Module 5

I have learned so much about inclusion in early childhood through the research I did working on this paper. I have come to believe that inclusion can be a positive experience for both the child with special needs and the typically developing child. The children learn that not everyone walks, talks, and learns in the same way. They learn tolerance and acceptance of others differences. Inclusion is not easy and is often challenging for both the children and the teacher. People are often afraid of things that are different. Through proper education we can alleviate some fears of people with special needs. I believe as teachers we need to stand up and be advocates for the things we feel are important. Children especially need us to advocate for them in so many ways.

This class taught me so much about researching, formatting, and preparing to write a research paper. I also learned how using an outline is so helpful to keep topics together and keep thoughts flowing properly.

Module 4

I have been watching the pre-k class practice for their graduation. It is so cute to see how excited they are to perform for their families. They will be singing songs and receive their diplomas from their teacher. It is a small class of only 8 children. Zachary a boy with obvious special needs is in this class. In one part of the ceremony the teacher asks the children to tell "everyone" what they want to be when they grow up.  When it was Zachary's turn he became very agitated and looked as if he was ready to cry. He kept saying" I don't know, I don't know". The teacher gave him some suggestions but he broke down into tears . It was very sad. I'm not sure what his reaction was about. The next day at practice he excitedly announced "I know what I want to be!!" The teacher asked him what he had decided on  and he said" A TEACHER"! Awww....that touched my heart so much. Zachary has only been receiving special services for a few months. His classroom teacher suggested to his mom having him evaluated for speech and motor issues. His mother was very grateful and receptive because she knew he had issues but was told by other social service  agencies that he didn't have a problem. Zachary now receives  private speech therapy and physical therapy on a weekly basis. Yesterday was graduation day for his class of preschoolers. It was so much fun watching the ceremony and seeing how proud the families were. Zachary stood front and center and talked to his mom a lot during the ceremony. This brought giggles from the audience. When he proudly announced his desire to become a teacher a loud 'AWWWW..." came from everyone. This is one example of why I want to teach children with special needs. They need us as teachers to be role models and advocates to insure they receive the best education possible.

Module 3

The place I am observing is a privately owned daycare center. I have been discussing the topic of inclusion with the director and teaching staff. I have to admit I was a bit surprised by the feedback I received. Most of the teachers have the opinion that inclusion is not good in most cases. I agree some children with  severe disabilities will not benefit from inclusion at all. But, the main issue many of the teachers gave me was that inclusion requires too much extra time, effort , and planning.  They also mentioned the  lack of special education training.I also received one comment that the "disabled" child may be disruptive to the class either through behavior or because of the physical differences.This was sad to hear because no matter what the differences, they are still children with wants and needs. I was also upset that as teachers no one mentioned the positive aspects  of inclusion in an early childhood classroom.

I feel as an advocate I need to reinforce the positives of having a child with special needs included in the classroom. I could suggest trainings and workshops pertaining to learning about learning disabilities and teaching strategies. I believe the more knowledge one has on a subject or topic the more comfortable they will be. I always read books, magazines, and do research on unfamiliar topics  so I can feel properly informed. I would suggest some books I have read on learning disabilities, autism, and teaching strategies .
My observation site does not have any advocacy programs in place. But, they do support Muscular Dystrophy Association and St. Jude's Research Hospital by inviting the students to participate in the yearly events. This is the only time the teachers discuss children with special needs and their differences and similarities . A special one week curriculum is sent from  the children's charities to the school.

I would hope through advocacy I can bring awareness to the positive aspects of inclusion in early childhood settings.I believe all children need to have the opportunity to learn,make friends, gain confidence, and have a positive school experience.  They need to know that they have strengths no matter how big or small.

Module 2: Observation

I have been doing my observation at a daycare center that cares for children 6 weeks -12 years. In the morning the 2-5 year old children are in a preschool program.The afternoon is for lunch, nap, and a unstructured play time until parents arrive. The school has two boys enrolled that have special needs.One is a 4 year old and the other is a five year old that attends full time kindergarten and comes to the center for before and after school care.

The 5 year old has a diagnosis of high functioning autism. He is included in the a.m. kindergarten class and receives special  education services in the afternoon before being bussed to the daycare center. I have had many interactions with this child. He is very affectionate and curious. He initiates conversation (in his own limited way) each time he sees me.He had noticeable speech and social  issues . The daycare teachers all seem a bit intimidated by him. The teacher informed me that he frequently soils himself and they are very disturbed about cleaning him up.They seem to think he does this to be spiteful, when he doesn't get what he wants. I asked if he does this at school also. But, no one knows because there is no communication between the school and daycare. The teachers in this facility are educated in early childhood education but none of them has any special education training.Another issue they have is not knowing his "triggers" and how to calm him down. He has had a few" meltdowns" and they had a difficult time calming him. The positives I have observed is the "typical" children accepting the child for his differences and including him in games to the best of his ability. The child  with autism becomes so excited to play with the other school aged children. I have watched him trying to communicate his wants to the other children in the group. He will take one of their hands and lead them if they can not understand his speech.It is wonderful to watch children learning empathy and compassion for others.

After, talking with the teachers at this center I am gaining new insight into some of the challenges a child and/or teacher experiences in inclusion situations.I believe it is the parent's responsibility to inform the caregivers on how to address these type of issues at the time of enrollment. It is unfair to the child and the i teachers involved with the child with special needs.

I found this quote that seems to fit the topic of inclusion.
"There are two ways of meeting difficulties" you alter the difficulties or you alter the way you meet them."
-Phyllis Bottome

This week I have been observing a 4 year old in a pre-k class. He has a serious speech issue. It is very difficult to understand him and he spits  a lot when he talks. He also seems to have gross motor issues also. He is constantly stumbling , falling, and knocking things over. The other children appear to be aware of his issues and many complain to the teacher that he has "spit " on them or" bumped" into them. again. The teacher has observed the issues and talked to the parent about seeking evaluations for speech services. My topic is inclusion and I already have observed that this child with issues is not be accepted fully by his peers. Children notice differences  in people and are often curious , scared or put off by someone that looks, talks, or acts different. To make inclusion a positive experience for all the children  I believe the differences and similarities of people needs to be discussed in the classrooms. The positives need to be reinforced and tolerance will be learned.

After doing some research I have decided to write my paper on inclusion in early childhood programs.  I have had a few autistic children enrolled in the daycare where I work. They were all at a high level of the spectrum so I was able to see how they benefited from being included with typical children. I am excited to observe a kindergarten class that includes a child with autism in their half day program. I'm sure many teachers are uncomfortable having kids with special needs in their class. I have heard many say because they do not have training in special education. But, if the child has physical challenges i believe the district assigns a one on one aide.

Interviews

I am interested in many aspects of early childhood education, so it has been difficult to narrow my choices down. But, I chose bullying and homeless children to research for my  paper. I feel that these two groups of children suffer both physical and emotional abuse on a daily basis.They need "a voice" to stand up for them, protect them, and provide safe learning environments.

I chose to interview Lauren a second grade teacher. She teaches a bilingual class in a school with a predominant enrollment of Hispanic students.The community is a small suburb that it is economically challenged. I asked her questions regarding bullying. She said the schools are having issues classifying bullying vs. regular behavior and how to manage it on the bus, at school, and at home. There are many inconsistencies because there is often many kids "bullying" at the same time. Social workers are giving students strategies on being a bystander and how to stand up for and protect oneself as well as peers.The school  is giving the kids  tools to cope and teaching them how and when to ask adults for help.

Bullying is a great concern to Lauren and her colleagues. She says that it happens often  but not as severely due to the children's ages and background at her school.But, she has some friends that have children being bullied in other school districts..One mother has been to the school 8 times due to the issues and the social worker has not returned calls in 3 weeks. She feels that the schools need to be more consistent and have bullying programs in place.

The other interview I did was with a school social worker. She wasn'tvery helpful with my questions on homeless children. Due, to the fact that she works in schools located in the suburbs. She feels most of the homeless children live in the city. I am not sure how accurate she is because there are many homeless shelters throughout the suburbs. I researched a few sites on homeless children and the statistics were not up to date. This is a topic that I will have to look into much further.