Who am I? What are the driving forces behind the decisions I make for myself and for my children? The answers to these questions have been shaped by my upbringing and my own personal interactions and experiences with the people who have come in and out of my life and the community I live in. My values, morals, beliefs, and cultural views have developed over time and continue to keep me grounded while working with children and families with different ethnic backgrounds. Before I discuss where I am, let me share my journey on how I got here.
Growing up in a poor, abusive, single parent, Caucasian home in a middle class neighborhood has defiantly had a significant impact on the person I am today. I would definitely consider my family to be one of large power distance. What my mother said went, children were seen and not heard, and you were expected to follow all rules and ask no questions. According to (Thorton, 2001) Children growing up in single parent households are reported to obtain fewer years of education, are more likely to drop out of school, have lower earnings in young adulthood, and are more likely to be poor in adulthood than children from two parent homes. While this may hold true for some children, I would like to think it was the complete opposite for me. I knew from a very young age that I wanted my life to be different, and I was the only one who could make it happen. I was surrounded by a generation of adults who believed the most important thing was
On the other hand, this research emphasizes how one’s family background and the surrounding neighborhood as specific contexts that impact individuals psychologically. In my opinion, higher SES families may live in wealthier communities that have better educational resources and environment. At this point, human development tend to be context specific instead of universal. As what we learned in class, poverty brings negative impacts to children, which is the biggest risk for parenting as well. More specifically, parents/caregivers bring direct influences to their children, and the neighborhood is one of the vital factors that impact children simultaneously. (Cole’s lecture, April & May 2017).
Most decisions are made with analysis, but some are judgment calls not susceptible to analysis due to time or information constraints. Please write about a judgment call you’ve made recently that couldn’t be analyzed. It can be a big or small one, but should focus on a business issue. What was the situation, the alternatives you considered and evaluated, and your decision making process? Be sure to explain why you chose the alternative you did relative to others considered.
The African-American family is defined as networks of households related by blood, marriage, or function that provide basic instrumental and expressive functions of the family to the members of those networks (Hill, 1999). It is one of the strongest institutions throughout history, and still today. Family strengths are considered to be cultural assets that are transmitted through socialization from generation to generation and not merely adaptations or coping responses to contemporary racial or economic oppression (McDaniel 1994; Hill 1999). This definition is contrary to the belief that the Black family is an adaptation to harsh conditions, instead of an ongoing establishment. Hill (1999) discusses
This paper will cover two criminological theories and they will be applied to two types of criminality. The two theories chosen for the paper were developmental theory and rational choice theory. The two types of crimes that were chosen were organized crime, specifically focusing on gangs, and terrorism. Then the crimes will be compared and contrasted. Finally, the developmental theory will be applied to organized crime to explain why and how it happens. The rational choice theory will be applied to terrorism to explain what compels individuals to attempt this form of criminality.
Many people question, does race affect the depth and strength of a family’s ties? Gerstel and Sarkisian used their essay, “The Color of Family Ties,” to support their opinion that yes; race does have a direct effect on the strength of a family. “We often hear that Black and Latino/a, especially Puerto Rican, families are more disorganized than White families, and that their family ties are weaker, because rates of non-marriage and single parenthood are higher among these minority groups. (Gerstel and Sarkisian p. 1)” The writers continue on to say, “taking this broader perspective on family relations refutes the myth that Blacks and Latinos/as lack strong families… Even if they don’t live together, Blacks and Latinos/as are as likely as Whites – and in some ways more likely – to be supportive family members. (Gerstel and Sarkisian p. 2 and 3)” Although commentators believe that a family should consist of both parents, should only be strongly involved with their nuclear family and need to be more than financially able, I believe family to be more than just that.
My mother always told, “Verline you have to run faster and jump higher to be the best.” My mother emigrated from Haiti and my father from Dominican Republic. I am a trilingual speaker. I am fluent in French, Spanish, and English. My father and mother came to the United States for a better life for my siblings and me. Being the youngest of eight children, where six didn’t attend college brought a lot of pressure in proving to my family that I am going to be successful. While my mother juggled two jobs and attended night classes it was my community that stepped in and help me evolve into the young woman I am today. I gave back to my community when I entered high school, and I began by volunteering at the YMCA I attended. My position switched from an attendee, to a volunteer, and now a camp counselor. I was so excited to take on a leadership role because I wanted to help students find what they are passionate about just as my mentor once did for me. I appreciate the opportunities that my community gave to me. I’ve gained principles, discipline, and tough love from my mentors in my community. Growing up in a large family l learned to share and the importance of relationships. I am beyond grateful to my family and community support for instilling in me the belief that I could do anything, and the sky is the
Families play a large role in the lives of every person to ever live. If one is born without a family, their lives will be much different than one who is born with a family, whether that family has a positive influence on said person or not. Every member of a family shapes a person’s identity, especially when they are growing up. If a child grows up with irresponsible parents that do not care for their child or adhere to their needs, the child will most likely grow up to become a person of a similar fashion with similar characteristics as their parents because that is all they have experienced and that is the only way that they
In “Stretching the Challenge” I asked the “why”. In doing so it helped me dissect and engage into why I chose parental engagement as my project. The more I question the more passionate I become.
I am a Family Advocate for Head Start program for 16 years. I work directly with families conducting needs assessments and making referrals to resources in the community. I provide support and link them to community resources so they would be able to be self-sufficient. I gain cultural knowledge when working with families from culturally diverse backgrounds and help me be more confident and work effectively when engaging with the families. I always want to give the best at my job and always strive to improve myself all the time.
Helping children thrive, progress and achieve is more than just a job for me-it 's a calling;
Child abuse and neglect is related to social status prior, during, and after the circumstance. Several sociological issues related to various aspects of domestic violence involve: low socioeconomic status, social and structural stresses, and social isolations and low community embeddedness (Gelles 1985). Parents who associate with these social roles are commonly affected with anxiety, depression, poor self-esteem, emotional problems, substance abuse, mental illness, and poor interpersonal skills (Dixon et al. 2005). Due to intergenerational transmission these violent characteristics are further relayed into the child’s life once they have taken on a parental role and succumb to the same social status and related stresses
Moreover, a deteriorating structure within a family impacts children from a very young age. They start to get neglected and eventually accept the difficulties. A study was done on kindergarten boys from low socioeconomic neighborhoods in Canada and it found that boys raised in adverse family environments are at a high risk of engaging in deviant peer groups (Lacourse et al., 2006). This indicates that when a child is not cared for appropriately, they are capable of doing as they wish. For the reason that some families have a complex structure and are hard to cope with, youth replace them with a gang which can be seen as a surrogate family. Mackay (2005) depicts that adverse conditions such as parental separation have shown to result in significant
The question “who am I”? Can have a lot of individuals thinking about themselves, including myself because one might not know where to start. It is a very broad question, but having done the Strengths Finder 2.0 assessment, I realized more in depth what kind of person I really am based on my top 5 strengths. Who I am as a learner, who I am in my career and who I am as a person of faith lead me to answering the question above and understanding more of myself within.
I grew up in a single parent household, and was a part of one until recently when my mom decided to remarry my now step dad. Growing up in this type of household has affected me in more ways than one would like to believe. It has affected the way my family is seen by others, how we speak to one another, and has had a large impact on my education. It has also given me a bigger stressor than simply living and growing in a single parent household with my mom; it gave me separation anxiety because of how we ended up in this
When I look in the mirror I know whom I am, but society makes it difficult to understand who I am, because I was born to immigrants of Nigerian descent, and I am a first generation American, that term is sometimes used so loosely. By looking at my name they assume that I am from some island, but I am so quick to tell them that “I am Nigerian”, there is another statement that normally follows this. “You do not have an accent”. I wonder if I had an accent would I be considered Nigerian and not American; then I say that “My parents are Nigerian” and then that changes, so to them I am just associated with the Nigerian culture it does not make me Nigerian, there has been many discussion between my friends who are the same like me confused to