 I don't know if I've told you this, but I teach Kindergarten. I teach in a have-not Province with a mandate for full-inclusion within the classroom. I also, have a daughter with autism and a neurotypical daughter in the school system. This gives me a particularly unique view from the perspective of a parent of a child with autism, the parent of a typical child and a teacher on the front lines of education today.
When I really think about it, the system is failing me as teacher, my daughter with autism and my neurotypical daughter as well, and here's how: Let me begin by saying that full inclusion is not only a necessary endeavour, but an absolute right for every individual in the education system. However, let me also say that full inclusion (meaning each child is given what he/she needs, and NOT that all children are treated equally) is an extremely expensive endeavour. Never in my eleven years in the system have I ever felt, even remotely, fully supported or funded in terms of classroom composition and the needs of my students, by the Province. Every single day I feel like I am failing my students because I am not trained to offer support outside of the academic day. I am not well enough versed in speech and occupation therapy or even a play-based approach for those on the autism spectrum for little D and little O. I am not sure how to curb aggressive behaviours and maladaptive thoughts in little G and little S. I am not qualified to offer grief counselling for those who have suffered trauma like little M and little A. On Friday, I held the sweetest little doll on my hip while she gnawed on my shoulder for oral motor regulation. She's non-verbal, so she couldn't tell me what she needed but she could show me. Little M clung to my leg in tears because she was terrified after experiencing a traumatic event in her home the evening before. The curriculum weighs heavy on the shoulders of teachers, so while I made every effort to comfort these two, I had a class of others who were waiting to learn about the letter Y. (Well, except for B, he was tearing pages out of my books). So, I took a deep breath and began to sing: "Y is a consonant, a letter in the alphabet..." Of course, we have lovely professionals within our system that are well-equipped to work with these students on these particular issues but their wait lists are frustratingly long and their plates are full as well. In the staff room we dream of having these professionals on staff with daily access. "Can you imagine if we had a full time guidance-councillor?" we'll say, "Or a school psychologist on staff?" We allow ourselves to dream for a moment and then the bell rings because we've had our seven minutes to eat lunch. We work evenings and weekends (and those so-called summer holidays that we do NOT get paid for) to plan and create lessons to support the curriculum because our time at school is largely taken up by meetings with these professionals to gain insight on how to help our students in classrooms that are so busy and diverse in this 21st century. We plan multiple lessons daily because best practice says one size does NOT fit all. We differentiate and we use the principles of universal design. We use evidence-based approaches and "insert education buzz word here", and more. This is not your grandfather's classroom. This is not your father's classroom. This is not your classroom. Implementing full inclusion without both fully funding the program in terms of resources and professionals on the front lines, and providing the current and relevant training for all staff for their particular assignment is an absolute travesty. Implementing a failing program so you can have the moral high-ground and at the same time save money is reprehensible. Implementing a failing program on the backs of students, teachers and EA's who already receive very little public support is typical. We need more money, more people and more training. And most of all, we need to be a priority.
18 Comments
lisa stout
12/8/2015 03:32:26 pm
Well said, my friend!
Joann
12/8/2015 03:45:57 pm
I applaude you as a teacher and support you 100%
Lois
12/9/2015 03:15:22 am
Very good write-up. So true. As a mother witg a child on the autism spectrum, i find there is not enough support or resoures for these children. So Neurotypical children lose the attention they need also. Thank you.
Laura Surrett
12/9/2015 04:54:32 am
Well said! This is the point I've been trying to make for some time now. There are very few parents who know this is what a typical day is like and how inclusion is not working. No one gets the attention they deserve. I've been speaking to a few parents lately that have had older students go through the system and fall through the cracks so they are putting their younger ones in private school where they are being offered an EA. A few parents with children with autism were not offered EA's in the public system so now they bear the burden of paying for their schooling so they can get the support they deserve. Shouldn't this be their right? It's such a sad situation because typically the students who need the most support are the ones from the lowest income or lowest educated families and they won't be the ones to speak out. So who will make their voices heard? You're doing a great job speaking for them in this blog..now maybe we could all rally together and write to newspapers and our MLA's. How can we make politicians understand today's classroom?
Tom Landry
12/9/2015 05:15:44 am
These issues have plagued the system since the inclusion began. From time to time lack of support gains the attention of the provincial overlords.
Glynn
12/9/2015 06:04:13 am
Totally agree, something (or many things) is broken. I began to realize it when our son in elementary school came home daily with headaches from the constant screaming, outbursts and disruption by the inclusion members of the class. That continued through middle school and into high school. . Certainly not my classroom - our parents would not have stood quietly by while we went through what our children have to endure.
Eric Brown
12/9/2015 07:54:46 am
Very well expressed. Teachers have been continually downloaded with more reports, etc but never given time from teaching duties to complete them. They have been expected to complete individualized testing and reports as well as teach their whole class without support. Too often the curriculum outcomes are not reflective of the age of the average child and average ability levels.
Beatrice Long
12/9/2015 09:42:00 am
This is so very true. There has never been enough funding and I doubt there ever will. Perhaps an invitation to the education minister and the finance minister to spend even two consecutive days in this lady's classroom observing would give an inclination of what teachers are up against.
Kelly Nason
12/9/2015 04:40:00 pm
I agree.
Cordell Osmond
12/9/2015 04:41:14 pm
Inclusive education is not about 'full inclusion' 100% of the time. It is about meeting student needs and providing quality programming for everyone, and ensuring that all children are treated equitably (not equally). You are right. To do this requires so much more training than 'typical' teachers have, and the commitment requires more time than we are awarded. Expectations and demands increase while supports decrease. For inclusive education to truly work, the government needs to 'put its money where its mouth is"
Donna Quesal
12/10/2015 05:45:56 am
This is true in the US too, and the may not have the meeting for the interaction with those who are trained, as you describe. Their meetings are more about administrative stuff than education. Thanks for stating these concerns so well.
wanda casey
12/10/2015 12:49:59 pm
Coming from a Resource and Methods teacher-thank you for sharing. 12/29/2015 06:27:54 am
I have been saying this for years and more so since I retired in 1998. We have become so good at doing everything really badly that we do nothing well. Gordon Porter was the ruination of inclusion in this province and I could add that those in the Department of Education at the time chose the cheap way to bring inclusion to this province. It is here in name only and in the last 20 years it has only gone from bad to much worse.
Margo DeLong
12/29/2015 03:11:44 pm
The quality of education has steadily gone downhill. Too many levels of students in classrooms without the proper amount of assistance. All students are losing out. Without a doubt there needs to be changes made. Gordon Porter was the promoter of inclusion and it suddenly started with no regard for the cost or the outcome. The only winner here was Porter with his Order of Canada medal. Gordon Porter was the ruination of inclusion in this province and I could add that those in the Department of Education at the time chose the cheap way to bring inclusion to this province. It is here in name only and in the last 20 years it has only gone from bad to much worse so much more training than 'typical' teachers have, and the commitment requires more time than we are awarded. Expectations and demands increase while supports decrease. For inclusive education to truly work, the government needs to 'put its money where its mouth is" Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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