final+Proposal

__Senior Seminar Formal Proposal__

Title: The Psychological turn out of Adopted Children Name: Jessie E. Kem

With the growing number of children being adopted both from and to the U.S. I feel as though because I am one of these children it is important to raise awareness to those who know the blood they come from. My research has lead me to find that I am not the only one who has been considering what adoption brings for both the prospective parent, and adoptee alike. Some articles found, were psychological evaluations performed on children of all different ages and backgrounds. Some commonalities were that most children do not have a secure feeling of family. It is said that regardless of what age the adoptee is told they have been adopted, the child will feel abandonment or failure like they must have done something to deserve to be given up as a child. But there are also some cases in which they presume to live life as just as normal as the day before. So back to my question, ‘How does one being adopted affect one’s family life? Does it make the child any less part of the family?’ I will answer this question at the end of both my paper project, and presentation alike. How this topic will affect me goes back to the fact that I myself am an adopted child. And I have been searching to find out who I really am for a long time. But I need to remember that I am not alone, there are hundreds of thousands like myself, and that is what I will be raising awareness on in this semester. The project will answer my driving question because the project is primarily based on answering my driving question. As far as what my final project will turn out to be, I am not sure yet, time will open that door up later. - I want to figure out what my project will be, meaning what type of project I want to do. should it be a survey, a mini presentation on orphan awareness? - I want to continue research - along the lines of what is really said about orphaned children. - I want to gather more statistical evidence - I want to find more psychological evaluations - I want to figure out commonalities along with differences between adopted children.

(products) - My final product will be my presentation at the end of this class, but also my hands on portion of my project, which will be a mini case study of the children adopted from our highs school. By the end of it, I will look for commonalities amongst these individuals, along with differences in how they respond to being adopted, and will present the information i've gathered to the class.

I will need more input from other adopted children who I come in contact with. With what they can share will me, and with that I could perhaps start my own little write up of commonalities and the differences between us. I also need to figure out what I want to leave my audience with at the end of the presentation or project. What will make them remember this presentation, what will stick with them?

Who? Adopted Teens What? How they feel about the adoption process Where? Ideally just within Springfield township When? - within this upcoming week to 2 weeks Why? To help prove my thesis

10/20 - Compile some questions for other adopted teens to answer. (when were you adopted? When were you told you were adopted? how did that make you feel? do you feel any less connected to your family now?) 1023- Speak with the adopted teens - have them answer the questions I've compiled 10/25 - Compile my evidence and begin to analyze it 10/27 - Figure out my project, what direction I will take to make my project stand out, and help to assist in my adopted children/teens awareness

My mentor is Paula Kem, Paula is not only a single woman who has adopted a child but also my mother. I selected Paula because she has a personal experience when it comes to adoption, and adopting. I have learned that the adoption process is not easy. And that for a single parent, or a gay/lesbian parents, adoption is also very difficult. the process is long and strenuous and also costly. She has helped me because she has openly answered any questions i've had about adoption. I plan on speaking with Paula whenever I have questions about brainstorming or questions about adoption. I will keep her excited about my topic because she knows that this topic means something to me, and she plays a large role in this.

In conclusion, this project / topic holds importance to me because being that I am adopted and I believe that several people take for granted the life, or families they have. Not to say I was not truly blessed to of been brought into the family I was but I still face problems that will travel with me along the road in my future, and for most of the part, forever. For example, considering that I do not know my families medical history it is difficult for me to know if there is something I should avoid to stay alive longer, or if I have a trend of alcoholism in my family (not saying that I drink) but that If I were to consume alcohol how do I not know that puts me at a higher risk than that of a child that knows their family history. The sills necessary to complete this project is just better time management. I want the project to be fantastic, but I also need to really buckle down on what It is I am informing the public on. The strengths that I am building on is that I know they're are several adopted teenagers in Springfield township High. A weakness is that I need to be careful on how I approach each of these students with my questions. And to really figure out what I want to ask of them.

Formal Sem Proposal #2? Title: Adoptions Ghosts Name: Jessie E. Kem


 * Background:** My rationale for working on this project was more selfish than anything else. I wanted to pick a topic that I strongly connected with on a personal level in hopes of achieving some sort of knowledge about myself that I did not already know through research, discussions, or other people’s thoughts. The topic was adoption, and how the mental, emotional development of a child is sometimes not necessarily overlooked, but not as closely examined as it should be. I finished my paper in hopes of proving my initial thesis. My initial research was pages and pages of different studies done on adopted children that were brought into different psychiatrists for evaluations on anything from why they are not performing as they should in school, eating disorders, or even in some cases drug dependency. All the research did ultimately help me to prove some part of my thesis but it left me questioning what my angle was on this project. What was it that I really wanted to leave my audience with, that was not simply a “duh” fact? The driving question I hoped to answer, or solve through the project was, How does one being adopted affect one's family life? Does it make the child any less part of the family? The answer to this question as straight forward as it sounds, has proved to have dozens of answers. The project that I had set out to construct was to set up individual interviews, where I would be videotaping an interview with myself and five other adopted individuals and ask them all the same 5 questions, then record their answers, searching for commonalities amongst them. Then in the same day sit down with their parents and ask the parents another set of questions developed only for them. But recently I sat down with my mother/mentor, and we are afraid that A) I would not be able to prove my thesis B) I would unintentionally stir up some negative feelings, or step on someone’s toes. So we decided that I will take another approach.


 * Vision:** The project will make a difference to others and me alike when it is completed because the final project will give me a new angle on how I am viewing my thesis and adoption topic. It will give my audience a new perspective on adopted children/teenagers. I will be having my selected 5-6 adopted girls write down any 3 questions that they would want answered by their biological parents if it were possible. Then I will search for commonalities amongst my answers. Then from their I will try to get all of my subjects and self involved in a videotaped discussion about our answers, and what provoked us to ask them. The project will address the driving question because within the discussion it will ultimately open the door on how the children feel about adoption, and how they feel with their ‘now’ parents.

- I want to leave my audience with something to think about - I want to hopefully discover commonalities amongst the girls I choose to be involved in my senior sem. - I want to either prove, or disprove my thesis and stand by my results 100% for what they are. - I want to know that I did the best possible project I could, and I accomplished what I hoped to. - I want to maybe help someone with their adoption, without ever knowing it.
 * Goals:**


 * Products:** I will give an overview at the end of my project to talk about the goals I wanted to achieve, and then determine whether or not they were achieved. Why or why not. Then the final presentation will be another way I prove I’ve accomplished what I set out to with my goals.

The materials, resources and additional information I will need to complete my project successfully will be…
 * Task Analysis:**

Who: My five adopted girls What: Video camera, 5 questions Where: Their home, or my home When: soon Why: to prove or disprove my thesis, to find a new angle on my topic of adoption. Stir up emotion and thoughts.

//Timeline:// This week: send out my papers formally inviting the girls to be apart of my senior sem project

Next Week: Send out my questions (5) + receive my answers… -Evaluate my answers -Set up a meeting time amongst all my girls -Video tape -Find an end result.

Following + Final Week-

-Put together my project in video viewing form. -Using iMovie. Burn it to a cd for backup.


 * Mentor and Topic Expert Analysis:**

Mentor Name: Paula Kem Position: Development officer + Parent of adopted child Why I selected Paula for my mentor: She is my mother, and has first hand experience in the adoption field. What have I learned: I have not learned anything I did not already know, but we have deep discussions about both her experiences with adoption, and about how I feel about being adopted. She has helped me to push for new ideas and angles on my topic even when I find myself frustrated because I’m already so far into this semester. She keeps me on track to the best of her ability. She has really stepped up recently. Talking Time: We talk more frequently now, almost every night, and she knows that I am stressed out about how everything is going to come out, but she is 100% supportive.


 * Conclusion:** This topic is important because it has a lot to do with some self discovery along with finding out what adoption is like for other girls my age, and finally sharing my findings with those who are not adopted, along with those who are. The strengths that I can build on are that I am adopted, I have first had experience, but the weakness that I know I have is that I am just one person. Never the less though, I am one of many. My story is unique to me, but my situation is not unique, and can be shared among many others, women, men, children. “Being adopted” is not what defines me as a person, however it is part of who I am. What defines me is that I believe I am a strong individual and I want to contribute whatever I am able to as I grow older. I want to inspire, heal, and teach others. I know that I spend a lot of time trying to figure out who I am, and why I am the way I am, but I think the void that I feel now, can only be filled partially, I will forever have unanswered questions but… I am developing my future with each day, and I will the road of discovery is endless.