Lesson 1: Overwhelmed

Question 1: What roles do families and society play in the

pressures facing youth? Describe.
Families and society play a significant role in the
pressures facing youth today. Parents may pressure their
children to not only achieve superior grades but to also
achieve greatness in extracurricular activities. Parents can
put an immense amount of pressure on their children to
be successful in all areas of their lives. Society pressures
youth to achieve its idea of perfection through television
ads, magazines, and various forms of social media. The
more talents you display, the greater the person you are
perceived to be; however, all talents take time to perfect.
The pressure that some youth feel today is much too
intense and does not always have a positive effect on our
young children.
Question 2: What can schools and teachers do about these
external forces? Describe.
I feel both schools and teachers can convey to both
students and parents that perfection is unrealistic and not
expected from their students. We all have strengths and
weaknesses, and it is not possible for each and every
person to achieve greatness in every aspect of life. I
believe teachers, school counselors, administrators,
graduation coaches, and stakeholders within the
community (who are brought in to speak to students
under the discretion of an appropriate school committee)
should use their positions to encourage students
struggling with the immense amount of pressure society
and parents place upon them. If schools and the
community worked at alleviating some of the pressure

their students faced, they may actually become more

successful over time.
Question 3: Why is it important to graduate high school
and later obtain a degree? Describe.
It is highly important and beneficial to graduate high
school and later obtain a degree. Having both of these
diplomas and achievements are of upmost importance to
become successful individuals. Those who never graduate
high school are more likely to become unemployed or
make a significant amount less than one who earns his/her
high school diploma. When one has obtained a degree, the
job outlook and yearly income looks much brighter than
those without a degree. Not only is a secondary diploma
financially beneficial, the information learned and earned
can never be taken away from the student that receives it,
thus become a great sense of pride and achievement.
Without these two very important items one misses out on
extraordinary opportunities.
Question 4: What are some barriers to educational success
in high school? Describe a few?
There are many barriers that can prevent success in high
school. A few that come to mind are parental involvement,
family instability or hardships, and students lack of
engagement in the material being taught. When there are
high school students who do not have a very stable or
ideal home life, it undoubtedly shows in their schoolwork.
A high school student living in difficult conditions may find
it hard to focus on his/her studies. Another barrier can be
the students parents. Parents play a huge role in the
success of their child, and when ones parents are unable
or unwilling to contribute to their child's school work, the
child's grades may reflect poorly because of it. Lastly,

when students are not engaging in the material being

taught, they will not succeed in classroom.
Question 5: Describe what you as a teacher, can do to help
reduce or eliminate the barriers?
As a teacher, I can help eliminate these barriers by
reaching out to those more in need of my help. When I
recognize a student that has an unstable home life, I
should extend a helping hand. This may include tutoring
sessions, parent conferences or just an encouraging note
or a word of praise aloud to those students in need. As for
getting my students to engage in the material, I should
get creative in how the material is presented. I need to
work with other teachers to come up with fun and exciting
ways to get the students excited about learning. If
students are excited about what is being presented to
them they will be more engaged in the material. We
should inspire our students with our desire for them to
learn and be successful.
Summary:
This lesson really hit home for me. Growing up with
an abusive parent and knowing from experience what it
feels like to face some of the barriers and difficulties
children face today. Families and home life have a direct
effect on ones schoolwork, confidence and success. It is
my strong belief that teachers have the unique
opportunity to encourage, help, and potentially better the
lives of the students they come in contact with. I also
believe graduating high school and then pursing a college
degree opens doors that otherwise might not be able to
open. We must continue to debate and bring light to these
important issues so that we can become better people and
educators.

Research Question: How does abuse affect children in

school?
Reference:
http://www.education.com/reference/article/abuse-andneglect/
Research Analysis:
Children may suffer from a variety of abuse. Whether
the form of the abuse is physical, sexual, emotional and/or
psychological, childrens lives are impacted from the
experience. According to research, these types of abuse
interrupt and affect a students academic performance. A
childs behavior in the classroom is almost always
impacted. For instance, a child that has or is experiencing
abuse tends to show various behavior problems such as
being disruptive or becoming very withdrawn. Teachers
have labeled children of abuse as problematic. These
types of behavioral problems can affect the childs
learning and academic progress.
It has been proven through research that abused
students in grades 2nd through 8th scored a great deal
lower than non-abused students in both reading and
math. Students living in abuse actually scored lower than
that of those living in poverty. Students in lower grades
showed more deficiencies in their reading scores. It is
because of these deficiencies in reading and math that
these students are more likely to repeat grades. Abused
children in grades 9th through 12th are more likely to drop
out of school; this is due in part to having to repeat
grades.

Research also shows that an abused child finds it

difficult to focus in school because of the neglect and
abuse they endure. A cause of the inability to focus has to
do with the physical ailments that abused children often
experience. Some examples of physical ailments are
headaches, stomachaches, stress, sleep disturbances,
depression and injuries. These ailments have a
tremendous impact on the way one learns and performs in
school. In order for students to be successful and reach
the performance level expected of them, they must be
alert. It has been proven difficult for these students to be
focused when they are not feeling well or are sleep
deprived. Because of the physical strain abused children
experience, school absences are yet another bi-product of
why students find it difficult to keep up with their lessons.
School attendance is vital to academic success, and
children that miss an excessive amount of days due to
abuse and/or neglect will undoubtedly suffer in their
schoolwork.
Research Summary:
I found the research I conducted as no shock. I
absolutely agree that the research shows that abuse can
have a direct impact on a childs academic progression
and the way they conduct themselves in school. With
having dealt with abuse in my childhood, I know the
impact it can have in ones life. I remember the difficulty
of trying to focus and the burden of pretending all was
well. My grades definitely reflected that my main focus
was not centered on school but on my personal issues.
Abuse among children is all too real, and it and has the
potential to devastate the child not only physically and
mentally but in their academics as well.