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Inspiration and Inclusion

This is going to be a long post, so fair warning. In the past 24 hours two seemingly unrelated events came together for me to experience a “big enlightenment.” In fact, it was so big I had to share. It began in a meeting for a college organization that I have facilitated for the past two years - a wonderful group of master teachers who share strategies for engaging students in the learning process. We watched a TEDx talk by professor John Boyer from Virginia Tech. (If you can find 14.49 minutes in your busy day I strongly recommend you watch.) His delivery style made me uncomfortable. His words inspired me.
The second event happened last night. My daughter shared some more pictures of Wes. I’m sharing one of those here. This set of pictures affected me like none before. And that’s when I had the big enlightenment. Bear with me please.
John Boyer speaks of inspiration and how we have lost that ingredient of education through the constant focus on standardization of learning objectives, continuous testing, and “numbers”-constant collection of scores and data. Couple that with October -Down Syndrome Awareness month- and the topic that is so dear to parents of children with Ds -inclusion- and you have the catalyst of my enlightenment.
When I was growing up in West Virginia, children with Ds and any other “difference” were kept hidden away. In one school the special ed class was literally in the basement. We didn’t see them; they didn’t see us. Thank goodness things are different now but sometimes it involves a struggle: parents fighting for inclusion in “typical” classrooms for their children with Ds. When I look at the picture of Wes and my daughter’s friend’s daughter Rori, I see not only an example of inclusion, I see a source of inspiration. If you think about what inspired you growing up, it might have been a teacher or a coach. But what I’m thinking right now is that we have removed so many other possible sources of inspiration from our education system!! Art, music, drama...and people who are different from us. I look at little Rori in this picture and I see kindness pouring out of her. She can’t read yet but she’s reading Wes a story. I look at Wes’s beautiful little face and I see total immersion in the tractor book and in Rori. One has inspired the other and brought out something wonderful in each other.
It’s just a picture of two beautiful little people completely connected to each other for a moment. And I just say, “Wow.”
Inclusion is not just for the “included.” The benefit if for ALL!!!! Inclusion is one more opportunity for inspiration!!! And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.
I warned you...long post. But I’m just starting to learn so much because of this amazing grandson. Couple that with my lifelong passion for teaching and learning and, well, I just had to share. Thanks for reading.

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