Description
Book SynopsisAdoption Matters: Teacher Educators Share Their Stories and Strategies for Adoption-Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy explores the experiences of educators inside and outside of the classroom with students who are adopted. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 1.5 million children in the United States who have been adopted. Adoption is not a new way to form a family, but there have been shifts in adoption practices. Two of those shifts have been the increase in open adoptions and an increased understanding of how international adoption can influence children. Since the 1970s, the work of the Adoptees' Liberty Movement Association and other organizations working on behalf of adoptees has raised public awareness about adoption and spread adoption stories. In the United States, adoption is rarely a secret any more, and many children who are adopted are aware of it. This means that professionals working with children who were adopted need to be prepared t
Trade Review
“The extended family of adoption represents some of our most complex relationships and diverse family structures of today. To ensure emotional safety and the best conditions to embrace learning, the children connected to these families must be met with empathetic and understanding educators and professionals. In bringing together the voices of those closest to adoption, Dr. Robin K. Fox has created an essential tool and ‘required reading’ for the educational community.” —April Dinwoodie, transracially adopted person, creator of the Born in June, Raised in April podcast, and educational consultant
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments – Holly Elissa Bruno: Foreword – Robin K. Fox: Introduction – Section One Insights and Strategies for Teaching Children Who Were Adopted – Sharon M. Kolb: Adoption: The Gift of Hope and Opportunity – Andrea Maxworthy O’Brien: "There Are All Kinds of Mamas": Exploring Diverse Families Through Children’s Literature – Sara Michael Luna: "I’m Not Related to Anyone I Know": Adoption, Books, and Belonging – Anne D’Antonio Stinson: "I Think I Blew It": Reconsidering My Stance as a Parent of Children Who Were Adopted in Middle Childhood and Adolescence – Section Two Professional Experiences of Teacher Educators Who Have Adopted Children – Robin K. Fox: "I Have a Ph.D. and This Is Hard for Me!": An Early Childhood Educator and Parent of Children Who Were Adopted Rethinks Her Practice – Elizabeth M. Hughes King: Unpacking Misconceptions Along the Adoption Journey – Troy Moldenhauer: When Four Became More – Tracey G. Scherr: Bridging Three Continents to Build a Family and Enhance a Career – Wade Tillett: Through the Lens: Family Videos, Adoption Stories, and Instrumental Truths – Section Three Personal Experiences Arising From Adoption by Teacher Educators – Johnny Cole: "He Can’t Be Your Dad!": The Intersection of Race, Adoption, and Gay Marriage – Lana Collet-Klingenberg: That Was Fun. Let’s Do It Again!: Adopting Older Children From China Having Already Raised One Family – Brandi S. Niemeier: Renewed Perspectives for Health Promotion Education – Penny Portman: Raising a Global Family and Balancing a Career as a Single Parent – Mary Kilar: And the Greatest of These Is Love – Ozalle Toms: More Than Textbook Knowledge: Truths About Adoption Arising From Life Experience – Robin K. Fox: Conclusion – Contributors.
