Sunday, May 27, 2018

I love practicing Writing! Get a job writing!

Everyone is helping in the community. Ron McBride was a coach for the University of Utah and has been to other states and seen some people missing opportunities. He doesn't want that to happen in his state of Utah. That is why he has the Ron McBride Foundation and is raising money and has support of friends to raise the bar for children's well-being in Utah's schools.

http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/05/09/172998/ron-mcbride-s-impact-plan-for-wasatch-front-schools

Malala's story keeps on giving...because of a mom at a local school.

http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/05/09/172959/holladay-area-children-use-art-to-solve-problems

A Catholic School in Salt Lake, that used to be a orphanage long ago, celebrates a wonderful cultural night. They even had Mescalero Apache booth! The history of the Kearn's Saint Ann Catholic School is wonderful.

http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/05/18/173543/sharing-the-world-of-food-at-kearns-saint-ann-catholic-school-s-fair

This article is about an app called the SafeUT app. It is an anonymous tip hotline through UNI, the university of Utah that helps teens with suicide, depression, drugs, danger, cutting, etc. The hotline is there to help you, or a friend. It is a subject that some people live in denial about and believe depression is not a real illness. But, it is real and those that have it need people to understand it.

http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/05/17/173515/safeut-one-app-you-want-your-teen-to-have


My favorite story because it hits close to home. I love this program for foster kid and we need more of them in Utah Universities! The First Star Academy provides monthly support and summer academy to help them catch-up and be ready for college.
http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/05/18/173542/helping-utah-s-foster-children-go-to-college

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Writing Articles for the Valley Journal in South Salt Lake

I started writing articles for the Valley Journal to get more involved in the community and to practice my writing. It has been helpful.

I have learned about the United Way https://uw.org/community-schools/ helping in the community, ways to serve our community, Future Problem Solvers http://www.fpspi.org and their National competition is coming up, and have purchased Malala's children book because of inspiration.



http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/03/07/168500/one-pen-can-change-the-world
This Article is about a woman that was inspired by Malala's book and a variety of incoming thoughts of changing the world. She comes up with a way to help children change their community.

http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/03/07/168502/don-t-delay-register-for-preschool-today
This article is simple and comfortable because I teach preschool. I also feel that many people do not realize this resource of intervention is available for free through the school district for children that may be struggle. They may be struggling with behaviors, cognitive, or physically.

http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/03/23/169525/why-seek-early-intervention-for-your-child-
And finally, this is for those that do not access these services for children with special needs. It isn't just the diagnosed children, it can be just a speech delay or physical needs.


http://www.fpspi.org founder is Dr E. Paul Torrance who is obsessed with solving problems. 

“The genius of the future will be the creative mind adapting itself to the shape of things to come.”
-Dr E. Paul Torrance – Creativity (1991)
He also has a Lecture Series at Georgia University https://coe.uga.edu/recurring-events/torrance-lectures on creativity. -- The Torrance Center for Creativity and Talent Development is a service, research, and instructional center concerned with the identification and development of creative potential and with gifted and future studies. As part of our goals to investigate, implement, and evaluate techniques for enhancing creative thinking and facilitating national and international systems that support creative development. 
Myths of Creativity: 
It is not forgotten. 
It comes from sitting in the bathtub.
Problem Solving Solutions: 
1. Vexing problem is misleading them to a dead-end. Reinterpret the problem. 
2. Solution comes because there is an unconscious process leading you to the solution.
3. The idea pops into consciousness and it connects immediately. This leads to more creative thinking. 

http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/04/11/171103/syrian-refugee-receives-westminister-scholarship

Syrian refugee, Mohammad, worked at Gap with my daughter. She told me about him and I had to write a story on him. Everyone has a story, but not the same story. His village was bombed and they had to flee. They were told they were coming to America in 2 weeks and had to leave everything they knew. Now, he has a scholarship to Westminster, a private college in Salt Lake. Amazing!

http://www.valleyjournals.com/2018/04/11/171114/ups-and-netflix-volunteers-help-at-lincoln-elementary-s-dr-seuss-day

United Way is great way to volunteer in your community! United Way has a unique “Promise of a Collective Impact” to bring businesses together to help schools avoid the declivity and instead reach for success.


Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Re-invent the Foster Care System

STOP PUTTING KIDS INTO FOSTER HOMES
Just taking children from their homes and placing them in another home  is not a guarantee that it will work. Infant, it doesn't.  Someone take a child from one dyfuncional situation and puts them into a home where either the foster parent(s) are dysfunctional, or the foster parent(s) has the wrong idea about foster care and does not know how to handle the child and their baggage.
Does the state really believe moving them into a family situation is going to make them "normal". It does everything to point out to the child what they do no have, and if it is worse the child only wants to go back. It is NOT a solution.
THEY NEED TO FEEL LOVED
However, creating a community feel where a child can have a home-like feel, but not the traditional home is a re-invention. Put the children in "Miniature group homes" that are set up like a home life with House Parents, not foster parents. Notice that it is Parents! Yes, it is a must that two parents be in the home to help bring constancy and stability to these troubled children's lives. The House Parents DO NOT WORK. Being a foster parent is a job. The House Parent would commit to 2 years.  They have the resources in the home for up to 10 children. Resources like bedrooms, bathrooms, automobiles, access to 24 hour help if needed. Some houses can take siblings. Or other homes may be just for boys, or girls. They have a system in the house that runs like a household, but they are creating their own community because they all have one thing in common, They were taken from their home and need to be around other children that understand.
This is not just something I randomly thought of, it is done everyday for children that have to leave their home form low income, to difficult situations and they are put into the Milton Hershey School. The Milton Hershey School opened 1909 to provide a positive structured home life for children while they were attending his school.
Here is a link Milton Hershey Home life
BENEFITS OF HOUSE PARENTS VS. FOSTER HOMES.
This system would reduce the amount of time from social workers going from home to home every month. with 10 children in one place it would save on valuable time, gas, and resources would be all in one place. The other most important aspect this puts in the foster care system is it breaks down the wall that all foster parents build to protect themselves for when the child leaves. I have heard and spoken to foster parents that explain a deliberate wall of love that is kept from these children in order to protect themselves from being hurt. One can not blame them. However, with House Parents and the expectations set forth, they would be giving it their all and they chose to do this for two years and must reapply. The changing of House Parents would be difficult but not near as damaging as shuffling kids from home to home where they only receive partial love. They deserve more than that.

Here is just one more example of why we need to stop putting kids in foster homes and forgetting about them.
According to a report by the Children's Advocate of Manitoba, 13 children died in CFS care last year. Four of the deaths were of natural causes, three were accidental, four were "undetermined," and two were suicides.


Here is the latest on proposed Legislation to help children in this area where 90% of the children are indigenous. It is a beginning of a solution!
Customary Care