Blog Post #9

Reflection/ Connection

While reading this article I thought a lot about a classroom that I volunteered in through out high school. It was an inclusive kindergarten classroom that had a large variety of students with different abilities and skills. Volunteering in this classroom made me realize that I wanted to be a special education teacher and work in an inclusive classroom where I could integrate both general and special education students and teach them that they are all equal. I loved the culture of the classroom and how all of the kids learned from each other. In the article by Kliewer there is a section about John Dewey's beliefs that really spoke to me, "Dewey (1899) believed schools must serve as the sites in which children develop both a sense of commitment to one another and a sense of self-direction leading to 'the deepest and the best guarantee of a larger society which is worthy, lovely, and harmonious'". I enjoyed this quote because I feel like it speaks to the fact that when it comes down to it, students are humans, they need to be treated as such and the friendships and relationships that they form in school are just as important as the academic lessons that they learn.

In the classroom I visited, respect was the first thing that these students learned. They learned that their classroom peers are their school family and should be treated as such. They learned to protect one another in the hallways, cafeteria, and playground. I feel like this aspect of the classroom related to Shor's main idea of socialization in American Schools. One of the students in the classroom couldn't speak but her peers and teachers made it a priority to learn about her and the things that made her happy versus the things that made her mad. This simple act of just observing and being understanding made the little girl feel welcome and understood in the classroom. She was frustrated at the beginning of the year because she knew what she wanted to say but it was like she was trapped in her body. But by the end of the month she was like a whole new person. She no longer had temper tantrums and stormed out of the room. Her classmates and teachers had learned what certain motions and sounds meant and what to do about them and how to help her. This was something that was very heartwarming to see because as she became more understood in the classroom, she had more and more people play with her on the playground. This idea of socialization and allowing her into a classroom with general education students gave her the opportunity to make friends that she otherwise would have been segregated from.

I found an article that discusses more about what an inclusive classroom looks like in today's society and the benefits it can have for students. This article focuses on a specific student which I thought was a good idea in order to show exactly how this student was integrated and how it benefited him. It also talks about some of the challenges that are presented and how they can be resolved which I think is really good because naturally there will be some bumps in the road especially when its a new program or a new teacher.