Case Study- Post 10 Reflection

My goal for this project was to help this mom get into school and start work on either her GED for find a place that will give her a high school diploma. From the research that I did during the writing of my lit review I learned how important it is for teen parents to complete their education in order to have a better life for them and their child.
I learned a lot about the action research process while working on this project.  I learned that I need to be open to changing my plan of action, and take time to really hear what the parent is saying instead of trying to push my agenda. I learned that I need to make sure that I am following through with what I tell the mom that I am going to do. That means, I need to have articles, information and time for her when I say that I will have it for her. By doing this it will help build trust in our relationship.
The information that I think will help others is the information that I learned about adolescent development. That in order to work with a teen parent, you need to meet them where they are developmentally or you will not be able to make progress in the work that you are trying to do with them.
As far as myself as a researcher, I have learned that I need to be passionate about helping families in order to want to take the time out of my day to work specifically with one family. I have learned that the research does not end when the lit review ends, but that all interactions can be thought about and tied to research.
My teaching practices will forever be changed after this work with this mother. I will be able to reach out to teen parents and be able to meet them where they are developmentally, and help them move forward.  I am very proud of all the progress that we have made in our relationship, and also in her goals. I plan on continuing my work with her in hopes to keep her on track with the completion on her education.

Case Study- Post 9

     Today I worked with mom. She brought in the book from the class at the hospital. I asked her how the class went, she said that it was really good and she learned so much information, and feels like she knows what to do know if the baby goes into a crisis. I smiled and asked her, how she felt about that. She said it makes her feel like she is in more control and that it makes her a better mother. I said that must be a really good feeling. I asked her what was the new information that she learned that will help her. She said the most important thing she learned was that when the baby is  running a fever that she needs to take her right to the er and get medical attention right away. She said that at home they were treating the fever, but that was not what they should be doing. She said this will help her prevent long hospital stays by being able to catch the infection before it gets bad. At this point, I was so proud that mom took the time to go to the hospital, and learn about this condition.
     I asked her how bedtime was going, and she said the articles that I gave her were helpful, and that they are working on a bedtime routine. I asked her if she needed any other information on bedtime routines, and she said no. I asked her if her classes were going okay, and she said yes. I asked her what her plans were for the rest of the day and mom said that she was going to go to the temp agency and see if they have any work for her. I said that sounds like a good plan. I told her that our time together to work one on one would be ending, I asked her how she felt about it. She said that she is glad that we had devoted so much time to work on the goals that she has for herself.

Case Study- Post 8

       Today mom and I sat down to talk. I brought with me a couple of articles about bedtime routines, and way to transition children into a bed from a crib. I asked her how things were going with the move from the crib to a bed. She said that night times were still really rough, and that neither one of them are getting much sleep. I asked her how that was effecting her homework, and the daily schedule that we had discussed last time. She said it was hard for her to stay on schedule when she was so tired, and that when she should be doing homework, she wants to be sleeping. She said that during the day she has been, falling asleep while reading her lessons and that when she wakes up it is time to come and pick up the baby. I gave her the information that I got for her and said maybe the articles would be able to give her some ideas to make bedtime easier for them. She said that she would look at them. I asked her how her lessons were going. She said when she gets to them, they are not to bad and is able to work though about one lesson in two weeks. I asked her if she was working on the math section, and she said, that she works on it with her sister and has to take it very slow.
   At this point I was wondering if she was feeling like she was failing at getting her school work done because she is so tired during the day. I asked her if she was feeling like she was falling behind, and feeling nervous about failing. She said that she was not scared that she was going to fail because the school will not give her anymore lessons until she has finished the one that she has. She told me that she was planning on attending a class at Children's Hospital to learn more information about her daughters chronic condition. I told her that I was proud of her for taking the time to schedule a babysitter for the baby, and learn about this condition. I also asked her if she could educated me on what to look for after the class. She smiled and said that she would love to do that. I felt that by asking her to educate me, showed that I respect her as the parent. I also think that this will show her that I care to know about the condition that her daughter has so that I can detect sign that the child might be having a crisis.
    My next step is to talk with the mom about the information that she learned in her class, and how she is going to use that information to keep the baby healthy, and out of the hospital.