UW-PARKSIDE’S TROY MOLDENHAUER CONTRIBUTES TO “ADOPTION MATTERS”

UW-Parkside’s Director of Admissions and Recruitment, Troy Moldenhauer, was a contributing author for the book titled “Adoption Matters: Teacher Educators Share Their Stories and Strategies for Adoption-Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy,” released on Dec. 5, 2018. The book is part of a series called “Equity in Higher Education Theory, Policy, and Praxis.” The book is an important examination of experiences of educators with adopted children both in and out of the classroom.

Moldenhauer and his wife both became involved with this program because of their involvement with the College of Education and Professional Studies at UW-Whitewater. Moldenhauer worked in the admissions department and was the liaison for the college. His wife was an adjunct faculty member in the Early Childhood program. 

According to Moldenhauer, a significant number of faculty and staff at UW-Whitewater have children that they have adopted. He states that this great project, created with the intention of impacting the public school system and their relationship with adopted children, was the brain child of the editor, Robin Fox.

“Adoption Matters: Teacher Educators Share Their Stories and Strategies for Adoption-Inclusive Curriculum and Pedagogy,” is a textbook designed to be used in conjunction with courses at colleges and universities for future educators.

In the United States, there are approximately 1.5 million children who have been adopted. Since the 1970s, a number of organizations have worked tirelessly to raise awareness about adoption and spread adoption stories. Adoption is no longer kept secret in the U.S. and many children who have been adopted are aware of it. Consequently, education professionals need to be prepared to understand the experiences of these children and their families.

The stories in “Adoption Matters” focus on the experiences of educators and discloses how adoption shapes their professional practices. These narratives reveal the intricate processes educators have encountered in building their own families through adoption, as well as their struggles and triumphs with schools and school systems. The goal of “Adoption Matters,” and its authors, is to disrupt the idea that adoption and related issues should be secret, taboo, or dismissed.