who benefits? my opinion

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who benefits? my opinion
By classroom teacher

Who benefits:

1. The regular education students: They learn to be positive role models, peer leaders, tutors, etc. They sometimes benefit from a reteaching of a lesson, and they also benefit from sharing their knowledge
and skills in cooperative groups of both general and special education students.
2. The special education students: They are educated in a typical peer setting. They benefit from having positive role models, tutors, and a chance to show their talents/skills/ and positive attributes in a cooperative group. They benefit from having to rise to the challenge posed to them by engaging

in the general education curriculum. They have to work twice as hard, and, granted, they may have modifications, but in the long run, they are experiencing the SAME thing as their peers, and whose to say they aren't visually or auditorally absorbing more than we could have ever imagined?

3. The classroom teachers: They learn how to recognize a learning disability and how to appropriately modify lessons/expectations, etc. for both their classified and nonclassified students. They benefit from having to learn and use a variety of adaptive teaching styles and methods that must appeal to numerous learners.

4. The special education teachers: They learn how to design a program that meets the needs of their students while simultaneously giving them advantages and opportunities that were previously unheard of. They, as well as the general education teachers, benefit from collaborating together about methods, modifications, behavior plans, etc. They learn from one another and SHARE the responsibility of educating ALL students.

5. The parents: They have the opportunity to teach and support their children on this journey of accepting people for their differences, whether they are academic, cultural, emotional, etc.

6. The community: The students under our care will eventually be part of the community. Isn't it our job to ensure that the students we send out into this world are both academically and socially prepared to be a well-rounded individual?

Granted, inclusion doesn't work for everyone. Some students truly do need a self-contained setting for their academic or behavioral needs, but let's face it, self-contained does not mean total isolation, and eventually, these students also need to be integrated into some part of a general educational setting if they are to succeed. So for the students for whom inclusion is appropriate, support the decision. Work with your special ed staff, parents, and students to find the positive benefits for all. For students for whom inclusion is not appropriate, find the appropriate placement to meet their needs, and gradually try to include them in different settings to prepare them for the world of tomorrow.