What advantage do we gain if we integrate classroom?
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Holding Nyla – (Lessons from an Inclusion Classroom)
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In my elementary school years I attended school in Hawaii, where I was in a majority student in my school. But, when I was 7th grade, my father being in the Military (Army) got station in Fort Hood, Texas. So, I attended Smith Junior Middle High School there in Texas, where I became a minority student in my school. This experience helped me understand what it is like being in both majority and a minority group. With this knowledge I became more receptive to students from the mainland. When I attended my junior year at Pearl City High School, I made sure that students from the mainland (especially military students) didn’t feel like an outcast. I would back them up if they were being gang up by local students. Good thing, I had cousins and friends at my school to back me up. The bottom line, we need to mix different groups to make them understand one another.
While reading “Holding Nyla” it was amazing how they took special need students and combined that group to the low-income student group. They made special education teachers and early childhood teacher’s work as a team, to make a lesson plan to meet the needs of all students and made this program a model to follow. This is an awesome program!
Now, back to my question: “What advantage do we gain if we integrate classroom?” The teachers and students would gain a lot “especially the students!” The low-income students would understand the special needs students and the special need students would interact with the low-income students, this would help them with their social skills and coping skills. I guess you can say that when you join together different types of groups, it can only benefit everyone those groups!
Talking the Talk (Integrating Indigenous Languages into a Head Start Classroom)
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In 2005, I worked at a school as a Para-Professional Tutor (PPT) and in this school, they incorporated the Hawaiian language and the Hawaiian culture into the school system. While working in this school, it was amazing every morning, these students would sing a song in Hawaiian. I told myself this felt really good starting the school like this every morning. Also, this program helped the parents work together with their children teachers in these Hawaiians courses.
Here’s my question: “What types of challenges do we face as teachers when we open up to more programs like this?”
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A New World Is Born - (Chapter 4 - New Possibilities for Early Childhood Education)
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“Wow!” This chapter open up lots of challenging experiences that I went through, which is my reasons why I went back to school. I call it “A Moment of Awakening!” I was tired of being taken advantage of, from my co-workers, supervisors and managers. I felt that just because I don’t have a college degree, it was okay for them to treat me that way.
According to Lifton (1993) - “A prototype for our future – As society faces unpredictable social, economic, and political changes, we need new types of strength and insights that are often lacking in standard models of education.”
When I read this, I realize that I’m a teacher with lots of empathy due to my past experience. It’s hard in the beginning to start, but if you look at the bigger picture, you can see hope! Every day I thank God that I went back to school. I have no regrets! All in all, going back to school can only improve your life and career.
I have to tell you, I really liked the question that you brought up about the challenges we face when we open ourselves up to changes in our own programs or with the addition of a child with a disability to a roster that is otherwise made up of typically-developing children. What challenges do we face? What's more, how do these challenges affect the children? I think one of the hardest tasks is dealing with sensitive issues that may be brought up by our own fears or children's curiosities. I have a child in my classroom who has monoplagia (paralyzed from the knee down) on her left leg. I was worried because I have 20 children, only one assistant teacher, and now I had to make sure that this child who had a physical disability was safe and accommodated into the classroom. As it turned out, the children were not even aware that she was different from them. They never brought up the fact that she wears a brace or has an awkward walk. They have always been very sensitive to her, regardless of her disability, and it's taught me to share the same attitude. Now I find myself worrying more about if she's having fun more than if she's fitting in.
ReplyDeleteHi Gary,
ReplyDeleteHow do teaching staff (D.O.E. and Head Start) work together with least conflict and focus truly on our children? In Holding Nyla, it has demonstrated the benefits on mainstreaming regular students with the special need children. I was subbing in an inclusion classroom a few years ago. There were two Head Start staff and two D.O.E. staff. The Head Start teacher at that time only had a C.D.A. and the D.O.E. teacher had a bachelor degree in elementary ed. I saw so many conflicts that they had and I wonder if the special need child truly benefit from the join teaching methods of the staff. And for myself, I would not want to work in an inclusion classroom.
Ivy Pang
I think it's beneficial to children and teachers to integrate classrooms because everyone becomes enlightened to experiences and ways of lives you may not have had otherwise. Kids and teachers can gain more sensitivity and understanding of each other and their differences. They can learn to question things they don't understand and get appropriate answers and responses.
ReplyDeleteHi Gary,
ReplyDeleteThe question of integration gives me something to think about especially in regard to segregation. If we call for integration, does it mean many of our classrooms are segregated? Does the identification of the presence of segregation in our schools offer educators a way to view the possible gaps? Is integration the only solution? How does power and hierarchy limit integration practices? How might negotiation and awareness of power encourage integration of people across all classrooms?
Jeanne
Hi Gary,
ReplyDeleteHead Start has some inclusion classrooms where there is a mixture of special needs and children of low-income. What I experienced when I was volunteering at an inclusion classroom was I didn't even notice any special needs children. Physical appearances I'd probably notice but these kids were basically delayed in their development. But by the way the staff worked as a team and how they worked with the children, everyone was treated equally and you would never know that was an inclusion classroom because picking out the delayed kids were difficult.
But how can staff from two different programs come together and work as a team? Sometimes is hard because of their beliefs and practices, but if an inclusion classroom is vital for special needs children and children of normal development to be in one classroom, how can the staff come together without discriminating the other staff members?
Ashley