Vol. 4, No. 2 • Spring 2000

A letter from foster care by Crystal, age 16 My name is Crystal. I am a 16-year-old foster child from Jacksonville, North Carolina. I have been in foster care for most of my life. I am writing this letter because of some issues that other foster children and I have. We children are removed from our homes due to many different situations. The State places the children in homes with a family that is not their family. Some children accept their new family and life-style, others don�t. Some kids rebel. We do not do this to cause trouble for everyone. Take me for instance. I recently ran away from my foster home. Don�t get me wrong�I love my foster parents and I wouldn�t trade them for anything in the world. Okay, I ran away due to mitigating circumstances. My circumstances are that as my parents, my foster parents cannot play their role in my life as my parent. The department of social services assigns a case worker to the children in care. The case worker makes all the decisions in the child�s life. I do not understand. How can someone who visits a child once a month, and who knows nothing about the child except what he or she is told within that one hour, once a month, make decisions for this child? I feel that as a family the foster parents that see the child, talk to the child, and better understand the child should be able to make more choices for the child. Such as, at this time for a child to ride with another person the child must first have the drivers license number, license plate number, full name, and birthday of the person they would like to ride with. The case worker of the child then takes the given information and runs a police check. For a child to spend the night or simply visit someone, the case worker must first do a home study on the child and his or her family. The biggest problem with this I feel is that we are supposed to be a family, but yet a �normal� family does not participate in such acts as these. It is bad enough for the child or children to be labeled as foster children, and now not only are they a part of the system but whoever they are friends with has to partly become a part of the system. I feel that foster parents should be able to make the decision of who their foster children can ride with and or stay with. That to me IS a parent�s responsibility and right to make for their child or children. Truly yours, Crystal	Review by Kevin, age 11 Book Title: The Great Gilly Hopkins Author: Katherine Paterson Credentials: Newberry Honor Book & Accelerated Reader Book I�ve stumbled across a good book. I think that every child in foster care should read this book. The name of this book is �The Great Gilly Hopkins.� The author is Katherine Paterson. This book is only 148 pages and it is very easy to read and understand. The Great Gilly Hopkins is about a little girl named Galadriel (Gilly) Hopkins. Gilly has been placed in two foster homes and as this book begins she is on her way to her third home. Gilly considers herself to be tough, unemotional, disrespectful, and bad. She says that she does bad things so she can go from one foster home to another.Gilly fights in school and even uses curse words. She acts like she doesn�t have any friends and doesn�t want any. Gilly�s determination is to find her mother and to live with her. She has never seen her mother. The only thing she has is an old picture of her. In this book Gilly talks about her foster mother, Ms. Trotter and her so-called retarded foster brother, William Ernest. She talks about her first exposure to black people. I don�t want to tell you anymore of what happens in this book. I want you to read it for yourself. I hope that it will help you as much as it did me. I had a chance to see what other foster children have experienced. I read what went through a foster mother�s mind. I learned what teachers thought about us when we act a certain way. I heard what the social worker had to say about placing foster children. Read this book and let me know whether it has a happy or sad ending. ______________________
Drawing and Writing Contests First Prize by Kandace, age 8 Second Prize by Cameron, age 7	This Issue. There was no theme for this issue, we simply asked you to send us something you were proud to have written or drawn. The winners are indicated above. Each received a cash award for his or her writing or artwork. Third Prize by Kevin, age 11 Honorable Mention by Kevin, age 11
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Read any good books lately? Fostering Perspectives is looking for book reviews from young readers. If you�re a foster child between the ages of 6 and 12 and have a book you�d recommend, tell us about it! We�re looking for short pieces (250 words or less) that tell us a little about the book (including the author, full title, and how long it is), what you liked about it, and the kind of person who would like this book. Authors whose reviews are published will receive $20. Send entries to the address listed in the box to the left of this one. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *	Send Us Your Artwork! Can you draw, paint, or sketch? Share your talents with us! Fostering Perspectives awards children and teens who are living or have lived in foster care a prize of $15 for artwork we publish. We are especially interested in art that relates to you and your life in foster care. Artwork should be on white paper, and should be mailed flat. Unpublished submissions will be returned. Send submissions to: John McMahon, Editor Fostering Perspectives UNC School of Social Work CB# 3550 Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3550

| Previous Kids' Pages | Kids' Pages Main Pages |

Copyright � 2000 Jordan Institute for Families