impact your home-work relationship?
Any advice?
GSU Blogger - Dr. Sauers
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Walking a Fine Line
As some may know and I'm sure all have experienced, in Education, there is always one or two students you find yourself extremely attached to. You find yourself showing them extra kindness, patience, love and support. You find yourself constantly worried about his or her well-being or if he or she received a good nights rest. With all that being said, how do you walk that line-- Especially when it has been asked if you could possibly foster and/or adopt the student(s).
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A few questions here...
ReplyDelete1. How old is the student (or students)?
2. What is his/her (their) current living situation (i. e. already in a long-term care situation, is there a possibility the real parent(s) would take the child back, etc.)?
3. What does your boss say?
4. Do you know all of the specifics of this child (children) (i. e. medical needs, parental/real family circumstances)?
5. (This one is going to sound harsh...sorry!) Can you afford it? Adopting is extremely expensive!
I'm not sure there are legal ramifications, because I have definitely known teachers who have adopted their students before, or ones who have just sheltered that student in their home until a proper foster/adoptive situation was found. Either way, your boss needs to be heavily involved and in-the-know. Especially if there's an option where the real parents could come back and fight for custody.
Its a group of them. In total, Grandma has 11. The ones I help at 15, 10 and 8.
ReplyDeleteThey live with Grandma who is not their biological grandmother, just a lady who took them in. The mother will never get them back, as order by the State.
My boss currently does know about the situation and I am not sure if she cares.
I do have all medical paperwork for the students and it would not be an adoption situation, just a foster care situation.
Wow! That is a huge question! And I am also surprised and touched to hear that Kristen has heard of this happening before. So if the legal piece works out, do you feel ready to take on a parenting role in this child's life?
ReplyDeleteMichael,
ReplyDeleteThis is a great topic because I find myself in this situation often. I have been asked before to adopt or raise a student. It was a male student; my husband and I considered it, but giving we have a daughter and didn't want this student to influence my son, we passed on it. The student was very disappointed and truthfully, we were too, but had to consider our own children. This student had been exposed to some terrible things and we showed him a different way of life. Needless to say, we still communicate with this young man and know that his life could've been so different. I often wondered if I was out of bounds trying to help this student as much as I had. Is there a fine line?