Culture Project

Educ 180
Bryanna Fox

a. What is the main issue in this case study?

i. All of the different influential adults in Anabela’s life seem to have different visions for her
education. Her family and her school teachers differ in what they see as best for her. The
lack of connection and communication between the two leads to strains.
b. Using Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs on page 88 of your text, explain where Anabela is in
relationship to each of the levels. How could this information help her teacher?
i. Looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, I see it as safe to say that her basic needs are
met. Anabella’s​ physiological needs,​ such as food and shelter, are certainly met at home.
She also is secure and loved. Her ​safety needs​ are met as well. Her psychological needs
however are where the most strains are noted. ​Belongingness and love​ ​needs​ are
aspects that Anabela is experiencing at home deeply by her family but not necessarily by
her school family. Her classmates tend to “baby her” a little and seeing as she has to
leave the general education classroom for several hours each day, her connection to her
fellow second graders is not very strong. However, both the classroom teacher and the
special education teacher agree that Anabela’s​ esteem needs​ are the most needy.
Anabela struggles to believe in herself and find confidence. She is aware of some of her
needs and it leads her to question her accomplishments! Has Anabela reached
self-actualization​? Looking at the evidence, I would say she has not. But seeing as she is
only a second grader, I’m sure that she will continue to get closer to that!
ii. Looking at Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs in the case of Anabela shows the teacher a
couple things. Working close with Anabela and continuing to build her confidence and
sense of belonging is one of the most important steps to her success. When Anabela
sees her worth and skills she will be much more equip to take on the challenges that she
faces academically. Would she struggle being held back another year with second
grade? I think she would. However, it may be what’s best for her! So continuing to build
her confidence and self-assurance is incredibly important.
c. Using Family Systems Theory on pages 89-90, describe each of the 6 characteristics as they
relate to Anabela’s family. How could this information be used when interacting with the family?
i. Boundaries: Anabela has a unique family dynamic. Sometimes her mother acts as an
extreme and displays so much information and opinion while other times her family does
not connect and seems rather distant. Perhaps Connie and Jean can connect those
things her family is passionate with areas where not much is shared.
 ii. Roles: Anabela’s mother and grandpa play the most involved roles in her education.
However I believe that her grandpa is the most influential! He is the one who actually
takes action and connects with the school when her parents have a desire.
iii. Rules: Culturally, it seems that communication is not a strength for Anabela’s family. This
means that the teachers are really going to have to pursue those connections
intentionally.
iv. Hierarchy: Her father is not as involved and does not play the typical leadership role in
her family. Contrary, the matriarch side tends to do most of this. Perhaps this is because
of Anabela’s fathers health concerns, but either way it seems that the mother is the
decision maker but the grandfather does most of the application and connection.
v. Climate: Emotionally, Anabela is very supported. Her mother tends to her and cares for
her so deeply. However this leads to less responsibility in the home. She states that she
often doesn’t make her do chores or work too hard. However, physically, her home
seems to be a very warm and safe place.
vi. Equilibrium: It seems that events in the family really impact how Anabela’s education
goes. When her mother and father were both experiencing health issues at the same
time, the communication and connection between school and home really plumited. And
this is understandable, but considering how little Connie and Jean actually received,
there could definitely be room for some more consistency.
d. What type of family configuration exists and explain how you arrived at that conclusion? How
does this configuration relate to the family culture?
i. Anabella seems to have a somewhat unique family life. She has a father, mother and at
least one sibling. This shows that her home is nuclear in the sense of it members.
However, her grandpa is very involved in her life. He lives “down the street” and not with
them, but he is very active in his grand-daughters life. It seems that Anabela’s father is
not too invested in her educational life. He has attended the IEP meetings in the
beginning, but when there is a problem or a struggle, it is Anabela’s mother that always
steps in. However, even her mother’s involvement with the school is not as high as the
teachers would like. I think that, by looking at the evidence, Anabela’s parents are
exercise some extent of the Permissive parenting style.They are very emotionally
involved with Anabella and address those needs but they do not demand much from her
in chores or responsibility.
e. What transitions had Anabela made recently? Have they been successful transitions?
i. The past school year Anabela was at a different elementary school. At the prior school,
Sandia, Anabela was not recieving the help she desperately needed. Contrastly, La Paz
is very intentional with Anabela and made her transition much more academically
 successful. The transition itself was hard for her, but once she was settled in, both the
parents and teachers agreed that this was the better fit for her.
f. What are the family’s educational goals for Anabela?
i. Anabela’s mother, father, and grandpa are all fairly involved in her schooling.
Educationally, they are aware that she is in need of an EIP. This shows that they are
educated on what that is and know that that is what is best for her. Seeing as her older
brother has been through a similar process, Anabela’s mother is eager to get this process
started. And even though retention in her current grade may be what’s best according to
Connie and Jean’s opinion, Anabela’s mother may think otherwise.
g. What family members are communicating with the school, how are they communicating, and with
whom are they communicating? Is this style of communication effective - why or why not?
i. Both of Anabela’s parents have communicated with the school and attended the IEP
planning meetings. However they seem to do the bare minimum in that sense. They do
not attend the parent-teacher meetings or respond to letters/emails as much as
Anabela’s teachers would like. Her grandpa actually seems to be almost more specifically
involved in Anabela’s education than her parents. They do have a lot on their plates, but
he is always the one who actually identifies any red flags and initiates change.
ii. When Anabela’s guardians do see what they believe is a flaw, they go straight to the
principal rather than the second grade teacher. This shows that there may be some
distrust or misunderstanding. The principal is not the ideal individual to address when
there is, say, a friendship strain in Anabela’s class. Their efforts have been successful,
but their means of getting them are not ideal at all.
h. What do Connie and Jean see as issues with family communication?
i. As noted above, the most prominent issues are found in when and who Anabela’s
guardians contact. They do not communicate enough, and when they do they go to
principal as opposed to the teacher. This seems backwards to Connie and Jean because
the principal isn’t even the individual with the highest contact and ability to impact
Anabela’s education.
i. Using NAEYC 5 - Step Negotiation Process describe how a successful partnership can be built
with the family and school to help provide the best solution for Anabela.
i. I think Anabela’s situation is multifold. There are lots of opinions and desires to work with.
Step 1 states that you must first identify the concerns, preferences, and interests. The
teachers, Jean and Connie, have already identified how what the family desires and what
they desire conflict. However the family seems to be in a less knowledgeable vantage
point. The “common ground” (Step 2) is shared however. That shared goal is for Anabela
to be in the most supportive and educationally successful environment. The 3rd Step
 states: to clarify and justify and areas of flexibility. This, I feel, is the largest place of error.
Communication between the family and the teacher is low. Therefore, the clarity and
discussion is limited. “Brainstorming possible solutions” is the 4th step. This was done
between the two teachers but little to no brainstorming with the family was done. Finally,
Step 5 is to “try an agreed solution for a while”. This seems to be the only step that has
not really been touched yet in Anabela’s situation.
j. What strategies could be used to provide a transition from the resource room to the regular
classroom? Are there ways Connie and Jean can work together? How can Anabela be involved?
i. Connie and Jean can and should work together closely in this process. And keeping
Anabela involved by hearing her preferences and desires is important. Jean is fully aware
of Anabela’s needs and if Connie partners with her by giving her specifics on where
Anabela is educationally then she can actually adjust or adapt her lessons to what
Anabela needs. One way to prepare Anabela socially for the transition could be by
helping her build relationships with the next year’s second graders. This way, she feels
much more comfortable when the next year comes around.
k. What stresses does this family face? Find two community resources that would be helpful for this
family and explain why you selected them. Please provide the same information you did for the
community resource project. These resources should be from your local community.
i. REAL Life Community Services
P.O. Box 22, Denver PA 17517
Phone: 717-368-7133
Email: ​info@reallcs.org

REAL Life Community Services was once titled REAL Life Youth Ministries because the
foundation of their service was to create a Christian support for the local youth. The services they
assist with have branched out since then and along with the youth ministry, there are many others
as well! REAL Life Community Services has really grown and flourished since its beginning.
Services: Transitional Homes for Moms, Power Packs, Declaration House - Apartment and health
service complex, Mentoring Programs, Youth Ministries

This set of services almost directly aligns with Maslows Heirarchy of needs. REAL Life
Community Services also specializes in making connections. As Anabela’s family chooses what
paths are best for her and what programs may be beneficial this Organization can help with that!
Not only that, but they also have services for moms struggling with lots of responsibilities. This
aligns with Anabela’s mom and all of the responsibilities she has on her plate right now.

ii. COBYS Family Services

1417 Oregon Road
Leola, PA 17540
717-656-6580
800-452-6517
COBYS Family Services has been around for more than a quarter of a century with several
services all rooted from their original teen foster care focus. Today COBYS does so much more in
addition to teen foster care. They educate, inform, support and empower families and their
children to reach their potential. COBYS is built upon the Christian faith.
Services include: Adoption services, counseling, family support, foster care, general education,
and community connection promotion.

COBYS would be a great place for Anabela’s family to learn how to treat and relate to one
another with high communication skills. These skills would certainly pour over into communication
with the school.