Single-Parent Families

Cassy Hixson

"Heavy is the head forced to wear two crowns" - R.P. Falconer, Lilif

Being a single parent is often very heavy on the parent, but how heavy is it on the child?

Learning Targets

Define main characteristics of a child from a single family home
Explain how student’s education is affected by living in a single parent home
Describe strategies on how teachers can help single parent children

“What does a student from a single parent family look like?”

Coming from a household with only one parent can be very difficult on a child. Students from single parent families tend to have less parent involvement in activities and tend to do more poorly in school (Abudu & Fuseini, 2013). Some of these students may not even participate in extracurricular activities due to the fact that their parents cannot be involved. In addition, many single parent families have financial problems since there is only one income; this can cause students to become dropouts because they feel obligated to help out financially (Kelly, 2010). Most of this information from single parent families sound negative; however, being a child from a single parent household may not be as awful as it sounds. According to Huggies (2021), children from single parent homes are often more independent, responsible, and mature. This can be related to the fact some children learn time management because they help out more household chores while balancing school.

My Story

The comic above shows a brief excerpt of my experience of being a child from a single-parent home. When I was younger, I had consistent thoughts of "why." As I got older, I had to give up my activities, so I could get a job. I often hid my thoughts and struggles at school. This is when it is important for teachers to look for signs.

“How is the education of a student affected by single parent households?”

Education of single parent students was slightly touched on during the last section. Children from single parent homes are more likely to drop out of school or finish college (Sanchez, 2021). There are multiple different factors that lead students in these situations to do more poorly in school. One factor is that many single parents work multiple jobs or longer hours, so they have little time to help their children with school work. Another factor is that students in these situations often work jobs after school to help out, and this causes less time for them to work on homework after school (Sanchez, 2021). As of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, school is not a high priority when their basic needs are not being satisfied. A student’s mental health also plays a factor in their education. Many single parent children struggle with depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem (Sanchez, 2021). Students with these struggles are most likely not focusing on their school work. Evidence of this effect on education comes from Sylvestre and Paez’s (2015); according to them, a study showed 30% of children experienced a decrease in their academic performance

“Leading a hand for teacher of students from single parent homes”

In the United States, roughly 27% of families with kids are a single parent household (Kelly, 2010). It is very likely that as a teacher you will have a student from a single parent household. After reading about how this lifestyle can affect students, you may ask yourself what can I do as a teacher? A teacher holds a lot of power in a child’s education, especially since they see them for about 10 months, five days a week, for 8 hours a day. The three biggest things as a teacher you can do in this situation is be flexible, communicate, and help parents connect (SKIC, 2020). Being flexible for both the student and the parent can be beneficial; you can create a flexible schedule for the student, and be flexible when it comes to meeting with the parent. Parents most likely have a difficult schedule. Communication is such an important factor in all student’s education. Communicating with single parent students can help you understand their needs in the classroom. Lastly, make sure parents can easily stay connected with their child’s education. As teachers, you can send home monthly calendars, to do lists, and important dates; this can ensure the parent is seeing what is going on in their child’s classroom.

Conclusion

Single parent homes have started to become more common in the US (Barber & Eccles, 1992). All children in this lifestyle are affected differently; although there is a great deal of research suggesting that student’s education are negatively impacted, that is not always the case. I, myself, came from a single parent household and I view myself as a thriving, independent, and responsible student. A more commonly known example is Barack Obama; Obama was raised in a single parent home, and became president of the US (Kelly, 2010). Now I cannot speak much on Obama’s experience, but I can share mine. Even though my academics were not negatively impacted by my household, I can definitely agree with Sanchez (2021) that my mental health was affected. Having only one parent around made me question why my other parent was not there. I believe that the main reason I did not struggle at school was because of the impact my teachers had on me. Many of my teachers were flexible with assignments, willing to listen, and provided advice. This support from my teachers pushed me in the right direction in school. As a future teacher, I see the importance teachers can have on students. It will be our job as teachers to view the signs of a struggling student, and provide assist when needed.

Questions

According to SKIC, what are the biggest things you can do if you work with single-parent students?

A. Be flexible, communicate, and help the parents connect

B. Communicate, exempt student from certain assignments, and adjust their work

C. Give extra time, provide assistance, and give the student extra credit

D. Use rewards, give them extra time, and guide them through their work

Daniel is a single-parent child that is starting to struggle with his grades. What can Daniel's teacher do to help improve his education.

A. Assign less homework for Daniel

B. Communicate with Daniel about his needs.

C. Punish Daniel for getting poor grades

D. Put Daniel in a resource class

References

Abudu, A. M., & Fuseini, M. N. (2013). Influence of Single Parenting on Pupils' Academic Performance in Basic Schools in the WA Municipality. International Journal of Education Learning and Development

Barber, B. L., & Eccles, J. S. (1992). Long-term Influence of Divorce and Single Parenting on Adolescent Family-and Work-Related Values, Behaviors, and Aspirations. Psychological Bulletin, 111(1), 108-126.

Huggies. (2021). Single Parent Children - Single Parents - New Parents. Huggies. https://www.huggies.com.au/parenting/new-parents/single-parent-children#:~:text=Characteristics%20of%20Single%20Parent%20Children,weight%E2%80%9D%20by%20their%20sole%20parents.

Kelly, J. (2010, January 8). Does Single Parenting Affect Children? HowStuffWorks. https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/family/parenting/parenting-tips/single-parenting-affect-children.htm

SKIC. (2020, April 10). 5 Ways Schools can Better Support Single Parents & their Kids. SKI Charities. http://www.skicharities.org/schools-support-single-parents/

Sylvestre, R., & Paez, T. (2015). The Effects of Single-parenting on Children's Educational Success. Brain Waves. http://brainwaves.msmc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/BW-Sylvestre-Paez.pdf

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