A Stitch in Time: The following is a reflection that I completed in response to this case study: A Stitch in Time. I answered the question “How will you create a classroom culture in which parents and students feel that they can talk to you about their safety concerns?” https://moodle.tru.ca/pluginfile.php/2219568/mod_resource/content/2/A%20Stitch%20in%20Time.pdf
To create a classroom culture where safety concerns can be communicated between the teacher and parents and students, I think it is important to first create a classroom community in which everyone understands the importance of safety and that we are responsible for each other’s safety. To do this, we also need to understand that some individuals have different safety necessities than others. This is something that can be created at the beginning of the year and periodically reassessed throughout the semesters. In the first week of school, while we make classroom guidelines, we can also check with each student about how they know when they feel safe or unsafe and work together to create a living document in which we record how to treat each other and ourselves to make sure that we all feel safe and respected. An important part of this is ensuring that each student’s voice is heard and that they all feel that they have contributed to the safety of the classroom. To involve parents, we can ask students to go home and brainstorm with their parents what a safe classroom looks like and later check in to make sure that each student’s adults feel comfortable with our guidelines and feel safe in knowing that they are sending their children to a classroom in which they are out of harms way.
Also, being open with parents and students throughout the year and ensuring that their opinions are asked is important. I would schedule check-ins with the class throughout the year, individually and as a group, where we review the safety guidelines and make sure that they are still working for each student. This is also something that we can involve the parent’s in to continue to ensure that they are comfortable as well.
Alone in a Crowd: The following is a reflection that I completed in response to this case study: Alone in a Crowd. I answered the question “What has happened to change the way that schools treat students with special needs?” https://moodle.tru.ca/pluginfile.php/2219559/mod_resource/content/2/Alone%20in%20a%20Crowd.pdf
As we learned from Dr. Nan Stevens last semester, the education system has shown horrifying treatment towards students with special needs in the past. Students were put into institutions and not given an education. The Medical Model of Disability was in effect – disability is in you, and it is your problem. The Social Movement then came into effect and the system was radicalized when a group of parents advocated for their children to be included in the classroom instead of being sent to institutions. These parents fought for the rights of their children and in the 1960’s the UN agreed to these rights. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms granted full citizen ship status to people with developmental disabilities and the People’s First Movement encouraged the removal of labels (Inclusion BC, 2014). Students were then integrated but not included. There were (and still are) separate rooms for them outside of the regular classroom. They were existing in the same space as other students but were not included. Students with exceptionalities are now more regularly included in the classroom space but there is still work to be done to ensure full inclusion for every child. There are amazing steps being taken to give students the support that they need, as seen in this case study with the staff trying to support Darlene in the best way they can, but I can understand that is difficult with the number of students needing support.
Inclusion BC. (2014, Nov 3). This is the story of a civil rights movement [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA_D5Qd1mg8