"Citizenship in Schools" - Reflection

Late Reflection:

Ever since we discussed this article in class, the topic on integration in schools has been coming up a lot lately. In fact, just yesterday, a family friend told me she was going to let me borrow this film called "Including Samuel." She said it is a documentary of a parent who is trying to raise his son, who has severe disabilities, and trying to get him the education he deserves by bringing him into a regular classroom. I'm really interested in it from what she said about it and I can't wait until she brings it over for me to watch it.
It's really hard to believe, though, that there are in fact some schools out there that are fully integrated. Sure, having a classroom filled with children of all different levels with all different abilities (and disabilities) is what we all think of as the right thing to do, but it also seems scary to me. A classroom like that is just completely out of the ordinary from what we, or at least I, know. All of my life I have learned with peers that are just like me. I never had the opportunity to learn in a classroom with a physically or mentally disabled student. I never had the chance to watch how other teachers go about teaching a classroom like that and learn how to handle different problems that would arise in certain situations. Of course, I agree that integration is a good and positive thing for both the teachers and the students. It's just definitely an idea I have to get used to through observation and a lot of practice before being sent by myself.
Integrated classrooms are not only good for the students with disabilities, but also the "well-abeled" students as well. Without the opportunity to be in a classroom with someone with special needs, children would just see them as different and want to stay away from them. But being with these students with disabilities all the time throughout the entire school day changes that perspective and lets the students know that they are all equal.
This is a trailer I found for the documentary "Including Samuel".

Totally Random, but quite FNED worthy...

Okay, so basically my entire day was centered around our FNED class. These are all very random incidents but I felt the need to blog about them.

First was work: During free play this morning, a mother came in to drop off her son and she was sporting a pin that stated "Stop with the Happy Holidays, already. Wish me a Merry Christmas." Now, I found this interesting not only because she feels comfortable wearing that in public, where anyone with any religious belief can read it, but also because this particular woman had had a big problem with our curriculum last winter as well. She had been extremely angry that we were displaying different symbols from different religions around our center. She complained about the Menorahs that were hung up next to the Christmas trees and presents and she had been appalled about the fact that her son was talking to her about Hanukah at home. Now, are my co-teachers and I wrong for incorporating different Holidays and religions in our center? This mother is an extremely kind woman and I have the utmost respect for her, but I just thought that pin was a bit too much. It's okay to show that you do indeed celebrate Christmas, but there are right ways to do it and I don't think that was one of them.
Then, about a half hour later, my boss walked in the door with two humungous Toys 'R Us bags that were filled with new "diversified" toys - she had Tiana from "The Princess and the Frog", black and Asian baby dolls, and multiple books centered around differences. I had mentioned it to her about a month ago that that was a big thing we lacked at our center was toys that showed diversity, so I was ecstatic when she brought those in.

After work, I took a ride to Wal-Mart. We all know of those employees who stand outside and ring the bell and just wait for someone to actually pay attention and drop some loose change in their bucket, right? Well, I did a double take when I realized that this particular employee was a black woman. Honestly, before taking this class, I would not have thought twice about it because, to me, it would have just seemed like an employee was chosen at random. But now that I have learned so much, it makes me wonder if it really was random, or if it was chosen purposely.
When I came home, low and behold, my siblings were watching Shrek the Third. After all of the times I have watched any of the three Shrek movies, never have I thought about this either. Okay, so it shows a princess who isn't perfect and beautiful, good right? Not really...she's an olger. This came to mind too: what is this movie really telling people? If you're unattractive and different, the only person who's ever going to love you is someone else who is unattractive and different? Either that, or a donkey? a.k.a. a stubborn ass. Even Fiona's own parents are appalled by her and Shrek - notice her parents are quite high class, and very white.

Just a couple things I never would have thought of before taking this class. Everything I have learned this semester from this course has been enlightening and so extremely important, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. :)