Tonight was the grade 6 and 7 winter band concert at the school. I have written about the band a couple of times before, so am not going to focus on that here tonight. Instead, I will be focusing on a student of mine who has special needs. This girl was in my class last year (and is again this year). She has Downs Syndrome and tonight she was a part of the band. Playing the drums. I'm pretty sure that she didn't play in any of the concerts last year, showing that she has come a long way in terms of being comfortable with her teachers and playing her instrument.
However, the bigger issue here is that she has been given the opportunity to play in the band at all. This student is a part of our regular class (as much as she can be) and this speaks to the long-standing policy of inclusion supported by the Richmond School District. The great thing is that it doesn't just benefit her. It benefits the other students around her.
Tonight, while we lined up in three different places to go into the gym, I was impressed when a student that was in my class last year came back into the multi-purpose room and asked me if he should take Jodi with him because she was in the wrong place. This type of behaviour (showing empathy and understanding from having worked with her last year) is what other students get out of being a student in an inclusive setting and what fulfills the other half of the yin/yang puzzle. And that, was great to see.
What a great achievement for this student. These are the stories I hang on to as my nephew has Down Syndrome and he will begin kindergarten in the September 2014. I want him to have friends, feel connected and have these opportunities.
ReplyDelete-Lisa