As a
teacher, we want to make a difference, but very often we have to recognize the
reality of this noble goal. Making the
biggest difference in the life of a child often starts with working with children
who have the biggest differences.
As a special educator, I knew I would be working with children who
have learning and behavioural differences...that is what I signed up for. But are regular classroom teachers aware
that they too will also likely have these children in their classes? Are all teachers trained and prepared to
handle such responsibilities? Why should
they have to be?
It’s all
about inclusion and inclusion is all about classrooms today. Teachers who are trained in understanding
educational philosophy and curriculum also need to be trained in how to handle
students with special learning needs. Like
it or not, it is the law in the US and in many other countries. The rationale of expecting ALL teachers to
know how to teach children with diverse needs in the regular classroom,
however, has more to do with what is right, than what is law. Including students appropriately in the
mainstream classroom benefits not only those with special needs, but all
students.
We all
want to feel included. It is an innate
need many of us crave. Think back to a
time in your childhood when you felt included in something. Perhaps it was on a sports team or friends
asked you to sit with them at lunch.
Perhaps you were invited to a birthday party or asked to be a part of a
club. How did you feel? Happy?
Accepted? Motivated? Now, think back to a time in your life when
you felt excluded....to a time when you
were not invited or accepted. Perhaps a
time when you were an outsider hoping to be a part of the group, but were not
given the chance. What words would
describe those feelings? Defeated? Worthless?
Insecure? Different?
When we
think back to those experiences and emotions, do we need much more reason than
that to know that including children in the mainstream classroom ,when
appropriate, is the right thing to do?
But what,
exactly, is inclusion?
Inclusion
is a belief that although we may not all learn the same, we all deserve
opportunities to be successful. Inclusion is a
philosophy that fundamentally allows students with disabilities to learn in the
same schools and classrooms as their peers without disabilities. It is an understanding that fair doesn’t
always mean equal...that to be “fair” we sometimes have to treat students
differently. That all students, all
children, have a right to an appropriate education in a system that will cater
to their differences and celebrate each person’s unique abilities. As
teachers, we don’t have the right to determine who is “in” and who is
“out”. We should have the mindset that
we will teach all who enter our class, to the best of our ability. It may mean teaching some of these children
will require more work, more support and more personnel, but it does benefit all
when done correctly.
The
benefits of inclusion are powerful and students with
disabilities are increasingly being included in general education classrooms
for many reasons:
·
In general, accommodations, modifications and
strategies help and benefit all students.
- Inclusionary practices encourage
effective collaboration between professionals.
- Inclusion benefits all students. When two adults (a teacher and a support
specialist) work collaboratively in a classroom, questions are answered
more quickly, projects are more easily monitored; all students receive
more individualized attention.
- Students accept one another as
contributing members of the school society because strengths of each child
are recognized.
- Differences are more accepted by
students resulting in more empathy towards those with disabilities or
needs.
- Regular education teachers tend to
view their students as individuals rather than a classroom of the same
ability level.
Inclusion,
when implemented effectively, will allow you to be that teacher who can make
all the difference….and not just for those who are the most different.
No comments:
Post a Comment