I was just looking around at some stuff on the internet about a few of the subjects we have discussed in class and I found some information about inclusion and thought it would make a good discussion topic.

The main topic of this website is: What are some of the pros and cons of inclusive school programs?

http://ericec.org/faq/i-procon.html

I would just like to hear some opinions pertaining inclusion. I have mixed feelings about it and don't feel like I have had enough experience in the classroom to give a definite answer. I guess as of right now I would argue that "some of the students with special needs would not receive appropriate education without placement into alternative instructional groups or alternative learning environments." I also think it would benefit them to spend time in a normal classroom. Maybe the school and teachers could find a way to mix it up so that the students could experience both types of classes.

I was reading your post on inclusion and I thought about this video that I saw in 2800 called "Educating Peter" Its about the full inclusion of a little boy with down syndrome. It follows him throughout the year and about the struggles of the teacher and Peter as well as his classmates. If you get a chance its a really informative video.

As far as I am concerned I think the benefits of a child with special needs being in a normal classroom out-way the draw backs.

There is a follow up to "Educating Peter" called "Graduating Peter" that looks at the finishing of his schooling. It is very heartwarming and inspiring. I too believe that the benifits for EC children being in "regular" classrooms out-weigh the drawbacks. Of course, there are always exceptions.

My mother is a kindergarten and first grade teacher who has had many experiences with inclusion, mainly with down syndrome students. While it can be very stressful on the teacher she says that nothing is more rewarding than teaching these students and also seeing how the other students react to and develop friendships with the students that have down syndrome.

I think that inclusion could be a good thing. My concern is the lack of training teachers have in dealing with children with special needs. I believe that if a child is included in a regular classroom the kids surrounding them are less likely to make fun of that child or judge that child because they will have an opportunity to get to know that child and see them as a person. All children need an education and if inclusion will work for that child I say then it is worth it to try

I think that in a way it is great to have students with special needs in a normal classroom. Early on, students can get used to the environment and materials that other children use. It is also rewarding to see the interactions and bonds the students make with each other. There are those few students who poke fun at the students with special needs but that can outweigh the positives. I also think that children should be in an alternative learning environment to recieve specialized education. Students should be in a regular classroom as well as an alternative classroom.

I am so glad to hear all of your opinions on inclusion. I thought they would all be negative but you all seem very open minded and ready to take on a challenge. I agree that the biggest problem with inclusion is the training that regular education teachers receive. As far as I have heard you receive little to no training. If you are in a situation where you have a child in your class that you do not know how to handle develop a good relationship with the special education teacher at your school. I am going to be a special education teacher and I would want any teacher to come to me about this. I am just so happy that you all seemed very open to this. The problem with keeping the special education kids in some corner of the school is that they never learn how to act. It makes the other students keep thier steriotypes of what a person with a disability is capable of. It is a wonderful idea if the teacher is willing to take on the extra work and willing to work with the special education teacher when problems arise.

This might be a dumb question but I was just curious. What classes do regular education teachers have to take that deal with children with disabilities?

Aaron, this may be a bit disturbing to you but I have had NO classes that extensively dealt with students with disabilities. I have had one or two classes that mentioned briefly the Americans with Disabilities Act. Everyone I have talked to either teaching or in administration advises me to take as many special ed classes as you can for electives.

Aaron: I really haven't had any classes either that have taught me a lot about how to deal with kids with learning disabilities. You touch on what different disabilities are in some classes but NOT how to deal with them. I am scared that I will have a child with a disability and I won't know how to deal with them and I will get cussed out by the parent or fussed at by the administration when I have not had any preparation on how to deal with them. I really think we need some kind of training on how to deal with these kids or we are going to be in for a rude awakening.

I had a professor in my block last semester who did her dissertation on the effects of having children with disabilities in a "regular" classroom. I thought what she found was really wonderful and a definate sign that inclusion is a good idea in more ways that one. She said that during her studies, she followed children over a period of time who had children with disabilities in their classrooms at a young age. These children tended to be kinder to other children, more helpful, and much more accepting of children who were different from them. I think children definately learn compassion and tolerance of differences among other people through having children with disabilities in their classrooms.
As far as classes dealing with teaching children with disabilities, I have had a few classes about it in the Child Development (B-K) program. However, they are mostly repetitive and deal more with assessments than with actually teaching children with disabilities. I would like to have more experience with this also.

Don't get me wrong I am definately for inclusion, but if our future regular education teachers are not getting any specific training for children with disabilities we have a BIG problem. If I were a parent with a child with a severe disability, yes I would want my child in a normal classroom, but I would also want my child with someone who has had training with children with disabilities.

Okay, I know I keep talking about my experiences in the class this past spring, but..in my class I had a student who was a schitzophrenic (probably spelled wrong). And he definitely saw an adult male standing in the classroom library. This man would talk to him and on some days would not leave him alone. Often times the teacher let him go sit in the library with him to talk to him..this is while other students are in the classroom, and sometimes he would go sit at her desk and the man would leave him alone. Some days he would have good days, but even on these days he had to be watched b/c one day he had written on his arm, " i'm going to kill___". The teacher took a picture of his arm and put it in his file.
I agree that inclusion can be good, but until hearing my teacher talk about this student I would have flipped out if he told me he saw a man in the class that I couldnt' see. I wouldn't have known how to handle it, b/c these types of issues are not discussed in education classes, at least none of mine. I think that teachers should be required to learn about how to handle these types of situations, just in case we have a student like this particular one.