Meghan Yoder shares her experiences with the class.

 

Hannah Gingerich, Chance Miller, Britni Piegors, Keilah Brokaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Child Development class has spent time learning about teen pregnancy and the challenges that it brings. In addition to class discussions and readings, students got to hear Meghan Yoder speak about her experiences of getting pregnant before she was ready to have a child and now being a single parent. Students were also required to take care of “Baby Think It Over” for a weekend, which is a computerized baby that simulates what having a newborn might be like provided by the Young Parents Network of Cedar Rapids. Keilah Brokaw said “Having the baby was eye-opening for me to realize how much time and patience it takes for care for someone else all the time!”  

“Both of these ‘beyond the textbook’ experiences were good ways for the students to consider how having a child would change their lives and to consider the choices that they make both now and in future years in a very real way,” says instructor Ranee Brokaw.