Sunday, July 1, 2012

What I Learned This Year- Inclusion

         As I sit here on Canada Day, feeling like the year is officially over, I am able to sit and ponder. Like most teachers in North America, my year begins in Aug/Sept and ends in June (July is New Years Eve and August is New Years Day).  This year has contained stress for me on a multitude of levels. At home, I learned to deal with my first born's independence. He took a step out of his comfort zone and moved back to Illinois to live with his grandparents and go to college/university there (he made the dean's list both semesters, FYI).  Our church life had its own stressors (which I will not go into). And then there was my class.
       This particular group of students was what I like to call the "perfect storm". It was a lively combination of autism, developmental delay (which I strongly suspect is actually Fetal Alcohol Syndrome), children on the younger end (half didn't turn 5 until Oct-Dec), and a few that if they were diagnosed with ADHD or learning disabilities later on wouldn't surprise me. I went home many Fridays conflicted. On the one hand I was glad it was Friday, but on the other hand, I was wishing I had one more day, one more chance to get it right.  It was a rocking good year, I tell you!
          But what did I learn from this group that I couldn't have learned from anyone else? 
I learned:
-Slow down, take your time
-Look closely at everything
-Don't judge
-In every situation, there is an explanation (and sometimes a really funny story!)
-Kindergarten children will tell you ANYTHING (I already knew that one, but I certainly wasn't prepared when one child told me his uncle was sent to jail).
-Play is not a 4 letter word! And I refuse to say "inquiry based learning" again. It is play and play is how we learn. Because that is how our brains work!


I learned about Inclusion in a way I have never understood before. I have taught preschool and kindergarten at an inclusive day care. I have worked with children with autism, Downs Syndrome and developmental delay.  I thought I understood what inclusion was. But this year taught me that inclusion is more than just having children with special needs in the classroom. Inclusion is a not singling out, not propping up, not paying lip service to special needs. It is community. It is being together through thick or thin. It is learning to communicate my needs in such a way that everyone understands. It is teaching children that fair isn't always equal. Some children need a little more than others. Sometimes we all need a little more than others. It is helping others and allowing others to help us. It is caring enough about someone that you are willing to deal with a melt-down because you know, in the end, they will be better off without getting their way.  


I am thankful for 18 students. All unique, all individual's, all teachers to me.

12 comments:

  1. Sounds like the group kept you busy. They are lucky to have you as a teacher.

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  2. Thanks Angela! There were points in the year I never thought I would say what I am about to, but, it was a great year with great kids!

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  3. Thank you for an honest post Carrie. I liked your reflection on inclusion. Your story of a Kinder telling you about his uncle reminded me of a day earlier this year. A young student came to school in the same clothes as the day before and with no lunch. The student told me that they "didn't quite make it home last night". That alone made me sad but the look on the student's face combined with the fact that they were embarrassed to tell me this broke my heart. I hope you have a restful summer so that you can be there for the next bunch of K's the way you were this year.

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  4. Thanks Nicole. It is amazing what some of our students go through in the course of the year. While I was taken off-guard by my young friends comments, I am so glad he felt comfortable enough to tell me. It sure made sense of a lot of other comments he had made. We really do important work. It isn't enough to just teach them the ABC's. They need us to be that solid foundation they can go to for whatever reason!

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  5. I can relate to your reflections in many ways. Slowing down was huge for me too. And play...it's the heart of it all, isn't it? Thank you for sharing!

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    1. I can get so caught up in the go, go, go of daily school life that to have this class "force" me to slow down was truly a blessing- although sometimes one in disguise!

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  6. Thank you for this awesome and honest post! It's so important to share the meltdowns and not-so-pretty sides of teaching, learning, children, parents and ourselves! Your post is beautiful Carrie! "It is community. It is being together through thick or thin." LOVE

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    1. I think, as teachers, it is so important to show the good and the not so good. Life is a mixed bundle of everything, right?

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  7. A great post Carrie. It brings the human side to teaching. Those students are lucky to have you as their teacher.

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    1. Thanks! I was lucky to have them, although there were times I wondered...!

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  8. Thanks for sharing this reflection! Your writing on inclusion is beautiful and spot on. :)

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    1. It was a big year for me, one I am sure I will re-live over and over.

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