Entry #2 for February 23rd, 2007

Take a position on a controversial topic related to education.

Growing up close to two people who are considered "exceptional learner" I am very aware of the positives and negatives of inclusion.

My cousin is a joyful and happy 12 year old, with a learning disability. As far as education goes, she is about 4 years behind where she should be at her age. With her IEP, she is able to participate fully in a normal classroom, with very little help from aides. For her, full inclusion is a great option. She has been able to develop relationships with teacher and students throughout her schooling, and learn and progress as much as she is able.

On the other hand, a close family friend of ours is a 16 year old with sever Down syndrome. Sean has no vocal communication skills, and is just starting to learn signs for things he wants or needs. Clearly, inclusion would be a terrible option for him. Without intense, one-on-one attention he is unable to function at home, much less at school.

Overall, I think inclusion is a great option for high functioning exceptional learners, but it is very important that the idea of inclusion is breached on a case by case basis. If in an attempt to achieve the least restrictive environment a student is placed in a more mainstreamed classroom than he or she is able to function in, I see this a major problem of inclusion. Most importantly, I think it is important that people very close to the student being considered decide if full inclusion is right for that student.

Entry #1 for February 16th, 2007

Why do we teach? What is the difference between school "work" and student "learning?" What makes for good teaching?

When I was a kid, in first and second grade, sometimes I liked to play "house", but more often than not, I wanted to play "school." I wanted to play "spelling bee" or "history lesson" or "arts and crafts time." When adults asked me what I wanted to do when I grew up, I always said that I wanted to be a teacher. It wasn't until my senior year of high school, and my freshman year of college that I started to wonder whether I really wanted to be a teacher, or if I just liked having a solid answer to that question- I'm not one who likes not having a definite answer and goal.

It was as a freshman at Luther College that I realized that I didn't just want to teach because it was what I'd been saying all my life- I wanted to teach because i truly want to impact the lives of young people in the positive way that my teachers impacted me; i think this is one of the requirements of being a "good teacher." A "good teacher" has to care not about her students as simply pupils sitting in the desks in her classroom for an hour each day, but as individuals, who can be shaped to be the best possible person. A good teacher has to be willing to go the extra mile to make sure that her students achieve the most they are capable of- to push them to see how much they are capable of doing, and inspire them to want to do it on their own, not for a good grade in a class. Good teachers can't be in this profession for the money, because unfortunately, it is likely they will be disappointed. A good teacher has to forget about paychecks and contract hours, and do as much as they possibly can to ensure that the next generation of young people are the best that they can be, and that they pass their self-determination and drive to achieve onto those around them. This is what the difference between school "work" and student "learning" is all about. In the end, it isn't important if a particular student remembers that Shakespeare's Hamlet was written in 1599, but that from reading that they developed a love for the arts, and a sense of duty, friendship and loyalty. It doesn't really matter if on the last day of school a student can recite all 23 helping verbs, but that they have a grasp of the English language that will allow them to function in a society that is more and more dependant on technology everyday, and face-to-face conversation is becoming less common. What is most important is that the student has learned how to achieve to the best of their ability, and has a faith in themselves that they are capable.