Taken from the words of Freire, Kliewer argues that, "Humility is central to democracy. 'How can I dialogue,' Freire asks, 'if I always project ignorance onto others and never perceive my own? How can I dialogue if I regard myself as a case apart from others-mere 'its' in whom I cannot recognize other 'I's'?" I think this remark is powerfully essential because it speaks to every human being in its attempt to put all people on equal playing fields. I should not feel superior to someone because my IQ is higher than his/hers, nor should I feel special because I was born with the correct number of chromosomes. Humility means being able to look at our own flaws and and to be cognizant of the fact that we are not perfect. In this acknowledgment of imperfection, we become able to fully appreciate the differences of others and a "willingness to see people as they are-different perhaps in their minds and in their bodies, but not different in their spirits or in their willingness and ability to contribute to the mosaic of society" (Snow 12). I believe this 'humility' lays the foundation for everything else Kliewer argues for in "Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome."
Based on my own experience teaching at Cranston West, inclusion works and is highly successful. We have many team-taught inclusion classes and a thriving Unified Volleyball team with its own Cheerleading squad. We have a few Down Syndrome students, and they are accepted and many times extremely popular. Kind of like Becky from Glee... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3Rjxm8OHTw Students with IEP's are always involved in transition meetings and often help write their own goals and accommodations. This highly differs from the situation Kliewer describes with a student Anne and her misplacement working as a pre-school aide. "Anne had been left out of her high school transition planning conference"(78). In this case, Anne was left out of the decision-making because no one wanted to hear what she had to say. Anne was not able to communicate her desires because someone (probably a well-intentioned individual nonetheless) though he/she would do a better job of it. This goes back to the idea of humility. If the person making Anne's decision for her valued Anne as a human being worthy of making decisions about her own life, the bad decision would never have been made in the first place. If Anne's case worker had begun with "the simple act of listening,"(78) she would have yielded far better results for and with Anne.
I think we are moving in the right direction with the policies and realities of inclusion. Things are completely different than they were 30 (ugh?!) years ago when I was in elementary school and special education students were completely segregated from the rest of the school. However, I think we have work to do. I'm completely dumbfounded at the fact that the Special Education Department is the largest department at Cranston West and serves the smallest number of students. I am confused by the sheer number of students with IEP's. Something doesn't sit well with me on those particular fronts. Just food for thought...
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=vb.1748396393&type=2
This is a video of my sweet cousin Elizabeth who lives in Florida :)
Melissa,
ReplyDelete"I think we are moving in the right direction with the policies and realities of inclusion." And I agree with you. However, the definition for some schools might only mean including students with the arts, gym, and lunch (non-academic areas). many schools define inclusion as the "arts" and only 50% of the non-academic classes. I have seen a variety of models from different schools and don't know if the word inclusion is loosely used to show that they "include" students. However, from what I understand, a "fully inclusive" education means there are no distinctions between "general education" and "special education". I think we are moving in the right directions, but we need to take a look at how these students are being included. Fifty percent of the time in general education is just not enough for students who have disabilities. I think that re-evaluating the system to make sure every student is included in all classroom settings regardless of the severity of the disability. Again, as long as the support is there, this could happen on a regular basis.
Melissa, it's awesome to hear that your students are involved in their transition meetings and goals/accomodations. I'm secondary ed too, but didn't really get to see much with special ed during my student teaching at the high school. I'm curious if this ever happens at the middle level. Of course, this might not always be age-apporpriate, but interesting to consider the implications for a student who is aware of their goals versus a student who is just going along for the ride. How do we ensure that all students (especially those with special needs) are truly participants in their education and actively involved in pursuing their own interests?
ReplyDeleteMelissa, Ken, and Brittany,
ReplyDeleteI agree with all three of you here. Melissa, I absolutely love this quote you use: "willingness to see people as they are-different perhaps in their minds and in their bodies, but not different in their spirits or in their willingness and ability to contribute to the mosaic of society." I definitely think that more students with disabilities and special needs have to be included in our regular education classrooms, to increase their exposure as well as their classmates' exposure. The world doesn't have a corner or a classroom for individuals with special needs. So when our students grow up, after being in a school in which their peers with disabilities are kept isolated in one classroom all day, how do they fit into their worlds? Our worlds?
I love the conversation about ignorance that you initiated your blog comments with this week. Whether willful, or from a true lack of information, our society is too often blissfully ignorant. Once we start the conversation, though, and information becomes available to everyone, ignorance can no longer be the crutch people lean on when something makes them uncomfortable, and they may need to consider the idea that they might just be wrong.
ReplyDeleteIn Central Falls, we use the inclusion model with excellent success, our students are always a part of their IEP meetings, and their input is critical to whatever success they attain. I often speak to all students about taking such an active role in their education, and success. We also have unified sports here, and I have been involved with them for about 20 years now. there is always something uniquely special about celebrating with an athlete, and learning something from them about how to compete, and treat each other.
As far as the size of the special education department, I am conflicted, my personal experience has taught me that far too many people are diagnosed with a disorder when what they actually have is a large quantity of inappropriate behavior which they want a convenient excuse for. But is it better for these students to abuse the system if it allows a few more needy children to get the services they actually need. It is easier to say my kid has obsessive oppositional disorder, and needs meds and and IEP, than to admit that as a parent, you haven't taught your child the right lessons, and that, as a result, they are an asshole. I don't think these are the types of kids that Kliewer is referring to, but wouldn't it be nice to isolate some kids who just make bad decisions consistently, and integrate everyone else? Maybe we should be grouping kids based on how happy they make others....