Why do we go to school?
Is it to go to magical places?
Is it to make friends?
Is it to keep kids off the streets?
Is it to give Mom and Dad a rest? Or someplace for the kids to go while she/he works?
Is it only to learn to read and write?
When our country was founded, education was generally for the male children of rich property owners. They were to prepare to become businessmen and the governors of the lower classes.
Jeffersonian Philosophy of Education
Is the reason we go to school the Jeffersonian concept that a democracy depends upon an educated population?
This philosophy teaches we need to learn so we can become knowledgeable voters, dedicated citizens and choose wise leaders who govern for the common good.
This makes sense to me, but if you listen to many of the current politicians and public media personalities they seem to suggest the purpose of the school is to teach everyone to think the same way?
Their way.
And if you don’t, they will pull their children out of public school and either home school or put them in private schools where they can control the curriculum and the way people think.
They seem to think this is protecting their children from harm—these strange people and ideas would hurt their children.
But what about people who are different, including people with disabilities?
Measure of a Society
“The true measure of a society is how it treats its most vulnerable citizens.”
So, is part of the reason we go to school to learn how to live with society’s “most vulnerable citizens”? To learn about how we can all share the resources and problems of our common society?
To learn to care about others?
To learn to see strength in diversity?
To prepare ourselves and others to become one of those “most vulnerable citizens”?
Is the American school still the great melting pot that gives us all a common experience? and sees value in our diversity?
This is certainly the goal of inclusion. See related post, What is Inclusion?
If everyday ALL children go to the same schools, get to know each other on a personal level, share time on the playground and lunchroom and bus and in the classrooms–there are valuable lessons in just being together with people who are different than we are.
And maybe one of the lessons is–we are not so different–inside we are the same.
What do the history books say?
In the late 90s, I was teaching education majors who wanted to be teachers.
I took my Introduction to Exceptionalities classes to our university library which had a collection of textbooks being used in classrooms all over the country.
Their assignment was to examine one of the high school textbooks in American History, Problems in Democracy or World Histories and look for pictures or references to people with disabilities. Many of these college sophomores were able to find the same textbooks they used when they were in high school.
Out of the 20 different textbooks they evaluated, no textbook had more than four references to anything about disabilities.
The references, in a sentence or two, referred to:
Helen Keller was deaf and blind and traveled in the Wild West Show, President Roosevelt used a wheelchair, and the American with Disabilities Act passed in 1990. In several of the textbooks, an additional reference said, “deinstitutionalization caused many people who were mentally ill to become homeless” with a picture showing a man sleeping on a park bench. That was it! And the last message was not positive.
People with Disabilities are often Invisible People
People with disabilities have been basically excluded and invisible in the traditional curriculum.
In a culture that asks its children to “not stare,” and “beware of strangers” we have taught our children to ignore and avoid people with disabilities. Many churches only teach about praying for miracle cures and giving charity and alms to the “handicapped” (word from “cap in hand”). So, though there has been some progresss, it is not surprising our textbooks still avoid the whole conversation of disabilities and differences.
The increase in college “Disabilities Studies” majors and minors across the country is a strong beginning and step in the right direction. Kudos to those who are pioneers in this new movement. The recent Tribute to Ed Roberts is an example of people who care recognizing the contributions of great Americans to the freedom and inclusion of all.
Yet, I would bet if we repeated this textbook assignment today in 2013, there would still be a scarcity to references about people with disabilities and of all minorities; though I think the textbook companies are responding to some of the criticism.
What is the purpose of education?
So besides becoming informed citizens, what is the purpose of education, except to prepare each of us in the attitudes, vocational, domestic, community, and leisure skills we need to function successfully the 50-60-70 years of the rest of our lives?
How can we learn to make choices? To learn to ask questions? To learn to solve problems? To learn to work and live together? To learn about ourselves, our ways of making sense of the world? To learn about diversity?
Would our government officials act differently if they followed Thomas Jefferson’s ideas on education? If they went to school with people who had disabilities or had differences?
Schools and Parents
One teacher, one therapist may be great for a year or two but professionals come and go. The parent is the constant in a child’s life. We know our children the best and are the experts on our child’s likes and dislikes, their learning styles and behavior in the home and community. We know our child’s history better than any psychological profile that sits in the school office. We know our child is more than the words on their Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Our role as parent is a difficult one because we represent the continuity of our child’s life. We know their past, we are part of their journey. But are we willing to risk our children learning about diversity and differences?
There are many parents of children with disabilities who are afraid, it is understandable, but will that fear hurt our children and the next generation of citizens.
We know our neighbors, our community, the life our child has outside of school. Check out related story: A new year of learning. We can share our child’s dreams for the future and help them to come true.
Each day parents are challenged as “care managers” to insure cooperation and creativity among those who provide service to our children.
Each day, as our children climb on the school bus, they are a step closer to being adults. They step on the magical bus into their future and the future of our country.
Each day, we must ask ourselves: “Are the skills they are learning going to prepare them to become productive adults, caring and responsible citizens?”
Magic Bus Ride?
The school year is a precious opportunity for new growth. An opportunity to forget the hurts of the past, no matter how difficult. A new school year is a fresh start.
Build that future dream with much hope and picture the magic bus that can take you and your child into a year of wonder, new adventures and new learning in a land of diversity. We learn from our children and they learn from us, and that is also magic.
Wishing you a great year full of magic.
Comments:
When you were in school, how did you learn about people with disabilities, differences? Do you think there are things to be learned by sharing your lunch with someone who doesn’t talk with words? With someone who uses a communication board to talk? With a classmate who learns differently? With a friend who just happens to have a label of disability?
Keep Climbing–onward and upward.
All the best,
Mary
When I was in school, I was not taught about disabilities until I was a little bit older. Yes, we were taught about “different” people, but we were too young to understand what exactly that entailed. I don’t think it was until I was in junior high that I fully understood the term disabilities and what kinds of disabilities were out there, along with the stereotypes. Currently I am a senior speech pathology and audiology major in college; therefore I have had vast experiences with children and adults with disabilities. The first encounter that I remember with someone who had a disability was when I was very young, and was unable to comprehend why that person was the way that they were. Despite our differences, I treated that person the same as I did everyone else. Throughout my college experiences working with several populations of patients, I have grown in more ways than I could ever have imagined. To answer your question, I absolutely think that there are things to be learned by sharing my lunch with someone who isn’t able to verbally communicate. In one of my classes I had to use boardmaker (which is a program with pictures for those who are non verbal), and use my board as a menu to order at a restaurant without speaking directly to the waiter or waitress. It was harder than I imagined it would be, but it gave me an appreciation for those who are unable to verbally communicate and a sense of patience. Whether I learn the same as someone else or not does not affect whether or not I am able to learn from them and what they have to offer. I personally have hearing aids, but that doesn’t prohibit me from speaking to other people in the classroom or getting in study groups to review material. Thank you so much for sharing your blog, I really enjoyed it!
Welcome Hannah,
Love your stories and examples of how your experiences with people with disabilities evolved as you grew up. That’s a terrific idea of having people use a communication board to try and communicate and order. It is harder than it looks. After all, when you say “I want a hamburger” the clerk looks at you and says, “what kind?”
We worked hard to get universal signs and picture menus in McDonald’s and other restaurants, and they say they have them, but every time I ask for one, they say, “Oh, they are here somewhere.” It’s almost comical. We need good speech language folks like yourself who will help us make ordering and communicating easier everywhere we go.
Hope you check out some other articles here. Thanks for your comments. Mary
This article makes me think. This post does give me hope while providing a reminder that our education system could be better. Also, this goes back to when I first changed my major to education when thinking about certain questions. In order to teacher you should be able to answer the question, What are you teaching for? and What are you teaching against. Overall, we should always care for our education system even when it isn’t at its best instead of letting it care for us.
You’re going to be a great teacher EJ. You believe in the kids–and that directs what you are doing. There’s nothing better than that. 🙂
I really enjoyed this post. It really made me think about my experiences when I was in school. I never once had a someone with a disability in my class. I remember there being a “special” class for children who were different than me. Looking back, I feel it was unfortunate that I didn’t have more interactions with people with disabilities. I think that having all different types of students together, especially at a young age, would make it so much easier for people to see them as the same rather than different. I think that if children have the experience to become friends with a child that is different than them that they would embrace it and soon enough having someone with a disability in the classroom would be normal. Its wonderful that there are people out there working very hard to make inclusion happen.
Hi Rachel,
I think it helps to really think back to the basic questions. Glad it was useful.
I’ve had a great time stumbling upon your site! The information you provide is very useful and I’m sure others will appreciate it, too!
I was reading some of your articles on this site and I believe this website is very instructive! Keep on putting up.
You ask “When you were in school, how did you learn about people with disabilities, differences?”….In the 50s and 60s, people with visible disabilities were not seen. But growing up in the Boston area, did provide me with some interesting experiences that helped shaped my thoughts and influenced how I raised my son who had significant physical limitations and was medically fragile.
1. The MAYOR was popular, productive and disabled/wheelchair user
John Hynes was active and very visible.
My father would constantly point out his abilities.
==> You can do anything, if well prepared and have the desire.
2. Neighbor with Polio – segregated school 20 miles from home
Jeanne would stay with her grandmother in Boston during the school week and come home on the weekends. Away from her neighborhood, away from her friends. When a new one floor school was built in our area, we thought, now Jeanne can go to school with us. NOPE was not allowed. At age 10, this made NO sense to me.
==>SEGREGATION is discrimination.
3. Tennis Coach with squeaky sneakers.
Our high school tennis coach was outstanding as a person and a player. The father of 6, is was widely known he suffered an injury during the war that prevented him from becoming a professional tennis player. He walked with kind of a limp. When he would practice with us, I would hear a squeak, squeak, squeak. It was not until my sophomore year (full year later)that I learned he only had ONE LEG and that squeak was his artifical leg/hinge.
==> All activities can be accomodated. Sports is a wonderful inclusive activity.
So when Glen was diagnosed and his life was supposed to be short term (he lived to be 30) I set off on a course of living life fully and out in the community- inclusion….He went to a typical preschool that was integrated, public school under Section 504 (often to the horror of school officials) -became active in sports using his abilities – Math- to be the score keeper and later statistician (baseball liaison to USA today for his high school. btw one of the HS players Johnny Damon went up to the majors. It was my son’s reporting of his stats that attracted scouts.)…..Glen later went on to the Univ of FL, had a radio show, served as an editor to a sports magazine …and…yeah you may have to read this more than once….became a premier national horse racing handicapper, working for the Beyer’s Speed Figures Team (one of 6 people in the country)…and this all was achieved using a voice activated computer. He would often say, he was not disabled, he just needed more equipment. When his environment supported him, his abilities were able to be demonstrated.
So those earlier experiences, messages, living and thriving left an imprint.
As we encourage families to take risks, to live, to learn, to increase the quality of life for their child…we must remember, something Mary taught me…if the community does not see, know you child, they will not plan for or think about your child.
When she said that, I wondered how was our community going to know Glen. It was the grocery store…At age 5 he was given the job to help in getting the groceries. He had 10 items to get in 30 min. He needed to asked people to place items in his wheelchair basket. His voice was soft, which meant he had to articulate, and they had to bend down to listen, He had to evaluate people, learn how to read body language. Who was going to help, and ignore those who would not. He focused on solving the problem. He had to remember where to find items. And he had to be aware of time. It was a game he loved. He had a role in the family. He was seen as a consumer in the community. And people got to know who he was and he lived in their neighborhood….Mary was right – and it worked in many ways.
Patty, what an amazing comment. I love to remember Glenn and your family and friends. You will HAVE to write a post for us anytime you want. You and Glenn accomplished so much and I learn from you all the time.
God, I miss Glenn and you. At least the internet helps us stay in touch. You are both the paradigm pioneers that have blazed the trail. Love the grocery story.
Mary, insightful and thought-provoking as always! Your post does give me hope and what’s more–it is a gentle, but direct reminder about what our educational system is meant to be at its best, and that having said educational system at its best means that we, the communities, have to care for it, and not just let it care for us.
My kids start school Thursday. My son has had special needs kids integrated in his classroom for two out of three years so far, and each time, both for me as a parent helper and him as a student, the experience taught us both *VOLUMES* more than any textbook could. They may not test on this stuff in the fill-in-the-oval money tests, but the best lessons learned are hardly ever “on the test.”
*hug* Keep climbing, Mary–we’re all on the mountain together!
Athena, love love love your comment. We are all on the mountain together and you’re right, the best lessons are not on any test.
Mary,
You really make me think – as usual. 🙂 My boys started school today and we had a discussion yesterday about including kids who are different than us.
I think most teachers are so overwhelmed by state required standards that teaching inclusion and ‘the golden rule’ has become obsolete. I suppose it’s always been the parent’s job to teach and demonstrate these virtues, but it makes me sad that it isn’t reinforced in the education system.
Great post, Mary. I love your positive spin on this new school year. 😀
Hugs!
Lorie
Thanks Lorie, You are a great parent and I’m sure you show your children how to include others in their lives. Maybe you can add a couple more discussions in those “teachable moments” and let us know what the boys say. We can learn from them too. I have to believe the future will be better…just have to.
The Magic School Bus took me back, Mary. 😉
I had a couple of people question me about inclusion when I shared your last post. They had children withdrawn from regular school and placed in special education units/schools. They preferred it as their children appreciated being with other children like them. That seems to be the opposite of inclusion but one that works for at least some children. What do you think of that? Do you think it is a good idea? Great post, made me think rather than just get the children to school on time which is usually my main job in the morning. 🙂
Hi Alison, Great questions. Parents have to choose what they think is best based on their child’s needs and what they can afford.
I chose inclusion for all the reasons I gave. I went to segregated schools when I was growing up: all girls, all Catholic, all middle class, all students with ave. or above intellectual and physical abilities.
That education did not prepare me for my life as the parent of a child with a severe intellectual disability. Chosing inclusion was not the easiest road, it comes with a price. I spent every minute of the boy’s time in school working to make it a good experience. It was a decision based on love and values. For me, it was the only choice. Fortunately, we had many good experiences.