Week 3 Reflection Post

Reflection:

This week we talked a lot about systems; social, cultural, and family systems. As I was reading through the different materials and things this week I found it interesting to see how these systems worked. It really helped me to talk about them in class, because I learned a lot about how society and culture as well as the family have an effect on everyone.

When we talked about the differences in social and cultural systems, I was able to see how knowing about this will help me in my future career. We talked about the medical and social models and how prevalent they are in our society today. As a future teacher in Special Education, this helped me really learn and start to become prepared to help my students by not just defining them by what they can't do, but helping them learn and do things that will help them be successful.

When we talked about family systems, I really found this interesting and I think it is so important to be prepared and know about these different systems so that I can work with students and understand how family plays a huge part in how a child may act or react in different situations. Thinking back on these systems and how they shaped me into who I am today, it is easy to see the effect that family has on a person. When we talked in class, it was really interesting to me to listen to different family systems and dynamics and to hear the responses of my peers.


Weekly Quote:

"We don't pee on people!" ~Sister Swenson. This really made me laugh in class, because when my little brother was born I was sort of the same way. I am number 5 of 6 kids and my little brother is 4 years younger than me. I remember when my mom asked me if I wanted a new baby I told her no. I was very adamant that I absolutely did not want a baby; she told me that we were going to have one anyways. I was not very happy about it until my mom told me that the baby would help me clean my room when he/she was old enough; that was the only reason I wanted to have a younger sibling. When I heard this quote it made me feel better that I wasn't the only one who didn't want a new baby!

HWD Project:

When we talked about family systems in class this week, I got to thinking about this project and my topic about family relationships in families who have a child with special needs. I learned that families who have a child with special needs are not exempt from the effects of a family system; they actually even have more to "deal with" so to speak. They not only are a family, but they have special circumstances and that family dynamic might be a little more strained on those families that have a child with special needs. It can be hard sometimes for everyone to get along and to understand why they are affected. When talking about family systems it really helped me see that a family with a child who has a special need really can be affected; and not just one member of the family, but the whole family. We talked about how the family system is like a baby mobile-- not just one thing moves when the mobile gets touched, the whole mobile is affected; this is the same in a family unit.

Source: Class powerpoint and discussion.