Schooling Children With Down Syndrome by Chrostopher Kliewer

Schooling Children With Down Syndrome by Chrostopher Kliewer

I feel like the only way I could respond to this article was through reflection. I have always wanted to be a teacher. I don’t know why- jus always have. I knew I wanted to work with little kids because I just absolutely love them-so it was decided elementary or early childhood….later on I decided early childhood because I love working with toddlers. Anyways…it wasn’t until two summers ago (junior to senior year in high school) that I decided I wanted to be involved in special ed. My mom is a special ed assistant so I have some background but its totally different to hear stories and to experience something yourself.
So for senior project we had to work with a mentor and complete 15hrs of fieldwork…kind of like service learning. I did my project on Autism, though not Down Syndrome, another disability. Through going to the school and helping these children I fell in love with the ides of teaching special ed. I felt like I couldn’t just walk away and leave it like that.so here I am.
This article just made me feel even more for kids with disabilities. Its hard enough to be told statistic wise or theoretically what could happen to them in schools but its just heart and gut wrenching to hear personal accounts.
Mia Peterson made the statement: “I started to notice that I didn’t like the classes I was taking called special education. I had to go through special ed. almost all my life. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I had never felt so mad. I wanted to cry.” (Peterson, 1994, p.6) This makes me sad because of how much she missed out on. I guess it kind of relates to the knapsack and white privilege- kids without disabilities have one of the knapsacks and those with the disability unfortunately do not.
The second part that really hit home with me or touched me was when Jason Kingsley asks “How do we erase those negative attitudes…that people without disabilities are judging us” Snow, an advocate in the disability rights movement replies, “How absurd to be judged by others at all, especially by those who have never experienced a disability or who are unwillingly providing us with support or who don’t listen to the voices we have.”
I just really like this small conversation between Kingsley and Snow because I totally agree. I don’t see why people feel the need to talk about them or make joke when really its not funny. We have no idea what it is like unless we are also affected by the disability- in which case there are still various levels.
Id like to discuss in class how we may handle issues of harassment in the schools with the words like retard, sped and idiot. I cringe every time I hear these words come out of children’s mouths so I would like to prepare for the next time I hear it.

just wanted to share : )

hey everyone..i dont usually use the blog to share random info about my life but i was really excited and thought id share...i just got my first tattoo this past saturday (4/16). its a heart made up of a bass and treble clef. i was wicked excited and just thought id post a picture of it for you guys to see :)and btw- i totally reccomend that if anyone is considering getting one that you go to Inflicting Ink in Portsmouth....its a world famous tattoo shop and theyre wicked nice :)

randommmm

i saw this on the Today show this morning and thought it would relate to our class and the discussion we had a few classes ago...just one of the ways this class stays with you..always making you think and see things that you may not have earlier on...

Why Schools Need to Take Another Route by Jeannie Oakes

Why Schools Need to Take Another Route by Jeannie Oakes

**Argument**

Jeannie Oakes argues that ability tracking is not the way to go in the education system. Separating students based on various skill and academic levels may seem like a good idea but in reality it is, for the most part, only helping the higher ability students; the ones who need it least in most cases.
There are some benefits and some understandable reasons to tracking. If the schools were tracked, the students who are excelling in a certain area would have a chance at succeeding even further and those who need the extra help will hopefully be given the extra support and assistance that they need.
Tracking can lead to a multitude of issues. There could be more racial/ethnic division due to the fact that it is usually minority students in the low-ability classes or groups. There could be an outbreak of even more competition in classes. Or there could be the opposite effect- students could have no motivation. They can either strive to get into those high-ability classes/groups, doing anything they can to make it, or have no hope of doing so because they feel that because they have been categorized as low-ability.
Ultimately its up to each district to decide what is best for its students but I personally think that Oakes would have us stray away from tracking. It creates an unequal learning environment and in a time where there are supposed to be no children left behind, there are more children being left behind than ever before.
Id like to discuss in class how everyone else feels. What is the class’ feeling on tracking? Have people experienced it? Do we think it is beneficial or the opposite or do we not have a preference?

Gender in Education