COLLEGE – A VIEW FROM THE FOSTER PARENT/CHILDDr. Fran Chastain, Dean for Student Affairs

Donavan Chastain, College Student

SPEAKER BACKGROUNDFRAN CHASTAIN

• Bachelor of Science, Industrial Engineering from Southern Polytechnic State University

• Master of Business Administration from Brenau University

• Doctor of Education, Workforce Development & Educational Leadership from University of Georgia

• 12 years – industry

• 14 years – technical college

• 13+ years – foster parent, 11 adopted children via foster care

SPEAKER BACKGROUNDDONAVAN CHASTAIN

• In and out of foster care for years prior to 2002

• 2002 placed with Chastain’s

• 2006 adopted at age 13 by Chastain’s

• 2013 graduated high school entered college

• 2014 changed majors

• 2015 – have a plan!

FOSTER CHILDREN

Georgia – 2014

7,824www.adoptuskids.org

United States – 1/2/2014

400,540U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

FOSTER CARE YOUTH

Should be the same!Want to be the same!

Are not the same!Why?

WHY IS THERE A DIFFERENCE?

• Background – homeless, foster care (family)• Addictions (parents)• Abuse (mental, physical, sexual)• Neglect• Abandonment • Death of parent or guardian

• How long in the system? Or homeless?

• Necessity – surviving comes before education (what will tomorrow bring?)

• Trust – Who? Why? When? How long?

• Lack of knowledge

WHAT IS DIFFERENT?

• Snow globe – their own little world (emotionally safer)

• Attachments/Support Systems – do they have any?

• Survival instinct – where will I be?

• Worldly knowledge – has anyone ever connected enough to actually make the knowledge shared “real”

• Deer in the headlights

• Listening but not hearing

• Social comes first – but yet difficult

• Truth – Are you getting it?

• Three steps – one at a time

COLLEGE STUDENTS

• Student Advising

• Making Friends

• Stereotypes

• Responsibility

Is this picture for real?

7 HABITS OF DEFECTIVE COLLEGE STUDENTS BY SEAN COVEY

• Habit 1: Be Reactive – blame all your problems on others

• Habit 2: Begin with Squat in Mind – don’t plan, avoid setting goals

• Habit 3: Put First Things Last – take only courses that start after noon

• Habit 4: Think Win-Lose – view school as a vicious competition

• Habit 5: Seek First to Talk, Then Pretend to Listen – talk a lot because only your ideas count

• Habit 6: Don’t Cooperate – assume that people are weird; teamwork is overrated

• Habit 7: Burn Yourself Out – forget keeping your life in balance

STUDENT GOALS

• Build self-confidence

• Develop a career path (choices)

• Have a detailed PLAN OF ACTION

• Enroll in an appropriate college (find the right fit)

• Learn to ask questions (comfort)

• Learn to ask for help

• Understand the consequences of not following through - Responsibility

7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE COLLEGE STUDENTS BY SEAN COVEY

• Habit 1: Be Proactive – “I am responsible for my education and life.”

• Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind – “I have a plan for what I want to accomplish.”

• Habit 3: Put First Things First – “I set realistic priorities.”

• Habit 4: Think Win-Win – “I am considerate of others but I also have the courage to stand up for myself.”

• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood – “I hear people out before expressing my own opinion.”

• Habit 6: Synergize – “I value the strengths of other people and combine them with my own to solve problems.”

• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw – “I regularly recharge my body, heart, mind, and spirit so I can stay sharp and improve myself.”

HOW DO WE OVERCOME?

• Layers of an onion – peel them back

• Dig deep to understand each one – find the truth – IT IS HARD!

• Never give up on them

• Instill courage and self-esteem

• Empowerment

• One step at a time – multistep processes will be lost

• Time – make it real – building the trust takes enormous amounts of time

COLLEGE GOALS

• Open to helping students (guide or better yet – hold their hand)

• Being known to have people who know (know what? the secret)

• Know the challenges

• Find solutions for the challenges

• Realize the differences of these students

• Find ways to identify these students

• Creating specific Retention Plans for students identified in this category

• Promote services available to ILP, foster/adoptive parents, group homes

NEEDS TO SEE BETTER RESULTS

• Mentors – with specific goals and activities to get to the finish line

• Academic Coaches - to keep these students from falling off the grid

• Funds – to allow colleges to employ Academic Coaches

• Workshops – for students and mentors to walk through the steps

• Intrusive Advising – get in their business so they know and understand the facts – do not squash their dreams but drill in the requirements to meet set goals

• Guided Pathways – students should know exactly what to take and when – no guessing games and very few if any choices

• Early Intervention – middle school is not too early! Do NOT lose them in the maze!

TECHNICAL/COMMUNITY COLLEGES

• A GREAT place to start a path toward a bachelor’s degree, complete an associate degree or complete a diploma in a skilled program area to enter the workforce quickly.

• Smaller class sizes = individualized attention

• Learning support courses

• Success Centers

• Students are not numbers

• Job placements rates are HIGH

• An environment where small successes will lead to rewarding careers!

REFERENCES

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective College Students by Sean Covey

• Complete College America, http://completecollege.org/

• Achieving the Dream, http://achievingthedream.org/

• Adopt Us Kids, www.adoptuskids.org

• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

CONTACT INFORMATION

Fran Chastain, EdD

North Georgia Technical College

fchas@northgatech.edu

706-754-7855

Donavan Chastain

College Student

dchasta8@eaglespace.northgatech.edu