Pregnant Teens: Alternative Schools
Jun 01 '00
Let me add this disclaimer, I guess it's needed! I am now
out of school, married, etc... I apologize for the confusion!
I went to a public school during my first pregnancy, and I will admit it was tough. I had to deal with people who didn't understand my situation asking me all sorts of naive questions and calling me names. Rumors flew and before you knew it I was labeled as a tramp. The fact of the matter is, I wasn't. I got pregnant the first time I had sex. Many say this is impossible, don't listen to them... It's NOT!!!
I got tired of going to the Public school really fast. My grades fell and I couldn't pay attention. Instead of concentrating on my school work I thought about my baby at home and longed to be with him. I talked to my mom and she told me about an alternative school here in Michigan. I agreed to go, and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. When I got pregnant again, I had many resources offered to me, lots of friends in the same situation as I was in, and teachers who cared. My grades went way up as did my self esteem.
In the Alternative school I went to, we took classes that helped develop our parenting skills as well as the usual classes. If you were pregnant, you took a class that taught you about your pregnancy. If you were parenting, you took Parenting. Everyone took Nutrition, and a big part of this class was that we prepared our lunches every day. We had to use a menu that was approved by the Nutrition teacher, and we'd make all sorts of different foods. There was always a main dish and side dishes, something from every food group. A salad bar was always available for those who didn't like what we were having, and fruit was set out all the time.
The babies went to school with us, and they played in the nurseries while we were learning then we got them for lunch and it was our job to take care of them. If you were nursing, you got to nurse your child for feedings. If not, the nursery ladies would give them their bottle. There was no propping bottles up, which impressed me. There was a good provider to child ratio, so each baby got individual attention, especially during feedings. There were two nurseries, one for the "movers" and one for the babies. Once your child started moving around (crawling, walking, pulling up) they were moved to the "Movers" nursery so that they didn't hurt or disturb the babies. In the mornings, the babies were "checked in" by a health nurse who was always there with us. She helped us out by checking for sickness and making sure our babies were always healthy.
We could still participate in sports and events from our home school, and we got to graduate with our home school class as well if we chose to do so. A graduation ceremony was also given at the alternative school.
This school helped me tremendously, and I'm so glad that it's there. My little sister now attends, and she's doing great in there as well. If you're a pregnant or parenting teen and these schools are available to you, give them a try.
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Epinions.com ID:
mjbroo
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Member: Mari Brooks
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Reviews written: 169
Trusted by: 85 members
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