SpEd is the new black...

Say what? Not really, but SpEd (special education) is definitely in vogue in "The County". From developmentally delayed students to students who never learned to read, the school psychologist and his minions brand these students with an IEP (individualized education plan) and group them all into SpEd.

Who gets put in SpEd? The girl with orthopedic problems, the developmentally delayed girl, the epileptic boy who suffers from absence seizures, kids with anger/behavior issues, and hundreds of kids who are in high school but cant read or read at a 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade reading level.

To make the task of educating "diverse learners" even more interesting, this God fearing state took hold of the gospel of "no child left behind" and went forth to make disciples with the doctrine of "inclusion". What is inclusion? It means that all of the gifted SpEd students, yes even the ones who cant read, take all of their classes with the "regular" students. Since the diversity of my classroom contains so much variety, I had to alter the complexion of my interventions. For example, with collaborative learning groups I make sure that a student who can actually read is the group reader, and a student who can listen, understand, and communicate effectively is the group presenter. Let's not forget about Billy or Suzie, that guy or gal who "struggles" with reading. His or her job is the group questioner. When Group A is stumped Billy can raise his hand for assistance from the teacher, and nobody needs to find out that Billy is in the 9th grade and reads at a 3rd grade level. Inclusion success? The jury is still out on this one.

To include or not to include, that is the question. If inclusion does not help SpEd students improve both socially and academically, then the doctrine of inclusion should be revisited. As it is, inclusion means more planning on the front end for teachers and ultimately more paperwork. This takes time, a precious commodity that teachers lack.

The struggle is real.