Laura Conaway

SPU 201
Diversity Discussion #2
1. Referring to specific page numbers and ideas presented in Chapter 4 of the textbook, please
describe the characteristics (demographics and special considerations) of Dasani's family.
How is having this information important for educators who work with Dasani and her
siblings?

On page 80 of the textbook, it describes using a home-note program. This is when notes are
sent home and the parents must sign off that they read them. This would help Dasani’s parents
and the teachers to effectively communicate and be equally involved in her and her siblings’
academic life. Another important topic presented on page 73 was that of family characteristics
and how there are cultural, socioeconomic, and special conditions that are a part of any
family. It’s important for the teachers to be aware of these dynamics because of the continued
growth of ethnic diversity. It would also help them be more aware of Dasani’s situation and
help her find ways to meet her needs while in school. Finally, individualized family service
plans were discussed on page 67. These not only help the exceptional child, but it focuses on
the family and the services they may need as well. This would be important for Dasani’s
family because they are homeless and need more assistance.

2. Offering specific examples from the article and referring to specific ideas from Chapter 4,
describe the factors for their family interactions in each of the following areas: cohesion,
adaptability, family functions, and family routines. How do these family interactions impact
their lives?

Cohesion is a key component to family interactions. Specifically, it is making sure that a

child, especially an exceptional child, has the ability to be an independent person and isn’t
sheltered by her parents. Dasani is not fully independent but she has more responsibilities
than most children her age because her parents are not always there to support and help her.
Therefore, she is still dependent because of her age, but is independent because of the tasks
she is required to do such as taking care of her younger siblings.

Adaptability is another important aspect of family interactions. This is when the family is able
to change interactions when they come across a stressful situation. Dasani’s family would
spend money on frivolous things and not save it to help them get to a better living situation.
Laura Conaway
SPU 201
Diversity Discussion #2
An example of this is when they spent money on new shoes and Chinese food instead of
putting the money aside. Her parents are also not adapting to the stressful situation of not
having enough money because when they get a check in the mail, they immediately think they
are rich enough to afford what working class citizens can get and they do not have the mindset
of their actual reality which should cause more concern about paying for things.

Family functions is vital because it is being able to meet the economic, daily, medical and
educational needs of each person in the family. Dasani’s family does not have this because
they are always spending the little amount of money they have. Their children’s daily needs
are not being met and an example of this is that the baby is getting showers in the sink and
there are mice roaming around because of a deteriorating wall in the family’s room. Their
medical needs are not being met either, because the parents most likely do not have insurance
due to spending all their money. Therefore, they do not have provisions to take their kids to
the doctor if the need would arise. However, they are helping their children get an education ,
despite it not being a great school. The teacher at the school recognizes Dasani’s potential but
is also aware of the current family situation.

Family routine is not being accomplished in Dasani’s family either. Some examples of this are
that there is no designated space for any of the children to do homework, there’s not adequate
time because she is constantly around her siblings and focusing on taking care of them and
when she does do her homework, it is normally in the bathroom or on her mattress.

3. What are your initial reactions to Dasani's parents? While you might initially feel upset
with Dasani's parents and some of their behaviors, all try to consider some of the broader
social pressures and problems they face. Please refer to specific examples from the article
throughout your responses.

My impression of Dasani’s parents were that they are irresponsible and do not care about their
kids. They do drugs and have not chosen to stop, even though the state and social services
have threatened them and keep a close watch. However, some of the bigger problems they
face are that they both came from families where their parents lived the same lifestyle they are
now. Because of this, they don’t know any differently and it has become a vicious cycle.
Laura Conaway
SPU 201
Diversity Discussion #2
The social pressures that they face are also a challenge. At one point, when Dasani and her
mom are walking home, a mother, with a child, sees them and hides. Dasani’s mom says the
mother must think that they are going to mug her because of how they look and where they
are in the city. The ideas that society has about people like Dasani’s family who are in a low -
income environment is that they are up to no good and that they will never make it out of their
current situation into a better one. Because of this pressure from those around them, Dasani’s
family accepts it and does not do anything at first to try and change it.

4. To what extent do you think Dasani's school offers a family-centered approach to providing
services? Cite specific examples. If you think they don't offer a family-centered approach,
explain why.

One of the first encounters with this is when Dasani asks the principal to not call her parents
when she gets in trouble. I think this is a semi-family centered approach because the principal
chooses not to call her parents, because she knows that Dasani will get a beating if her parents
find out that she was misbehaving in school. This is in a way protecting her from her home
life. However, Dasani also knows that she needs to start behaving better in school. In the same
way, the school doesn’t really do much else to initiate a family-centered approach because
they aren’t involving the parents in Dasani’s academic successes and areas of improvement.

5. In what ways do Dasani’s teacher, coach, and principal try to respond to the needs of the
family? Analyze each of the following educators/role models: (1) Ms. Holmes, (2) Ms. Hester,
and (3) Giant. How well do you think each educator addresses the needs of the family? Justify
your responses with evidence from the article.

Ms. Holmes is the principal at Dasani’s school. When Dasani gets into another fight, Ms.
Holmes chooses to suspend her for a time because she knows that she can change, but the
change is not evident at the moment. By doing this, it allows Dasani to think about her
choices and when she comes back to school, a few girls try to pick another fight with her.
However, she wants to make Ms. Holmes proud and she also has the support of her siblings,
literally, with her. I think Ms. Holmes does a good job of addressing the needs of the family
Laura Conaway
SPU 201
Diversity Discussion #2
because she tells Dasani she is capable of more than just fighting, like her mother encourages
of her.

Ms. Hester, Dasani’s teacher helps her become the best she can be through encouragement.
Ms. Hester shares her own story about how she was not encouraged to go to college or obtain
an education, but she did anyway. This helped Dasani to see that not only is education
important, but that if she puts her mind to it, she can accomplish it. She also knows that
someone is cheering her on. I think that Dasani’s teacher addresses the needs of the family by
encouraging Dasani. If she gets an education, she will be at a level where she can obtain a
goal and climb higher up in society – and on the socioeconomic ladder – and have a way to
provide for her family.

Giant was a criminal at one point, but now he helps kids with “gymnastics.” Dasani and her
mom meet him at the park and Dasani shows him what she is capable of doing on the bars at
the playground. Giant recruits her and eventually, Dasani gets paid for some of her ability and
it provides an opportunity for her to do something with her life and earn money for the family.
Therefore, I think that he helps address the needs of the family because he too encourages her
to do something she’s good at and in return, she gets money for her family.