Huffington Post: "What Do We Tell The Children?"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-should-we-tell-the-children_us_5822aa90e4b0334571e0a30b#comments

I had something entirely different picked out for my item of interest; however, cannot get past the results of our presidential election and what it means for our country, our educational systems, and our children. Just last week, a student who I see often that has been getting into trouble for what I consider sexual harassment of several female peers explained to me that if Trump wins the election its “gonna get lit,” suggesting that this behavior will not only remain for him, but many more of his peers. He then recited verbatim what he had been hearing on YouTube advertisements about Donald Trump groping women. At the time, I has confident Trump would not be elected President of the United States. This is one small example of how this item of interest is connected to my placement. I also am aware that many of the students at my placement have parents and family members who are undocumented, and that they are petrified for what is to come with our new leader.

The election influences social work on several different levels, and I am struggling to even formulate my thoughts and feelings into words. This article helps me formulate my thoughts a little better, and provides me a tool to use when discussing the topic with students instead of responding out of anger. I feel that this article supports best practice because it is solution-focused and identifies shared values that most students and teachers can align with. This article helps remove emotionally charged responses to begging emotional questions. I would place this item with a solution-focused model.