Gladney welcomed some very excited guests this week for an AdoptED field trip our Fort Worth campus. A group of about 25 students from Burleson Centennial High School were taught about all the different aspects of adoption. They learned about the deep history of Gladney and our impact and role in the adoption world, and they were shown videos of real adoption stories from the perspectives of Birth Parents as well as Adoptive Parents. The AdoptED team and other Gladney staff did an amazing job of informing the students of how the modern adoption process operates and how far adoption has come.                                                                                                                                                                                                                

The students got an amazing view of what we do at Gladney and even got a tour of the museum and one of the best rooms here: the placement room. They were able to “live” the process of domestic infant adoption with a roleplay activity designed by the AdoptED team. Two students were chosen to be caseworkers, one was the expectant mom, and the rest of students were grouped to create a profile book for the “adoptive family”. They did this using the AdoptED interactive Parent Profile book, which outlines the real books that are presented to expectant families who are planning adoption so that they can choose the family who is the best fit for them.

The interactive book given to them includes a template for the letter to the expectant parent and a variety of photos of parents, children, pets, homes, hobbies, and celebrations for them to choose when creating their “family.” The students were really into building their families and it definitely got competitive! During this time, the two education specialists were going to each group and to the birth mother to ask questions and clarify information needed during an adoption. In the end, the “birth mom” was able to step outside with all the books, not knowing which group made which one, and choose who she felt was the right family for her made-up adoption story. Through this activity, the students were able to get a small picture of the time, effort, and emotions involved in adoption from every side. 

 Later in the day, two Gladney employees shared their personal experiences working in adoption and adopting from the foster care system. Emily shared some aspects of the different roles she has played while working at Gladney while Susanne told of the challenges and joys of her son’s foster adoption. The students were engaged the entire time and asked some of the most insightful questions I could have imagined coming from a high school group. 

Being a part of this experience has shown me how impactful and important adoption education is. I’m so thankful that Gladney has such an amazing program and the ways that AdoptED makes a mark in the lives of students and all those who hear their presentation. Many of the students raised their hands when asked if they may be interested in adopting in the future and, judging by their incredibly thoughtful questions, I have no doubt that some of them may one day be pursuing social work or involved in the world of adoption.