Calling All Adults

While I agree with the definition of collaboration from the textbook Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Classrooms that, "...a key ingredient of the efforts of inclusive schools is to meet the needs of all students in different settings and activities” (Bryant et al 2008, 302), I also feel collaboration must take on a much broader meaning when discussed in terms of education. By that I am largely referring to the growing absence of parental involvement in their children’s education. Are we really making a meaningful impact in the lives of our students if the parental support for education and learning does not exist? In my opinion the answer is no. The impact of collaboration is greatly reduced when everyone at the child’s school is doing everything they can to ensure the student is receiving a quality education, but then the student goes home to an educationally non – supportive environment. This leads us to the idea of ‘shared responsibility’. A child needs every adult in their life to be on the same page. In many respects the old adage, “it takes a village to raise a child” has never had as much meaning as it does within the current circumstances of our educational system.

Even though I believe the concept of shared responsibility should be the same across the board for any and everyone involved in a child’s life I am also wise enough to realize that this rarely, if ever, actually occurs. From burned out teachers to ill conceived government policies and from the growing problem of absentee fathers to the pop culture/technological society that promotes instant gratification we must begin to understand as citizens of this country and the world that we are losing an entire generation of young adults who despite their seemingly apathetic nature are actually desperately searching for and wanting structure, consistency, education, and love in their lives. For this to occur it is vital that we (as educators) have the full support of our student’s parents.

Unfortunately and sadly, parental involvement and the importance placed on education by many of the parents of the students I teach simply does not exist. For many parents their view of school is a place to send their children for eight hours a day, because the government tells them they have to. There is very little, if any, importance placed on their children’s education. It is difficult to deal with, as some children are caught in the crossfire of mixed messages. At school they are disciplined and repeatedly told how important receiving an education can be to their future, and yet when they get home they are receiving messages from other adults in their lives that completely contradict what is being told to them at school. Not to mention the lack of discipline occurring in many of the homes of our students. One personal example that still aggravates me is when one of our students was suspended for repeated disruptions of class, and while driving home the next day I saw the student out riding his bicycle and having a great time playing with his friends. Where is the discipline from the parents?

Finally, I believe that when any group of people agrees to work together for the betterment of a child or students that there will naturally arise situations in which not everyone agrees. In my opinion it is crucial to the welfare of the student that the adults work through their issues in a responsible and constructive way so as to demonstrate to the students the proper way of working together to achieve a greater goal.

-a journey of 10,000 miles begins with one step

Super Quotes from a Super Student

The person who is responsible for sending me the following hilarious quotes knows who he is and I thank him once again.  Before you read these real quotes spoken by a real student I want you to know that my only wish would be for you to actually see the student who says these things, because it would make what you're about to read even funnier. All I'm at liberty to say is that he is an 11 year old country boy. I promise all my faithful readers that all of the following quotes are real. Enjoy and I hope you get a laugh....

You see my sister, she may look nice but the devil is in her soul!

What's that word?   "Bangladesh"
Ok, because I don't speak i-raqi!

I'm a true carnivore, because I know my meats.

I can't take ritalin, it makes me see things that aren't there...


I shot a mouse in the head with my bb gun...then my dog ate it

I caught a mouse once with my bare hand, you have to be quick and quiet

I like badminton because I am good at it

You know the song by Michael Jackson "somebody's watching me," my mom got drunk and sang it in a bar

I am a husky boy (smiling)

And finally...
Don't approach a donkey from the rear, a bull from the front, or a fool from any direction!

Hope that put a smile on your face! :)