McKinney-Vento Act This law ensures that homeless children and youth have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education that is provided to other children. I learned about this law recently for my job and I appreciate that all children receive an education regardless of their situation. It gives them a chance to get out of their family situations and see a future for themselves.

I found the Madison County rules on bullying. They have a process for reporting and investigating bullying as well as a long list of things considered to be bullying. I didn't really see where or who educates the students about the bullying. An incident has to be reported to the District in order for them to investigate properly. They have meetings and try to get everything resolved. Here is the link: https://www.msd321.com/docs/district/policies/3000/3295p.pdf?id=1264

The norm in society is to be straight and in a heterosexual relationship. So when a youth, who is already struggling with identity and where they fit in, sees that they are not allowed to be who they are this can cause mental illness, lead to substance abuse, and can lead a person who might have a healthy life down an unhealthy road if they don't have the right support. If the foster family has similar ideas as the abusive biological family then they really aren't going into a home that can help support them, but just more abuse. They also have a high number of LGBTQ youth that are homeless just so they can escape these situations. I would say a lot of youth feel misplaced and there are homes that mistreat even the kids who don't identify as LGBTQ. Unfortunately at this time it is more common for those in the community because of the amount of people who won't accept them as they are. Making sure he was in a loving and supportive home before more issues occurred would have been something I

I didn't get picked on when I was a child or teenager, but I do remember the one or two times I took part in bullying someone else. It wasn't something I did regularly, but I fell into the peer pressure around me. When I got older I realized how wrong that was, I apologized, and I have been working ever since to remove the biases and stereotypes that the culture, family, and people around me created. I continue to do so daily so that I don't fall into any trap of peer pressure.

I have taken this test for multiple classes and I don't particularly care for their simplicity. I think life is a bit more complex than this. I think if we do work with families that are minorities we should be more cognizant of their treatment and make sure that it is the same treatment we would give a white family if they were in the same situation.

I would imagine that they feel judged and maybe misunderstood. They are probably dealing with the stress as much as possible but it has bled out so much that it is now hurting Deshawn. I imagine they feel that everyone that comes into their house that is apart of the system is against them and would just prefer to take their child away. I imagine if they are in a cycle of abuse (whether physical, emotional, or verbal) it can be hard to at this moment to see a way out of that relationship. When I describe my role to them I would hope they feel some relief that I am there to help their child. They might feel defensive at first due to their current feelings, but I would hope they could feel like they can warm up to me.

For my family our "cleaning day" would be on Saturday and then when I got married my husband told me he came from a family that cleaned every day! It seems minor but it was hard for both of us to adjust to a new plan that worked for our family.

Working with a teenager in ways can be a bit more difficult because they have been through the trauma longer than a younger child has been. They are also going through puberty which adds more stress onto them. But even though they are going through something difficult they have a good chance of overcoming it with good support systems around them to remind them that things can get better.

Bailey really wanted to be adopted, but was unable to. Even though she wasn't adopted by her foster family she felt like they were her family and goes to see them during the holidays and on the weekends. Bailey also had a child and considers her foster parents to be his grandparents. So even though legally they weren't her family she found permeance in a family that let her be herself. I think an advocate could have helped Bailey find stability earlier on in her childhood. This would have helped her to stay with the family at an earlier age and even maybe be adopted so she didn't have to keep going back to her biological mother.

If Bailey had an advocate she probably wouldn't have had this experience of having to keep going back and forth with a mother that she didn't feel like she could be herself. I also feel bad that she had a rough time in the system. She was told she wasn't worth the adoption because of her age, or that she had too much energy. This hurts my heart because if you are going to work in this system you should see every child for the positive they can bring to your home.