She Teaches the World, One Youngster At a Time

Teachers can change students’ lives.

The reverse can also happen.

Jane Katch, a teacher at in Grafton, writes about the joys and challenges of teaching students who were adopted internationally in her book, “Far Away from the Tigers.’’

The book, published last year by The University of Chicago Press, recently received an honorable mention from the American Society of Journalists and Authors in their memoir category.

Her experience teaching three students who came to the United via international adoptions inspired the book. The three students were from Russia, Cambodia and Romania.

“Each of these kids had things they had missed when they were little,’’ she said. As a result, they couldn’t be expected to reach the same benchmarks in the same time period as their American-born classmates, she said,

“They had to be accepted as they were,’’ she said.

She gained valuable insights into these children by talking to their parents, who shared what they had learned and observed about their children’s earliest days in their home countries.

The Cambodian youngster, for example, was lucky enough to receive ample food and good care. But he was surrounded by people affected by the traumatic experiences that so many around him were forced to deal with.

His birth mother, Katch learned from his adoptive parents, was badly beaten by her alcoholic husband. “There’s a sadness all around him,’’ she said.

And then there were the cultural differences. “The food’s going to be different,’’ she said. Babies sleep in hammocks in Cambodia, she learned. “To go to a crib, that’s going to affect his sleep,’’ she said.

The girl from Russia, Katch learned, had been cared for in an overcrowded orphanage before being adopted by an American family.

“She was used to a lot of kids around,’’ Katch said. “Now she’s an only child.’’

By working closely with the children’s parents, all of whom were very supportive and open with Katch, she was better able to meet the youngsters’ needs.

Having such relationships with well-informed and loving parents helps all children, she said.

Youngsters who have been adopted internationally face unique challenges that might not be readily apparent to a teacher unaware of their home country’s culture. But all children have individual strengths and unique challenges, Katch said.

“I see my job [as author] as helping teachers understand what some of the issues are,’’ she said. “I hope parents and teachers can see how much there is to learn from these kids.’’

And from all kids.

“Communication between parents and teachers can make a huge difference in how teachers can meet the needs of everyone in the classroom,’’ she said.