Placing Faith In Educating Students In Foster Care

I am the proud principal of Harrisburg Middle School, the school for Coyote Hill, a home for children in foster care. Our school is small, and with eight percent of our students living at Coyote Hill, they are an important part of our family. I am confident that when I retire, many of my fondest memories will be of the tremendous personal and academic growth I’ve been able to witness in the lives of these talented students. While ultimately, the credit for the success of these students is due to their own persistence, they are certainly aided by a talented teaching staff and support from the broader community of Harrisburg.

I readily admit that I am still learning, but I believe there are a few important fundamentals that help us serve these students well.

Maintaining high standards through high supports:

Growth, both academic and behavioral, only comes from being held to high expectations; however, some students, especially those in foster care, may need more support to reach those standards. . At times the support takes the form of limit setting and consequences. Sometimes the support comes in other ways: encouragement, additional opportunities, second chances.The mantra holds true: “Fair isn’t everyone getting the same thing. Fair is everyone getting what they need to be successful.”   

Respecting families:

When working with students in foster care it is essential to respect their families, both foster and biological.  Every student’s story is unique and assuming anything about a student’s life is a mistake. Educators also show respect for their students by respecting the bonds of the foster family. Work to get to know the foster parents. Learn what their priorities are for the student. Be as open with them about the student’s successes and failures as you would with any parent.

Listening well:

The most important skill for respecting students is the ability to listen non judgmentally. Foster care involves major transitions for students. Often times students are dealing with intense emotions. Not all students will want to discuss their feelings with educators, but those that do absolutely need people in their lives who will listen without taking advantage of their confidence or offering trite suggestions.

Seeking out best practices:

Educators need to embrace what science teaches us about the plasticity of the brain and the ability to modify intelligence. All students need skilled teachers, but students in foster care are especially dependent, as they often have a lot of academic ground to make up. Jackson and Jensen’s work on best practices and the importance of high expectations will serve educators of students in foster care well.

Encouraging hope:

Students in foster care have been through a lot. They will certainly have scars, but their scars do not outweigh their potential. Students in foster care deserve to only have teachers who believe in them. It’s important that these teachers believe in themselves and their talents for teaching. Sometimes the progress is hard to see, but teachers of students in foster care need to have  faith in what they're doing, hope for their students’ future, and love for the kids in their care.