Personal Reflection on The Importance of Inclusion in The Classroom

Inclusion in a classroom has been an important topic for many years. Many activists and parents fight for the rights of children who have disabilities to be included in a general education classroom. Disabilities from a learning challenge to more severe. Allen and Cowdery write, “inclusion is about belonging, being valued, and having choices.” It is also about accepting human diversity and providing the necessary support for the child and family. In Inclusion education, the child with the disability is a full member of the classroom, along with the support they need to succeed within the environment. The support these children may need includes an adaptation of the curriculum, instructional process, extra staff members, or specially designed training. Inclusion is the law, and all children benefit from being a part of a general education classroom. The United States has many laws to help children with learning disabilities, and one of the original laws that went into place was the Head Start Program in 1964. Lyndon B. Johnson started this program to help improvised children and named it “The War on Poverty.”

The purpose of inclusion is for the child to feel like a class member, form friendships, interact with other kids, and develop individualized education programs (IEP) for goals leading to achievements. Inclusion is a great way for children to feel superior about themselves to feel included and grow to learn from the general learning population.

I had a few preschoolers in my school with learning challenges or disabilities, which did not involve the state or additional services. For instance, one child had Prader-Willi, and another had Russell-Silver Syndrome both cases, parents educated the staff and me on things to watch for. Both children attended a public preschool to receive their IEP services and attended my school for extracurricular activities. When the child with Russell-Silver syndrome initially came to my school, we needed to place working materials on the lower shelves that were lighter for her to carry. We also need a step stool to access the hook to hang her bookbag and coat and assist when walking down the steps. This child also had diabetes; we needed to feed her a snack several times a day. The boy with Prader-Willi required the exact opposite to the other student; he had a specific number of calories at each mealtime; no additional food was allowed unless we notified the parent. He also had low muscle tone; therefore, the work trays needed to be lighter. A Montessori classroom is about building independence and the ability to do for oneself; consequently, it was essential to modify the classroom to create self-sufficiency.

The other type of students we needed to accommodate were behavioral challenges with these two cases, my teachers and I work directly with a behaviorist and family. Without knowing and understanding behavior challenges, it is a challenge to change or adapt to the behavior. I learned some techniques to help these children, and I believe they have continued their successful journey.

My Montessori school is a small private school where I do not have much experience with inclusion for special needs children. My school does not have the staff to work with children who require additional help, like physical therapy or occupational therapy. I look forward to learning more through this course and possibly implementing inclusion in my school. My staff and I enjoyed learning and working with the children I had in my Montessori School. I think inclusion is vital for the child to learn and grow within an environment that supports and meets the child’s needs. One can be successful only if the inclusion is successful.