Inclusion Works: The Proof is in the Puzzle

As promised in my previous posts...another story of inclusion working...

Mark was a third grader with a variety of diagnoses from Oppositional Defiant Disorder to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder with Learning Disabilities and Social Anxiety thrown in.  Adopted from an Eastern European country when he was 5 years old, Mark’s early development was impacted by a lack of nutrition, education and love.

Never the less, Mark was one of the most caring children I ever worked with.  Educated in the regular classroom with his non-disabled peers, Mark received 100% of his instruction in Mrs. Dundee’s third grade class.  As the special educator assigned to Mark and other children in his grade, I co-taught reading and math daily while my paraprofessional supported the children during the writing time block.

Mrs. Dundee was and still is one of the most talented teachers I have ever worked with and she ran a tight ship.  She believed in inclusion and the concept that all kids need to learn in their own way, regardless of whether or not they have diagnosed learning issues. 

Mark was a child who, as you can imagine, struggled in most areas of learning and socialization.  Because of effective differentiation, however, he was able to be successful without standing out too negatively in the classroom.  The kids accepted Mark’s differences and because of the teacher’s ability to encourage empathy, all differences were not only accepted but also celebrated.

My last post highlighted how inclusion doesn’t just benefit the ones with the learning needs, but all children.  In that example, I wrote about how combining kids with needs and typical peers in a co-taught class, all of the students benefitted and improved in their learning.  In this case, Mark’s story reminds us the lessons of inclusion teach all students, in a real-life manner, how everyone has strengths and that we can all learn from each other.

Mrs. Dundee often planned dynamic math lessons that were hands on and differentiated but Mark still needed extra instruction and he realized he couldn’t keep up.  This day, however, when the concepts of an ancient puzzle called, “Tangrams” was introduced, would be different.  Various Tangram puzzles were set up around the room and students were required to go from station to station and try to solve the puzzles.  Being a very visual task and knowing that Mark was a visual learner, we had hoped he would find success in the lesson. 

Boy did he ever.

As soon as Mark stepped up to his first puzzle he just “got it.”  For those of you who know what it is like to have a child who struggles get something so clearly and confidently, there is no feeling like it in the world!  Mark knew how to solve the puzzle and quickly he moved onto the next.  Before he knew it, he had solved every puzzle in the room before the other students had completed one.  Kids were yelling out, “Wow!  Look at Mark!”  and “Mark, help me, I’m stuck!”  The day brought new meaning to “flying on cloud nine” as I don’t think Mark’s feet hit the ground that day.  He was truly floating with confidence and joy at being so great at something.  The other kids got to observe and experience, first hand, that just because someone might struggle at some things, he may actually be better than everyone else at others. 

All the students learned incredible lessons that day.  Mark went home and told his mother it was the “best day of his life because he was the smartest one in the class.”  Ten years later as I tell this story again, we are still learning from Mark….