Christopher Kliewer - Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

1. "I started to notice that I didn't like the classes I was taking called special education. I had to go through special ed. almost all my life. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I had never felt so mad, I wanted to cry." - Page 71

   I chose this quote because it was sad to read about students who are being held back in their education. It did not make sense to me that Mia would have to wait until after she graduated to be able to the classes that she actually wanted to, especially since it was at the same school.

2. "Dewey (1899) believed schools must serve as the sites in which children develop both a sense of commitment to one another and a sense of self-direction leading to 'the deepest and the best guarantee of a larger society which is worthy, lovely, and harmonious'... this vision with detailed accounts of actual educational arenas where all students are welcomed, no voice is silenced, and children come to realize their own self-worth through the unconditional acceptance of one another." - Page 74

   It kind of amazed me that someone in the late 1890s and early 1900s could aspire for a school like this. I think Dewey's idea should still be something that we strive to achieve to this day for students. To have students feel welcomed and to be accepted no matter what by teachers and their peers is still something that to this day we still have not totally achieved.

3. "It's not like they come here to be labeled, or to believe the label. We're all here - kids, teachers, parents, whoever - it's about all of us working together, playing together, being together, and that's what learning is. Don't tell me any of these kids are being set up to fail." - Page 75

   I found Shayne Robbin's class and the experience she gave her students to be the most interesting in this article. What she says about students in so true, students do not go to school to be labeled, they go to learn and interact with others. She gives all of her students the same opportunities, its like they go in with a blank slate and everyone can just build from that.

I found the beginning of this article really difficult to get through, it wasn't until it went more in depth individual experiences where I enjoyed it more. I really liked reading about Shayne Robbin's class, especially her interaction with Isaac. She is an excellent example of how some teachers can really excel in certain areas. Not everyone would be able to handle their classrooms in the way that she does.

Reading this article has made give a lot more thought into inclusion classrooms. Before I really thought that different classrooms was beneficial for all students involved, but after reading about the different experiences the students in this article have had I can really see the benefits for not keeping students separate.