My students need books to help them cope with the difficulties of divorce including Was It The Chocolate Pudding, A Terrible Thing Happened and The D Word.
"I had a really good childhood up until I was nine, then a classic case of divorce really affected me." -Kurt Cobain
Our elementary school was built in 1939 among large, old Live Oak trees.
Our students are from families with a wide range of nationalities, ethnicities, and languages. Our school celebrates that diversity and the value it brings to the education of our students. Tomorrows world will need citizens who cooperate rather than compete, who appreciate people of different cultures and divergent views, who know how to cooperatively solve problems and who are able to build communities based on interdependency and mutual respect.
My Project
The traditional family structure of mom, dad, and 2.5 children has quickly become a thing of the past. According to a 2005 study, only 7% of children live in these traditional families. The new norm of typical family structure includes single-parents, step-parents, step-siblings, grandparents raising children, same-sex parents, and adoptive or foster siblings. It is sometimes difficult for children to accept that this new family structure is not wrong because they feel different from their classmates. When parents divorce or separate, it has a long-term impact on the growth and development of their children. Children, like adults, fear change and ultimately divorce can be a very stressful experience because change occurs in most aspects of their life. These books will help my students learn that they are not alone with their feelings. These stories will help foster feelings of belonging and support to replace feelings of loneliness, isolation, and helplessness.
Research studies confirm that children of divorce have an increased risk for developing psychological, behavioral, social, and academic problems.
These books will help my students express their feelings, explore divorce from different vantage points, build inner courage, act as guides through these painful times and foster self-efficacy and healing.
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