One of my favorite moments in our school day is the 15-20 minutes right after breakfast. It’s during this time where the kids come together on the carpet to hold what we call a “Community Meeting.” During this block, teachers are required to deliver lessons and have discussions using our social-emotional curriculum (The RULER Approach), but there are a few occasions where teachers stray away from the curriculum to address some more pressing, in-the-moment, spontaneous events that take place in or out of the classroom.
I spend a lot of time with the 3rd graders. One of the students in 3rd grade has a history of unsafe behaviors and, as a result, requires 240 minutes of Behavior Intervention Services each day. So, since the beginning of the school year, I’ve been spending the first half of my day in his classroom, supporting with unsafe behaviors and his Intervention Plan.
Some days I feel like my work is meaningless. Some days I want to throw my hands up in the air and call it quits.
There are hundreds of times when I feel like I’ve made 5 steps forward only to make 10 steps back within the hour.
And then there are days like yesterday.
Days like yesterday when, during Community Meeting, the teacher had the students sit down and pick a student to recognize for showing “heroic habits.” Two of the kids turned toward this particular student as he was attempting to climb the bookshelf and rip things off the wall. They turned their whole body toward him, faced him directly, and looked him in the eye and said, “I want to shout you out because on Friday, you were being really safe and I hope we can be safe together today.”
Needless to say, he climbed off the bookshelf and sat down to join his class.
The power of inclusion.
Brings me to tears.
And reminds me that there will be moments like that that make it all worth it.
This post was just what I needed to read this morning 🙂 I am a school psychologist in a pretty needy urban school district, and I’ve had a whole lot of “2 steps forward, 15 back” the last few weeks. It makes it really hard to start feeling like you are a failure at your job — thanks for remind me why I do what I do — for moments like these 🙂
My daughter-in-law is a third grade ESL teacher. You sound just like her. I need to tell her that she is not the only one who has those feelings. I commend you on your chosen profession. It is an honorable and noble one.
What a wonderful post and thank you for sharing.
What a lovely story, no wonder that day was an amazing day for you! As a teacher myself, I totally get how much those moment mean – it makes it so worthwhile. Inclusion is my passion and it’s so nice to read about other teachers who feel the same!
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WOW! Kudos to you for what you do everyday. And those kids are so sweet…
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As a mom of a (now adult) child with autism, I fought so hard in the 90s for her to be included in general ed. classes. That just wasn’t done then. She now lives independently and is doing okay – and a lot of that is due to supportive teachers like you and inclusion in general ed. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for having patience in the face of having a hyperactive child. This is a such a good example of what a role model is. The other children see how kind and patient you are and it transfers that behavior to them. We need more teachers like yourself in the classroom.
OH. MY. GOD. I could not agree more with this post! I am a Teacher’s Assistant in an all-boys school who does all it can to have inclusion throughout the whole college. I was a victim of bullying and considered an outcast for over five years, and now that I have the opportunity to work with young children, I emphasise on inclusion amongst boys with different opinions, conditions and backgrounds. What breaks my heart is someone commenting that they won’t interact with someone else because “they are different”, and I actually have an autistic student in my class whose mother won’t tell him he is autistic even though he is aware he is “different” from others since he has a TA with him as well… Do you think the mother is doing the right thing with this?
That was a powerful moment and one that will live on in your mind….and in the minds of those students who shouted out for their peer. In those moments…you change the world. Kudos to YOU for making the safe environment where such a moment was possible.
We travel with the kids and I blog about how to make travel educational. It is through moments like this and, I think, in exploring the world, that allows us to be tolerant and understanding of each other and to teach the kids the same…so they will be global citizens.
Let me know if we can collaborate sometime! http://Www.theeducationaltourist.com
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It’s always those small moments that show us we can make a difference
There’s more power in numbers and I love that you’re teaching this to these bright young minds 🙂
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I really love this. I work with a little boy with special needs and I’ll never forget the first time he spoke to me in a sentence! All the kids the kids that I work with are a part of the PASS program so they get to be in an inclusion classroom all day but someone checks on them every 15 minutes. It’s so good to see them learning and growing!
I worry about our new secretary of education and how it will affect special needs children. Parents will need to lobby on behalf of their children.
I am going to share this with my son who is a special needs teacher. Enjoyed reading this.
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I enjoyed reading about your personal experience with this. I love it when my two boys play together and when we’re around other kids (which isn’t very often, because they’re toddlers and homeschooled), others include them. It brings tears to my eyes as well. It’s something when we ourselves don’t get accepted, but when our KIDS don’t get accepted and included…. MAMA BEAR comes out. 😉
Virtuous Mama
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Great post! 🙂
Sincerely Miss J
http://www.sincerelymissj.com
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This is very interesting. It is nice to see that all your work is having a positive effect on your students.
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Lovely share….all your hard work is showing results..
Awww, that makes my heart so happy. It’s really amazing what kids can do and say.
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Yes! I am a General Education teacher and I request to be the inclusion teacher every year. I know that many may see inclusion as controversial, but I speak from thirteen years of experience that it is AMAZING! It is not only the students who may have “special needs” or IEPs, it is EVERY student that benefits. That one student learned that being safe is a good thing and that if feels awesome to be recognized and the other students learned a little something about overcoming obstacles.
I had a student with selective mutism one year and the first time he spoke in class, all of his classmates cried. Then, they gave him a standing ovation. Two years later that student was the president of the student body giving speeches in front of the entire school. Inclusion is powerful! Thank you for this fabulous post!
What a wonderful scene for you to witness. It’s so important for kids to learn that everyone, regardless of ability level is a worthwhile being, deserving of our respect and caring. Inclusive school settings set the scene for learning that lesson from a young age… Hopefully, we are raising a kinder generation right now.
You are doing amazing work. I have so much respect for those who work with kids. You are literally shaping the future!
This is so inspiring! As a teacher myself, these moments when my students say really positive things about others students are the really proud moments I have as a teacher. Thank you for sharing!
What an awesome and inspiring post! Thanks so much for writing it!
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