Blog 10: 3 Readings that will stick with me

Copy and paste above link into a different browser to see image Reading #1 Hehir Ending Ableism in Education: The reading definitely was personal for me. I defintely understood Hehir's message that diabilities are not something to be overcome. They are something to be celebrated. People with diasbilites are just as capable as people who do not have them. We need to be aware of our prejudices of people that have different gifts than us. I work in a special education classroom. Many of these kids have autism. Now, I recognize many of the sterotypes I made towards children with learning disabilites. I used to assume that they would be placed in different classroom, they would need an IEP, and that they would have behavioral issues. I am learning that autism looks different in every child. Many of my children are very gifted in mathematics and have longer attention spans than children in regular education classes. We need to break the stereotype that kids with disabilities cannot live what we consider to be "normal" lives. Special education is a field I never saw myself in. However, this field has been a game changer for me. I look at people and see them as gifts and God's beautiful creations. Everyone has dignity. Here's a link to the Indviduals with Disabilites Act (IDEA). This is an act in education very close to my heart. https://sites.ed.gov/idea/ Reading #2 Rodriguez Aria: This reading has taught me that I am a co-learner in the classroom. Multilingual learners are learning just like I am. I was in shock when Rodriguez called Spanish a "private language". Growing up, he was taught that cultures must assimilate to survive. People could not be individuals. The survival mechamism was learning English because that is what you got you jobs, approval from others, etc. Part of developmentally approproiate practice in education is giving students what they need and learning who they are. We have to be open to learning our student's languages and cultures. Observing children is such an essential part of teaching cirriculum. Teachers must know their students to teach them. We need to have relatiosnhips with our students. We need to know where they come from. We are co-learners. Reading #3 Johnson Where White Privilege Comes From If we are not part of the solution we are part of the problem. I did not realize how privileged I was until after reading this work of literature. If someone does not recognize their role of power, they may be contributing to the oppression that others may be facing. I have thought more about how my actions affect others. I am trying to improve that. We need to go against the path of least resistance and help our neighbor. In Greensboro, North Carolina, that group of African American men did not give up until they were served lunch. Little did they know, their small act of courage radically changed history. After them, other groups started fighting for all races to have equal rights. How can we play a part in using our privilege to change the world?