Purple Penguins!

This week in our Education class we focused on all things diversity. This includes gender, sexual orientation, language, socio-economic status, and exceptionalities such as students with disabilities or gifted students. I was drawn to the concept of inclusive classrooms, meaning classrooms that cater to the needs of every student. At first all I thought about was rearranging the classroom, modifying assignments, etc. but inclusive classrooms are more than just that. My question is what contributes to an inclusive classroom??

I started my research with this article : 'Gender Inclusive' School District Says 'Drop Boys and Girls' and Call Kids 'Purple Penguins'.

This school in Lincoln, Nebraska was given information about creating gender inclusive classrooms to erase this particular facet of diversity in order to be able to cater to every student and to wash away educational 'norms' that pertain to the female and male genders. Some of these norms may say that girls are better in reading and writing than boys, or that boys are better at math and socializing. Teachers have been encouraged to separate students by preferences as opposed to genders. They were also encouraged tot give their classroom a name such as "Purple Penguins". By referring to the students in a general term it eliminated any barriers between genders and allows students to feel free from stereotypes on gender within the school.

However, inclusion goes far from just being 'gender inclusive'.....

What is wrong with this picture? It's certainly not the lack of creativity or the drab background. It's the cute-as-pie-wanna-pinch-his-cheeks boy in the right side of the picture craning his neck and smiling as if he's the sun incarnate. We have the entire class grouped together in a class photo with all warm smiles. However, Miles Belanger, the boy in the wheelchair, is being separated from his peers because they just HAD to sit on the bleachers. Tell me, why was it so hard to choose a different place for the photo to include Miles? I can already tell you he'd be my favorite.... look at that face. 

This article "Why Mixing Stuents With and Without Disabilities is a Good Idea" comes from the series I Am Education from takepart.com. It talks about Miles, and his disability which is spinal muscular atrophy. The article states, "The advantages of inclusion in the classroom by mixing in students with special needs, regardless of the severity of a student’s disability or socio-economic status, has been well documented, whereas special needs kids who remain in segregated classes fall further behind academically and socially." 

It has been proven that inclusive classrooms benefit students way more than being separated from the general classroom would. Students with disabilities are often taken out of classrooms to recieved specialized instruction. However, if the instruction was just geared for all students, then an inclusive classroom would be created and the teacher can implement a UDL, which is a Universal Design for Learning. 

This comic shows how easy paving a way for students with special needs helps to pave a way for all students to learn. An inlusive classroom is not just about genders or disabilities though. It is about making each and every student feel represented, welcome, safe and understood.