Blog Post #2: Jennifer Cika

In my opinion, socially integrating students with exceptional learning needs has come a long way, but I feel there is still a long way to go. In my experience, where I previously worked, I have seen students that have been placed in self-contained classrooms because regular education teachers were either afraid to have them in their classroom or because they didn’t know how to handle their needs within the inclusion setting. When these students were placed in these rooms regardless of the teachers opinions they had difficulty reaching the success that they could reach because the teachers would just give them busy work or kick them out of class. In turn these students did not trust the teachers and the parents of these students had a difficult time trusting administration when things would get difficult for their child or when the student was taken out of inclusion and placed back in self-contained classrooms.  As stated in Education For All: Critical Issues in the Education of Children and Youth with Disabilities, “If trust is not present, a partnership will likely not survive” (Terese C. Jimenez, 2008, p. 59). I feel that this is an injustice to our students (regular education students as well as special educations students). If there is not trust between students, teachers, parents and administration then it is going to be difficult to integrate these students socially into classroom. They now become disruptive in the classroom setting and this affects their learning as well as the other students learning in the classroom and how the teacher can teach. ON the other hand, if there isn’t any tension and the trust is there and evident with all parties involved then the students can excel socially and academically.

Where I currently work, there is a family atmosphere and this is picked up by the students that attend the school. It is a safe haven for them; they know that they are wanted in the classroom and they know that bullying will not be tolerated. The students are taught how to interact with one another through social stories and role play activities. The teacher model how students should act. This helps the students trust one another and the teachers. My point is social integration at my school is first and foremost as it should be in all schools. Many people say that there isn’t time in the day to teach students how to interact and be kind to one another, but if you make the time; even if it’s just 10 minutes a day, it makes a world of difference and by doing so you will set all students up for success.

In order to promote acceptance and social integration of children with disabilities in schools, communities and our society, I feel that there needs to be more training and more talk about these students in the community. All too often I hear that these students are just bad and should not be in regular classes, but I feel that it stems from the fact that there is just a lack of information. General education teacher should be he offered more professional development on students with exceptional needs before these students are included in their classroom so that they are not afraid of having them in their rooms and they are able to help them the best way possible. Also, as stated in our book, parents need to know when to ask questions, make demands or even just know their rights when it comes to the education and well-being of their children. Having a diverse classroom is one of the most difficult things there is, but with the proper training and compassion it definitely can be a rewarding experience. As I said before, I feel that we as a society have come a long way, but there is still more work to be done.