Why are adoptee's forced to study the history of other people in school when they are ....?

kitta

Some teachers do ask children to research their family trees. This can also be part of a history class.

for adopted kids....this presents both an academic and a personal roadblock....

An interesting movie, with a slightly different turn on the subject is "This is My Father" starring James Caan, and Aiden Quinn. It came out about 1997, and was about a Chicago history teacher(Caan) who couldn't relate to what he was teaching because so much of his own personal history was missing.

Through a series of events, he learned enough of his parents' past to decide to search for his father and the answers, which were to be found in Ireland.

The story was tragic, and shocking. But he learned the truth, and that his parents had been separated by cruel people filled with judgment and other mundane motives....and he did find his father(played by Aiden Quinn).

Allanas

I'm not adopted, but I never studied any of my ancestors in school.

I never studied "biological parents" in school, so why should people study "adoptive parents"...

That doesn't make any sense.

History isn't a study in genealogy. We don't study/memorize/take tests about the members of family trees. Unless, of course, you're talking about the ruling family in a foreign country.

History is a story of what happened in the past. INDEPENDENT of who was adopted and who wasn't.

LinnyG

Because it's part of a school's curriculum. Its part of a child's graduation requirement.

Write a paper about why adoption reform is necessary and explain how adoptees are discriminated against, like other people in history have been.

LindseyTaylor

Everyone is forced to study the history of other people. It's apart of school education. Its needed to graduate high school. I guess adoptees could get to skip it but then everyone would complain adoptees grow up to be less educated that everyone else.

How would skipping US or World History help anyone??

Life isn't fair. That's why. You can't walk around life with a "Well if they don't give me this I'm not doing that" attitude.

Shellie

Your adoptive parents may not have any information on your birth parents.

I understand your frustration but it may not be your APs fault! APs often times dont get a choice in the matter themselves. The Birth parents choose open or closed adoption. If the BP choose for it to be closed there is nothing the APs can do about it. Every adoption is different. Sometimes they are able to get medical history or a name, but if the BP is determined for it to be closed than all information is withheld.

As far as the state/gov views: each state is different! Some will allow you to access the records as soon as your turn 18. Some states never allow access. Some states make you file a petition and then contact the BPs and see if they want the information released - the BPs still have the power. Research your states law (the state you were adopted in).

Adoption will always be hard to deal with for someone. It becomes an argument of "I have a right to know" VS "I have a right to my privacy"

Melissa Swan

Everyone studies the history of other people. Everyone studies romans, vikings, the french revolution..........russian revolution.......

Yarr

They make you study important historical events and the people in those events. Milestones in history.

Not one specific person's adoption. Because one person's adoption doesn't matter to/affect the general populace.

Just because you exist doesn't mean you're worth studying.

I thought that would have been obvious.

Cleopatra

Good question because History is tied to genealogy - Darwinism, Orientalism, ethnic cleansing in war etc etc.

But to answer your question Walter, the world we live in - is fake. We are "invented" (as sociologists would say) and what we come to understand of this over time - through means of education or EXPERIENCE - we begin to see the ironies. While it's nice to be enlightened, it's a cross to carry too.

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