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By Krista Bonneau
There are millions of people incarcerated who have done one thing or another to end up in prison, but are they the only one paying the price? Families of criminals often go unlooked at and unaided. This is because many times they are also looked upon as being responsible for what their family member did, even though they are not. In some cases families have had to move and start over because living where they were was too difficult after a trial. There was a story about a mother of fourth and her husband was sentenced to prison for 10-15 years for embezzling money from his company. She had nothing to do with it, but yet all their assets were frozen and she had no money to support herself or her kids. The women ended up going on state aid but that was still not enough, she moved back in with her parents and had to put three of the four children in an orphanage until she got on her feet. This story comes out with a happy ending where the women makes a life for herself and her children, but weren’t they punished enough by losing their father and husband?
mwalsh @ December 11, 2008
By Monica Duguay
Ever wonder about the connection between social work and education? Well, the counselors at your school are like social workers; they are mandated reporters. Before you can understand mandated reporters, it helps to know what counselors are. Counselors are (defined by the dictionary) as a person who counsels or advises; a faculty member who advises on personal or academic problems, career choices and the like. They are a big part of schools and a big part of their jobs (other than advising) is mandated reporting. Mandated reporting is defined by the dictionary as an individual who holds a professional position (as of social worker, physician, teacher, or counselor) that requires him or her to report to the appropriate state agency cases of child abuse that he or she has reasonable cause to suspect. Mandated reporting is a big deal; if it is found that there was a case and you knew about it you can get in big trouble (jail time or a big fine). You can anonymously report abuse to your principal (if you are a teacher) or a hotline. Each state has different laws regarding who is required to be a mandated reporter and what evidence (such a pictures of bruises from abuse or taped confession of abuse) is liable in court. For more information, you should check out the laws on mandated reporting in New Hampshire from the library or check out this site
http://chanceatchildhood.msu.edu/pdf/MandatedReporter.pdf.
mwalsh @ December 4, 2008
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By Allie Gesick
I have researched single parent families, gay and lesbian families, interracial families, stepfamilies and young parents. Through this work I found that all these environments are suitable for raising children, yet they all have their obstacles to overcome. In the public eye, some of these families may be “looked down upon”, but as long as there is love and support inside the family then nothing else matters. I think that is what really makes a family.
While researching, I also found out that the divorce rate these days is higher than ever. There are more and more single families every day. I found out that many single mother families end up in poverty, because their income is not as great as a males. My favorite thing I found out while doing research was about Rosie O’Donnells documentary called “All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise.” This is when 500 families went aboard a cruise ship with Rosie, her partner Kelli and their family. It was to all come together to stop discrimination against gay and lesbian families. I thought this was a great idea, and I was happy to hear that Rosie is trying to make a difference.
mwalsh @ December 4, 2008
By Nina Russell
Communication problems, financial issues, forms of abuse, marital infidelity, sexual problems and incompatibility are all causes of one of society’s biggest problems, divorce. Today, divorce affects everyone in one way or another, but it mostly affects the children of divorced parents. Children of preschool age whose parents are getting divorced are likely to go through regression, have sleep problems and feel guilty. Children ages six to eight years old grieve for the parent who has moved out of the house. They also have “replacement fantasies,” where their parents will come back together. Children ages’s eight to eleven become angry and have a powerlessness feeling. They also have the need to take care of their parents. Teenagers are more likely to have acute depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. They may act out violently and judge their parents based on their decisions and actions. They become concerned and afraid about their future love relationships.
Even though divorce is almost like a death in the family, sometimes divorce is the best decision. Children function better in a single-parent family than in a conflict filled nuclear family. There also can be “friendly” divorces, which mean the ex-couple is friendly because there are children involved. Divorce can have a major affect on the couple that is getting divorced, but they cannot forget about the emotional scars it leaves on their children. Divorce does not only have an effect on the ex-couple, but it affects the whole entire family.
mwalsh @ December 3, 2008
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By Briana Lorusso
Bullying is something that happens everyday in schools around the world. Bullies are not the stereotypical bigger kid who likes to steal lunch money, they are children who feel the need to be in control, and have the need to make themselves feel as if they are better than everyone else. A target is the child being bullied and they usually have something about them that is different or that stands out more than some other kids. There are three I’s to bullying; inequality, intentional, and injure. Bullies bully to seem better than others, they are doing it intentionally, and it injures the target either mentally or physically. Bystanders are all the other students, teachers, and sometimes parents, who see this happening to a child, and do nothing about it. But what can be done? One proven effective solution is the Olweus Bully Prevention Program, which has been used in over a dozen countries. This program includes school wide, classroom, and individual level interventions. Teachers must go through the training course on how to deal with both bullies and targets, and students learn how to help and intervene when they see someone being bullied. Other than Olweus’s program, steps to help children learn to control their anger at an early age is also a step in the right direction, which helps them both throughout their time in school and later on in life. This problem is something that may never be fully solved, but if schools implement programs and punishments to children for their actions, it may reduce this problem.
For more on the Olweus Bully Prevention Program, see www.clemson.edu/olweus.
mwalsh @ December 3, 2008
By Alex Uhlman
When researching for my presentation about families I found out a lot of different things. My individual presentation was about different types of families. I never realized how many different types there actually was. It made me really sad when researching because a lot of the families are less fortunate. Something that is even worse is that people in these families are usually not accepted by what is supposed to be “normal” in today’s society. I think that no matter what if there are two or more people that care about each other you are considered family. Doing research on families made me realize that I have more than one family. My friends are my family as well as my immediate blood related family. I learned that family really does connect to sociology. I want to be a guidance counselor some day and learning about all these different types of families really will make it easier to connect and understand with the kids that I’m trying to help.
mwalsh @ December 3, 2008
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By Mike Doxzon
Charter schools are public schools that are funded by the state, while generally supported or run by non-profit, as well as for-profit businesses. Charter schools are non-sectarian, meaning that they are not divided by district so that all students are eligible to attend. Although available to the general public, charters are still quite rare in many areas. Due to this factor charter schools tend to run on a student lottery. Similar to private schools, charter schools are given many educational freedoms that those of the standard public system do not have. As long as these schools demonstrate competency in English, math, science, and social studies, comparative or greater than that of other local public schools, they are granted funding. However, if these schools do not display the necessary results within a period of five years they will lose all state funding. When successful, these schools can integrate courses, develop individual education plans, and spend time exploring specific student interests. While many are still skeptical about business supported schools and alternative methods of education, charter schools appear to have a lot potential and could be the catalyst our country needs in relation to a necessary education reformation.
For more information on charter schools please check out the official website: www.charterschools.org
mwalsh @ December 3, 2008
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By Stacey Higgins
The Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) requires an in-depth look at whether TPR is right for the children or if a best interest case is what is best for them. With a best interest case, social workers look into placing the child/children with other relatives or with friends of the family, so that they still have the emotional bond with someone they trust. Sometimes TPR is not always what is best for the child/children. If the child/children respond negatively to being in foster care before TPR because being away from a parent can cause psychological damages to the child/children, than it is not a right choice and it becomes a best interest case.
There are positives and negatives to TPR and best interest cases. Positives include that they child/children are safe from possible parental abuse, they do not need to make court appearances, and more time can be dedicated to helping the children. Negatives include behavior problems because of loss of parents, inability to see relatives, difficult to trust others, and identity crisis. Each case is different depending on the people involved. There is no set guidelines to what is right, what is right for one family may not be right for another family. TPR and best interest cases need to be looked at individually and not as part of a group.
mwalsh @ December 3, 2008
By Lauren Johnson
In our society today, it seems to be divorce is happening more and more frequently. When simply surveying students around me and asking three different groups of ten students to raise there hand if their parents were divorced, each time more than half the group responded if not more than half. If the rate of divorce is growing how are adolescents in our day and age supposed to learn anything from their families if the only thing they learn is how to watch a marriage slip through the cracks. If we sit back and take a positive outlook on love, we can see the good things. Producing quality relationships with everyone you come in contact with will be a help to each and every person in our society. Without a positive attitude a person may not get very far. In order to love and be loved, you need to give it in return. Most people learn their values and norms from their families, therefore, in order to have a positive relationship with a loved one, we need to think and act positively, and we will get positive results.
mwalsh @ November 25, 2008
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By Caitlin Glenn
At colleges and universities which do not offer a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work many undergraduate students choose a degree in Sociology in hopes that it will prepare them for a future in their desired field, but will they really be prepared for the actual problems that Social Workers meet on a daily basis? Some researchers believe that Undergraduate Sociology courses are too general to give the sufficient foundation that is needed for a career in Social Work and others believe that Social Workers should be experienced in all social sciences and not only Sociology. These researchers feel that Sociology courses are a good background for Social Workers but that there is too large of a separation between the two fields to allow students to cross over. There is often too much emphasis in Sociology courses on the student being the observer of those around and a career in the Social Work is frequently quite different. Students who are interested in a career in Social Work need to experience the practical problems that confront Social Workers of today.
mwalsh @ November 20, 2008
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