Does Inclusion Work?

In my opinion, inclusion is a very important part of special and general education. There are many things that are beneficial about inclusion of special education students into a mainstream classroom, but just for the exceptional student, but for their normal learning peers as well. Social skills are imperative to living an independent life, and if an exceptional child is taught in a special education classroom all day everyday, they may not learn these necessary life skills. They need to have time with a large group of their peers so that they can practice the social skills that they are learning, and then need to be given the opportunity to live and interact with the general population.

Students in special education classes need to feel like they are included in the lives of their peers, they need to be given an opportunity to make friends. They need to feel like they are "normal" children. Keeping these exceptional students in a room away from their peers gives them the impression that they don't deserve to be with the "normal" kids.

Having exceptional students in a general classroom teachers tolerance and acceptance to not just the students, but to the teacher as well. In the world today, we all could use a little more patience for diverse populations, so why are we teaching our kids that it's ok to discriminate against special education students, that it's ok for us to put them in a separate room and keep them out of our "normal world"?

There have been many studies that have proven inclusion to be beneficial for all parties. The normal learning students can help the special education students when necessary. This increases the concept understanding of both parties, because if you can teach it to someone else you clearly know your stuff, and it never hurts to get another take on the material when you don't understand it.

The whole point of the IDEA legislation is to give equal opportunities to ALL students and I feel that inclusion is the best way to do this.

2/15/07

As a pre-service teacher, I am still not entirely sure what my exact educational philosophy will be, but I do already have beliefs about the purpose of teaching and what makes a good teacher. First of all, I think that the purpose of teaching is to prepare the next generation to run the world. They have to be taught all the knowledge we can give them, because children deserve nothing less. Through teaching I hope to show children what they are capable of and also instill in them a desire and love for learning. It is my sincere hope that I can make a difference in the lives of my students and that I will be able to help them see their true potential.

I decided to become a teacher because I have a strong passion and love for children. I love to see them light up when they finally understand a concept, and there is nothing as funny as the humor of a child. They can see through all of the walls that you put up, you can't pretend with them. Children know you and love you no matter what, there is nothing quite like the love of a child. I think that having a strong repertoire of teaching techniques and knowledge about the art of teaching is important, imperative in fact, but nothing is more important than a passion for young people and a desire to teach them. This is what makes a great teacher. Anyone can be a mediocre teacher, but only those with teaching in their heart can truly be exceptional.

The difference between school "work" and student "learning" is what the child accomplished. Work is just something for a student to do to take up time, at least in this context it seems to be nothing more than busywork. Student learning is the purpose behind teaching. Professionals should be driven to see as much student learning as possible. Student learning is the knowledge that a student actually gains, it is much more meaningful than school work. School work needs to be limited, and student learning needs to be emphasized.