On Monday 26 March 2001 11:03 pm, Lee McElhenney wrote:
> Hello all!
>
> As most of you know from my introduction, I am a graduate
> student from Pennsylvania studying to be certified as as
> elementary education school teacher.  As a graduate student, part
> of my work here is to learn as much as I can about all of the
> different kinds of students I will come into contact with;
> including common learners and exceptional learners.  That said, I
> want to pose a question to anyone who cares to comment.  Is there
> anything you (a person with c.p.) would have liked your teachers
> to know, to be more sensitive to, or is there anything you would
> like to say to schools in general that could have made your time
> in school more beneficial?  What do you think about, or do you
> want to comment on the growing movement toward inclusion of ALL
> students into the general ed. classroom?  Or you could just make
> comments or statements regarding c.p. and school at any level.
> Of course, I would be happy to answer any question you have for m
> before you gave a response, and of course I would understand if
> you told me to buzz off.  Either way, I would appreciate the
> feedback.
>
> Thanks again, and take care.
>
> Lee McElhenney

HI Lee,

My experience of Education is based in the 60's and 70's, and a
different country - UK. I know a lot has changed since then, maybe
not for the better. Education is a perennial topic on this list, and
I usually find myself out of kilter with the general consensus of the
list, so I am only speaking for myself.

I am against "the growing movement towards inclusion". My problem
with this is that the primary goal of education should not just be
academic qualifications, but fitting students for life after school.
For people without a disability this seems to happen naturally
between the ages of 11 - 18, parties, camps, friends made, arguments
settled, gradual independence from Mum & Dad, a growing self-reliance
which leads to a confident adult.

Similarly, for a disabled person, this period is very important -
however there's a lot working against them here. Pre-teen social
interaction is generally organised by adults (teachers, parents,
scout leaders, etc.) but from 13 up the "coolest" social events are
organised by your peers - the mall, fishing trips, cinema, concerts -
without adult involvement. And kids at this age are SO hierarchical,
cliques abound, and people who don't "fit" have problems. This is not
just a disabilty thing, it applies to the obese, the ugly, the
clumsy, and in fact a disabled person who "looks" normal and speaks
well (but maybe in a wheelchair) will probably do very well. However
if your speech is slow and laboured, and you drool, and you make
sudden (and inexplicable) movements, you may find yourself well down
the hierarchy. How then do you build that confidence and fit yourself
for adult life?

I am a product of Special Education, boarding schools from 7 till 19,
and because everyone else had physical disabilities, going fishing,
shopping, cinema, you didn't get the feeling you were "tagging
along". Alsp because everyone is in the same boat with you, you get
the opportunity to "organise" things, confident in the knowledge you
friends will be delighted to be invited. (I remembert, at 18,
persuading the headmaster that 4 of us should go on an "educational"
visit to Paris for a long weekend (with no staff accompanying us) - I
never knew there were so many bars on the left bank - I certainly
couldn't count them!!!).

And so from each of us being a big fish in a little pond, we were
fitted to dive into the big ocean of adult life.

As I said at the beginning, my ideas on this are "unfashionable",
inclusion is all!! And yes, there are bad Special Ed schools which
are insular, but it doesn't have to be that way. This probably
doesn't help you much Lee, since you are aiming at Elementary
Schooling where inclusion is probably right for the majority (but not
all!!).

Just my two ha'porth.

Cheers

Deri