The life lesson behind Hide and Seek

  Image description.  A young white girl covering her eyes. Three young kids run away.

 

So my two friends tandem blogged about the frustration they have when people  wait to ready as an excuse. They then invited  people to continue blogging.  

  Born Ready: National Catholic Board on Full inclusion, written by  Beth Foraker 

   TheFallacy of Being Ready:  Kids included together by  Torrie Dunlap 

 One of my favorite  old-school childhood games is hidden and seek.   Kids count than say  "Ready or not  here I come."  

Hawaii
Image  Described
  A young  mixed race
girl  with a purple Hercules
T- shirt, and a lei around her
neck.

  When I was four about to turn five. My parents  had their version of  " Ready or not here I come,"  except they were not joking about it because  it was  the most important decision of their lives and would impact me for the rest of my life.     It was time to pick a school for me  to go to for Pre-Kindergarten.  Up to this point, I had been educated with  kids who had speech impairments in a county program the next town over.  But now it was kindergarten, the big leagues.  They decided to have me  apply for  a private school.   This school welcomed me in with  open arms ,but let's say for a minute  that they  said.

 AZ isn't ready to be included because ...

* drools a lot , the other kids will think it's gross"

* has bad balance."

 

*does not know  how to pronounce her own name.

  An  Articulation disorder
 wasn't a barrier for me to
perform in
 the school operetta
Participated all three years on stage with
my classmates.
 Image description
 A young mixed race girl with a Purple leotard
and a  sparkly shirt.
 Standing aginst  a gray and blue wall.
 

 

If you are  reading this thinking that they can't justify  special education for that.  Your  right they can't because it's against the law, but I have heard too many stories from parents of kids with intellectual disabilities of school officials  saying that their kid isn't ready because of their disability.  Because if  these same people  used  this I would have never stepped foot in  a general education class. Because   at 25. I have a real hard time saying my name, I still drool,  I have bad balance, but when they were willing  to make accommodations for me I was able to learn.  

 Instead at the private school, I was able to be myself, and my peers got to learn that disability was not something to be ashamed about.  I was able to drool and not have kids mind because sometimes I  drooled.   My drool and I were invited  to birthday parties and kids from my school went to my birthday parties.

 In kindergarten, my    teacher was determined to  teach me how to jump rope.   When she was on yard duty she made it her personal mission to teach me how to jump rope.  By the end of the year, I was jumping rope.   That kid with  bad balance learned how to jump rope.  The kid with bad balance learned from her best friend how to do the monkey bars. 

 A few weeks ago, After that kid that could not pronounce her name, graduated with their BA. They had a work around. They  have a short name.  There are workarounds for a lot of things.  More on that  tomorrow.

   Adults need  not be ready to include students with significant disabilities . They just need a belief that all kids can learn alongside their peers.  Students with significant disabilities  do not need to be  reading, or potty trained or  speaking in full sentences.    They are  ready and are coming.   Luckily there is a lot  research   that supports resources that supports  full inclusion. So schools that feel "not ready" can get ready because  ready or not here  comes disabled kids.  What you'll find is worth the finding when done right .