Tuesday, January 28, 2014

I have a dream!

My inspiration for this slice was a combination of the recent celebration of Martin Luther King Jr's life, and a young man in my classroom. Just like the great King Jr, I also have a dream. I have a dream that our students with disabilities will one day be accepted as an equal in each and every classroom. That our more fortunate students will see beyond the wheel chairs, braces, and out bursts. That genuine friendships will flourish between the most unlikely of peers. I have a dream, yes I have a dream where our SPED students make their way down the hallway without the stares, snickers, and pointer fingers directed their way. I dream of a school where every student feels special and loved all of the time. I have a dream, but awaken to the cruel reality that I have a dream that may never come to be. How can we expect our students to be accepting of something they do not understand. How can we expect them to be accepting of these individuals when they witness adults not being accepting. Then I realize, I have a dream, I have a dream that each and every teacher will model these behaviors. That teachers will explain, and introduce these disabilities to educate our students. I have a dream!

6 comments:

  1. Yeah,as teachers there is only so much we can do to change the attitudes of students and help them to be more accepting. It is hard for them to change when they are getting different messages from adults that close to. Don't give up. It is worth the fight.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Keep your dream alive. The world needs dreamers and leaders. You sound like oth.
    Bernadette

    ReplyDelete
  3. Heather, this is a lovely dream! I to dream of a world where no one is judged or ridiculed. I completely agree with you about adults needing to be positive role models for children. We have a lot of power and most spend it cursing or being judgmental in front of students, who will then only lead by example. We should create our own school!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Very powerful! We can make a difference, always remember that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Heather, I absolutely love your dream. As I was reading this I thought about the video we watched in Ray Browns class and how the one particular teacher had a guest in a wheelchair come in. Beforehand she had a sit down with the students to talk about it. I found it interesting the perspective the students had when it came to people in wheelchairs. Many students just simply do not understand and do not have a environment where they can just ask questions.

    To have the dream of yours to come true I really do believe teachers are the models students need. Because we spend many hours with a student each day, the environment a teacher creates can be remember over their at home environments.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love this heather. =) your post made me smile, and made me want to dream too! I think for us, as future teachers, we really can make a difference. We will be given the opportunity to set an example for our students, school, and community.

    ReplyDelete