Second Class?

The title of this entry is just a pun. I'm not actually setting out to explore the (perils) of associating IE with second class.

Our second class was pretty interesting though! A standout point for me was the result of the study of men out of Harvard which stated how important it is to individuals to feel a sense of belonging. I don't think anybody can dispute a claim or a result such as that.
Skip ahead to after our break and we watch the documentary 'A Mind of Your Own.' This was a great introduction to inclusive education because we got to 'meet' 4 different middle years students who all had learning disabilities. Each was profiled to give us an idea of their struggles, trials, proccesses, and ultimately their successes.
 I feel that I am gearing up for a crash course in IE which is going to preach that we as teachers are ultimately to be responsible for each student experiencing success, but I believe at this point that this is so much more easily said than done. I noticed that each of the students in the video had a great deal of help outside of their regular classroom. What about the students in our looming real worlds who don't have this luxury? I'll certainly look forward to learning more about that.
But I am not trying to poke holes in the validity of the video - I thought it was very realistic and achievable in that everyone played a part in the success of the student: the teacher, the administration, the guardian, and the student himself. With all of these people working together toward a common goal of having that student in a classroom with his or her classmates, the goal was achieved. The student was able to work through his disabilities while at the same time feeling that they belong amongst their peers.

Here's to hoping real life in the field is comparable to 'A Mind of Your Own!'