Successful inclusion classroom practices marry academic, social, emotional, behavioral and communication skills. Inclusion in the classroom goes way beyond physical inclusion, if students are truly included. Inclusion means that we treat all students as integral members and honor their entering levels with respectful instruction and interactions. Maya Angelou poignantly stated: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” It is the same within inclusion classrooms, since students will often remember how you treated them, long after they forget what you taught them!
Yes, the curriculum is important.
Yes, the standards are important.
Yes, the school policies are important.
And yes, physical inclusion is important, but not without the proper scaffolding to ensure academic, social, emotional, behavioral, and communication strides as well!
In response to Edutopia’s query on what a monument to teachers in Washington DC would look like, I thought that a heart-shaped brain would be an excellent choice!
