By Ellen Barnes, Director

The vision of an inclusive school for all children has to do with a belief about what is just (that is, everyone has a right to belong) as well as what makes a good learning environment. At Jowonio 150 children of different cultures and races, one-third of whom have special needs, play and interact together in classrooms. We began in 1969 as a parent-initiated not-for-profit school for older elementary students that offered an individualized education and opportunities for hands-on learning. The school name, chosen by the first class, means “to set free”. Always serving a wide range of students, the school founders made a conscious decision to become an inclusive program in 1975, when they received funding from the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. In the mid-1980’s the New York State Education Department encouraged public schools to provide inclusive opportunities for their school-aged students with special needs, and Jowonio became a preschool and kindergarten. Many of the local districts rose to the challenge of serving those with significant needs in their buildings and classrooms; and over the years, the Syracuse area has developed a national reputation for best practices in inclusive programming. And now educating children with disabilities in “least restrictive environments” is both a national and state mandate.

I became passionate about this approach when, as a graduate student at Syracuse University, I researched the first year of full inclusion at Jowonio for my dissertation. I saw in that year amazing relationships built between children whose skills and cultures were very different, creative teaching that truly addressed the unique learning style of each person, and community built among adults and children, where the school felt like another home. Children whose bodies betrayed them or whose sensitivity to failure had beaten them down were experiencing joy in learning and a sense that they were seen and valued. I knew that this was the kind of education that I wanted for my own children. I believe that much of what is learned in schools, whether intentionally taught or not, is social. When you think back to your own school memories, most of us can retrieve even after many years that painful year when a teacher was critical or cruel or that warm memory of a teacher who sheltered us and made us feel worthy. Our experiences in school teach us about who belongs, what being successful entails, whether we are capable, whether we are of value.

I believe that we should have standards and high expectations for all our children, and we should put resources into supporting them to learn, including those who struggle to gain the important tools (literacy, math, communication, problem-solving, etc.) needed for success in life. But I also believe that the No Child Left Behind initiative of measuring for the sake of measuring has stressed children and teachers beyond belief, and diverted time and attention from creative teaching, enriched content and attending to the important social learning that occurs in classrooms. I want our children to learn content, but I especially want them to feel good about themselves, so that they will continue to learn, and have strategies to build relationships in a diverse world. The goals of education are the same for all children: to feel like they belong, are valued by others, feel confident enough and have the tools to make their way as adults and contribute to society. Children who experience classroom life with a diverse group of peers are more likely to develop tolerance for life’s complexity and unpredictability and to develop better social skills. They learn to value the uniqueness of each individual and create ways to communicate with and support each other. They learn to be comfortable with differences.

Norman Kunc, a therapist, who does a lot of public speaking, and who has cerebral palsy, talks about his life as a young person; he felt he was “at war” with himself….always trying to “get over” his disability, become normal, distance himself from other people with disabilities. Society had taken something about him that was different and made it wrong. But over time, he came to see himself as part of the normal variation in people, the “usual differentness of the human population”. The construct of ‘different as negative’ can be changed. Kunc uses the example of how 40 years ago being left-handed was considered bad, unnatural; children who were left-handed were forced to write with their right hand and punished when caught using what was comfortable for them. Obviously, now, we define left-handed as a smaller but normal part of human variation; you can get left-handed scissors, golf clubs, and refrigerator doors. The same change can occur in our perceptions regarding other variations in learning styles, expression, and physical adaptations. Part of our work in inclusive education is to expand our community’s understanding and acceptance of the “usual differentness of the human population”. The value of an inclusive setting is not just for children with special needs; it teaches everyone about how to be part of a community. Our children will be living in a multi-ethnic world where the distance between nations and cultures is decreased and the needs for bridges increased. Our survival depends on it.

At Jowonio and in other inclusive classrooms a significant part of a teacher’s efforts go into creating an environment where children care for and support one another. This starts with adults modeling kindness and tolerance in our own language and relationships. We can encourage an open dialogue with children about social issues, helping them understand that we all experience the world in different ways; identifying tolerance and bias around us (“What do you think about that? How did that make you feel?”); and being sure that children are exposed to images, books and materials where diversity is highlighted. Adults should express that it is okay to ask questions (because that’s how our understanding of others is developed), but “you can’t say you can’t play”.

Racism and prejudice are endemic in our society; we see and hear it in the bullying in hallways, the music our children are listening to, the language of talk radio, the daily display of sectarian violence on the news. Much of this arises out of ignorance and fear. We have an opportunity in schools to create a community where children see everyone as respected and valued. It is our hope that our students will take with them the memory that they are valued, and what it means to value others, that they will be comfortable and confidant when meeting peers and adults who may look and act in a different way. As they grow up, we hope that they will be kind and tolerant and find in themselves an openness and interest in other people, find in themselves the habit of reaching out and giving attention to others. When I observe in inclusive classrooms at Jowonio or other schools or attend a school production (such as when my own children were in the Syracuse Schools), I see what is possible, and perhaps what will save us in the future….a rainbow of students, different in culture, talents, and resources, knowing and caring for each other and sharing a joyous experience. I think that this is how we can begin to change the world, beginning with the children.

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