Disabled WHO?

From Schooling Children with Down Syndrome, Christopher Kliewer
Quotes

I will be basing today's blog on Kliewer's quotes but I wanted to touch up on a "touchy" subject before I got into his quotes.  I have noticed the attention other students witness when I pick-up my students for our tutoring session.  I have overheard some students snicker or make comments about those in my group.  Saying things like they (my students) need extra help or they go to a special class so they can speak English better.  This is far from the truth.  Maybe they take longer at comprehension and understanding the material but they are no different than those who experience these types of problems in other academic areas.  Well I tell them that I am volunteering my time to students throughout the school for extra reading.  This helped them understand that Justin, Jenn, Adriana and Solimar weren't "special" but it was an extracurricular activity.  Also I had spent my spring break volunteering in Mrs. Pagan's classroom helping all of the students.  But my point is the little remarks students say when other students are pulled out of class for extra help.  This makes my students feel insecure and embarrassed but I quickly resolved that problem the first day.  Though they aren't suffering from Down syndrome they still have emotions and feelings and shouldn't be embarrassed about getting extra help.  We as educators need to diffuse this problem and make it be known that it isn't a bad or embarrassing to get extra help.  Our words are very powerful and can quickly fix a problem that may arise by making sure there isn't any negativity from the get go.

On page 206, Kliewer states, "Rather, the mind is forever dynamic, emerging through the multiple relationships formed and re-formed between children and their surroundings."  Children's minds and brains are forever growing all the way through adulthood.  Children and adults learned through interacting and engaging in dialogue and personal and social involvement.  Take for example when your mother continuously tells you not to touch the stove, and you don't listen.  Well guess what happens?  You get burned and you never do it again.  You learn through life experiences.  You use your five senses to gain an understanding of what you do and what you don't do.  What you like and dislike.  Children learn mostly through socially acting and engaging.  Forming relationships and bonds as to what you're interests are.  Vygotsky makes this a very important concept as this is what shapes and mold a human being.

On page 207, Colleen Madison agrees with Shayne that, "no child was inherently an intellectual burden to a classroom: in fact, she argued each student contributed a unique and potentially valuable dimension in the web of relationships that formed a school community."  All children should be viewed equal and that each one brings something different to the table.  Not all children are alike but may serve as modifiers in behavior, learning and attention span.  What I mean by this is one student may be very in tune and involved with instruction and the other may not but the one who isn't is very creative and imaginative.  Qualities in behavior, comprehension and speech may feed on those who don't possess the near qualities of another.  Children tend to imitate positive behaviors and through that it creates a social environment where they too want to share the teachers acceptance and gratitude.  Though some behaviors may be frowned upon the children quickly know by the teacher's response whether they should act or behave this way. Most of the time they leak off of each other for a positive learning experience and environment but it depends on the teacher's teaching and attention through activities and instruction.

On page 212, Kliewer states school citizenship rejects the idea of a gap between normality and Down syndrome.  "Community is not a location within circled wagons configured to keep out those charged with having the differences that matter.  It is instead a web of dynamic, constantly shifting relationships that encompass the individual with Down syndrome and all other human beings."  Nobody should be left out or categorized due to their disability.  We are all human beings and bring many things to the classroom, through experience or  our genetic makeup.  When you single someone out, you take away the rich educational experience of them and the others.  Diversity is not different ethnic races consisting of boys and girls from different social classes but with children with disabilities learning in the same classroom who will benefit from those who don't differ that much from them.

Facts about Down syndrome children