Objective:
To create a pros and cons list regarding 50–50 joint custody parenting from various perspectives and to evaluate your list. 

Assignment incomplete without self reflection

Scenario:
You  are a first-year teacher who has just learned that the parents of Kyla,  a child in your class, have divorced. Kyla’s mother tells you that she  and Kyla’s father are working out the details of a 50–50 joint custody  parenting arrangement for Kyla and her two older brothers. You imagine  that this new arrangement will be stressful for everyone concerned and  would like to have a deeper understanding of the possible implications.  Your director suggests you watch the video Divorce and Children. After  watching the video, you decide to clarify your thinking about what the  pros and cons of 50–50 shared parenting might be from the perspectives  of Kyla and her brothers. Next, you think about the possible  implications for Kyla’s parents. Last, you consider the pros and cons  from your point of view as well as that of the people who interact with  Kyla at school.

Focus Assignment

1.  Create a two-column pros and cons list to help clarify your thinking  about 50–50 joint custody parenting. List three possible pros and three  cons from Kyla and her brothers’ perspectives. Add a few sentences to  elaborate on your thinking about each pro and con. Now, list three  possible pros and three cons from Kyla’s parents’ perspectives. Finally,  list three possible pros and three cons from your perspective as Kyla’s  teacher and from the standpoint of the larger school community.

2.  Be sure to read the SELF-EVALUATION section below to guide your  thinking. Write your self-evaluation after you have completed your pros  and cons list.

Self-Evaluation

1. For each item on your pros and cons list:
     a. Explain how this item addresses the issues in the scenario.
   

2. Describe and justify how your pros and cons list would improve teaching and learning in the scenario.