The effects of an unstable home-life on children in the classroom

1. FamilyStability
Ashley A, Ashley O, Cameron, Dulce, IvyAnn,
Rachel

2. HowDoesFamilyStabilityAffectthe
ChildintheClassroom?

3. ANSWER:
“When the home life is not stable, executive function
skills may be impaired, or may not develop at all,
limiting a child’s success in elementary school and
later in life.”
-Researchers at the Center on the Developing Child,
Harvard University

4. WHATWEWILLBECOVERING
● Addiction
● Homelessness
● Divorce

5. ACTIVITY

6. ADDICTION
In the US, twenty million children are experiencing physical, verbal and emotional abuse from parents who are addicted to alcohol and drugs.
These are common struggles for children from addicted homes:
Guessing at what is normal.
Difficulty having fun Judging themselves
Difficulty with emotional relationships.
Feeling "different" from other people.
impulsive.
Either responsible or irresponsible.
seeking approval and affirmation.
chronic anxiety.
Lacking self discipline.
Compulsive liars.
No self-respect.
Fear and mistrust for authority figures.
-
https://youtu.be/Z9xQcHnMsQg

7. HOWITAFFECTSTHECHILDASAWHOLEINTHECLASSROOM
Children from drug/alcohol addicted homes are unable to
focus on their school work due to all the stressors and
conflicts at home.
They are more likely to have a learning disability, be
truant, repeat grades, transfer schools, and be expelled.
Take on developmentally inappropriate responsibility for the
household

8. SUPPORT&HELP
estimated 25% of youth is
exposed to alcohol or drug
dependence.
-February 12-18 Children’s of
Alcoholics week
-Alateen

9. CHILDHOMELESSNESS
● A Mckinney Vento(homeless)student is: any youth who
“lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence.
● 1 out of 4 children are homeless.
● 75% of homeless students do not graduate.
● 3.8% of Spokane's students are homeless.
● over 1.7 million teens experience homelessness in the US each year.
(dosomething.org)

10. THEEFFECTONTHEWHOLECHILDINTHECLASSROOM
● What kids are affected?
○ Age-out of foster care and have not graduated.
○ Runaways due to home life issues
○ Children that are part of a family that has become homeless
○ Children residing in a temporary residence.
● How?
○ suffer specific physical, psychological, and emotional damage.
○ Feel the need to self medicate with drugs and alcohol due to
stressors.
■ This can be due to lack of:
● Food,
● Hygienic products,
● Healthcare,
● Emotional stability

11. SUPPORT&HELP
● High-Quality relationships with teachers in special
intervention support programs.
● Long-term supportive housing.
● After-school tutoring and academic support programs.
● Nutritional support programs:
○ WIC (women infants and children),
○ free-lunch school programs,
○ supplemental after- school snack programs,
○ summer lunch program,
○ T.A.N.F
○ S.N.A.P
● Mckinney Vento Act of 1987

12. divorcehttps://youtu.be/lbTFZ8cvHo4
Divorce represents a pivotal and often a traumatic shift in a child’s world- and from
their perspective, a loss of a family member. For children, divorce can be stressful, sad,
and confusing. At any age kids may feel uncertain or angry at the prospect of mom and dad
splitting up and trying to understand how their lives will change.
If school aged kids have grown up in a nurturing environment, it will be only natural for
them to have a fear of being abandoned during a divorce. Children 5-8 years old will not
understand the concept of divorce and may feel as if their parents are divorcing them.
They may worry about losing their father (if they are living with their mom) and fantasize
that their parents will get back together. In fact, they often believe they can “rescue”
their parents’ marriage.
Kids from 8-11 may blame one parent for the separation and align themselves with the
“good” parent against the “bad”. They may accuse their parents of being mean or selfish
and express their anger in various ways: boys may fight with classmates or lash out
against the world, while girls may become anxious, withdrawn, or depressed. Children of
either gender may experience upset stomachs or headaches due to stress, or may make up
symptoms in order to stay home.

13. HowDivorceAffectsChildrenAsAWhole
● It's stressful for children
● Risk of developing behavioral problems
● Painful memories and ongoing worries
● Can strain parent-child relationship
● Create economic hardships
● Blames themselves
● Can't accept reality
● Become ashamed of their parents situation
● Fear of what will happen next/ fear if they will stop loving him/her
● Feeling anxious, depressed, lonely, and sad or tend to have low-self-
esteem
● Children develop trust issues
● Higher risk of substance abuse
emeryondivorce.com/how_divorce_affects_children.php

14. Intheclassroom
● Distraction may prevent the child from completing
assignments
● School drop out
● Lack of interest
● Can't focus
● Difficulty learning
● Withdraw from their classmates in an attempt to avoid
embarrassment
● Fall behind

15. Thechildren'sBillofRightsinDivorce1. The right to love and be loved by both of your parents without feeling guilt or disapproval.
2. The right to be protected from your parents' anger with each other.
3. The right to be kept out of the middle of your parents' conflict, including the right not to pick sides, carry
messages, or hear complaints about the other parent.
4. The right not to have to choose one of your parents over the other.
5. The right not to have to be responsible for the burden of either of your parents' emotional problems.
6. The right to know well in advance about important changes that will affect your life; for example, when one of
your parents is going to move or get remarried.
7. The right to reasonable financial support during your childhood and through your college years.
8. The right to have feelings, to express your feelings, and to have both parents listen to how you feel.
9. The right to have a life that is a close as possible to what it would have been if your parents stayed
together.
10. The right to be a kid.
2006 Robert E. Emery, Ph.D.

16. Children whose parents divorce during their formative years
are at a greater risk of behavioral issues such as
aggression, depression, poor school performance and lower
self-esteem.
Teachers can play a huge role in helping students going
through divorce to make an encouraging correction in their
attitudes. As a teacher you should explain to your student
that families change with time. Some families get new family
members with every birth or adoption of a new child, and
other change by moving to new places.
This will help the child to understand that change is normal
and that it happens to everyone, although it may not always
be easy.

17. SUPPORT&HELP
1. Patience
2. Reassurance
3. Providing a listening ear
4. A routine that the child can depend on
a. This makes it so that they can count on you for stability, structure,
and care.
5. Words of encouragement
6. Discussion opportunities
7. Affirm and reinforce the child’s strengths
8. Focus on the child's best interest

18. yourroleasateacher
Create positive relationships
● Children
● Families
Positive learning environment
Be aware of community resources
Mentoring program
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24HqSC9antg

19. conclusion
Families face many challenges. These require that early
childhood professionals expand their role as caregivers and
educators of young children to include support for those
children and their families.

20. Sources
Child Homelessness
www.nationalhomeless.org/publications/facts/McKinney.pdf
http://spokanecares.org/index.php?c_ref=467&gclid=Cj0KEQiA6vS2BRDH8dq06YDHz_IBEiQAzNdBmX_huExtnxNuyJUf3fJyZ
VECWUQCS0CGPOmTX3Aa5ogaApRt8P8HAQ
“Homelessness and its effects on children,” a report prepared for the Family Housing Fund December
1999.
https://teens.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/helping-children-addicted-parents-find-helphttp:
//alcoholicsvictorious.org/acoa
http://alcoholicsvictorious.org/acoa
www.pedro-carroll.com