Professional Development for All Belong, Center for Inclusive Education.
March 24, 2021
Students who are adopted may face unique, and sometimes unrecognized, barriers to inclusion and belongingness within educational settings. In this workshop we will discuss the narratives that are present around adoption, especially in faith communities, and the ways that developing a more complex and nuanced understanding of adoption can aid educators in their goal to ensure adopted students thrive. Practical suggestions regarding adoption-friendly language and common assignments and projects that can raise difficulties for adopted students (i.e., genealogy projects) will be presented. Additionally, the workshop will cover the outcomes associated with childhood abuse and neglect, which some adopted students have experienced, and identify ways to facilitate resilience and recovery in the face of this childhood adversity.