“Classroom Management in Inclusive Settings.”

It’s been wonderful to start out this semester with fresh eyes. I feel like the rest and rejuvenation which I got over the winter break was a great way for me to get enthusiastic about coming back to my 4th graders this semester. As well, I must say it was wondeful to get back to seeing my Case Study student everyday. I am not going to be facetious by saying that I enjoy his presence every second of every day (he can create some frustrating situations in the classroom at times) BUT, in general, he is a charmer, and a joy to be around. And for that, I was excited to be back.

The article we read this past week was a great refresher and encouragement for dealing with the average inclusive classroom. It was a great way for me to jog my memory about many of the things we have spent time in conversation about last semester.

“In recent years, the number of students with learning, behavioral, and other educational disabilities being taught in general education classes has more than tripled.“

This was a fact that I definitely did not realize about inclusion classes in our educational system. While it seems that this is a major feat, and I am excited to hear it, it also makes me wonder what they are considering as true “inclusion” classes. I feel as though I have heard on some occasions that schools have advertised inclusion classes and programs, but they only take place a third or a quarter of the day, not allowing for a total main-streaming experience. I am not trying to seem a pessimist, I just want to make sure that when we are talking about inclusion classrooms, that we are all on the same page as to what really makes an inclusion classroom (with time, environment, expectations, etc).

In general, the use of the term membership in the article, to me, really seems to encompass the overall idea of an inclusion classroom – this idea of a child’s right to belong and to have access to the same opportunities and experiences as other children of the same age. Therefore, schools that advertise “inclusion” programs but pull certain students out for resource 2/3 of the day are doing a dis-service to those children – they are breaking down the community which is being built within the traditional classroom.

Further, this idea of social learning mentioned in the article seems to going along with the idea of membership as students promote their own learning and understanding through interactions with their peers – talking, discussing, reviewing, brainstorming, etc etc. If these types of opportunities are taken away from students, they are left having to learn in an “out-of-context” kind of way. While it’s easier said than done (much easier), leaving children in the classroom for as much of the day as possible will help them to collaborate with other students, depend on others for academic and emotional support, and develop skills that they may not have otherwise been able to develop in a one-on-one resource situation.