Inclusion: a buzzword, a classroom, a mindset

What does inclusion mean to you?

Inclusive Schools Week has just wrapped up and it's had me thinking a lot about the word, meaning, usage, and thoughts around this charged and somewhat cliche term.

It is my 8th year of teaching internationally and at first glance, an international school is quite diverse. At my current school, we have around 65 nationalities represented. However, when you take a deeper look, you see less diversity socio-economically and even less disparity in neurodiversity. In the past ten to fifteen years, there has been significant gains in accepting a wider spectrum of neurodiversity in international schools. It is an exciting time to be working as a learning specialist in international schools. But there are still times, important moments, in which I am brought back to the reality of where we currently are on this journey.

My school recently moved to a new campus. Over the past year and a half the teachers have been tasked with reporting any faults in the construction of our classrooms. The school used a digital platform for reporting these issues, because there were many - not so untypical of construction in Asia. When I went into this system to report defects, I needed to choose a location. There is a drop down menu of all the classrooms on our campus, but I couldn't find "Life Centered Education" - the name on the door of my classroom. What I finally discovered was that my classroom was listed as "Inclusion Classroom."

Anyone who works in special education, and most educators, can see the irony in this phrase. Inclusion is not a place where some students go to learn. It isn't a place at all. And certainly, when students come into my classroom to learn it's when they're least included at school. Instead it is where they receive important interventions in literacy, math, executive functioning, and life skills. This is the safe space where students learn the skills they require to go into inclusive, mainstream settings and find success.

Inclusion is not a place. Inclusion is not a class. Inclusion is not a week. Inclusion is not a program. (I think you get it). Inclusion is a mindset.

Inclusion is when all stakeholders believe that every child can be successful when we give them the chance to be. This means we willingly allot resources, go to any lengths to collaborate, and never give up on a child. When using an inclusive mindset you see the opportunities in being able to learn together and from one another because we are and should be beautifully unique. A truly inclusive school changes the way it approaches its admissions, its programming, and its hiring, while adjusting the dialogue. Instead of saying, "This child isn't right for our school" we honestly ask, "How can we make this school right for every child?"

As one of the celebrations of this Inclusive Schools Week, I ran a tie-dying station during lunch. It was widely popular as it would allow students to wear something other than their uniform come Friday. I had almost reached the end of the day on Thursday when I realized none of my students had come to participate. If I didn't invite them specifically and teach them how to do it, they wouldn't do it alone. I also realized the station was highly stimulating, noisy, and rowdy. I reacted quickly to organize a quieter, calmer tie dying session in our classroom so they could be included in Tie-Dyeversity Friday. Truth be told, the learning specialist had faltered on her journey to be inclusive.

I suppose words like "diversity" and "inclusion" are bound to be interpreted in a multitude of ways. What is important is that we acknowledge that the evolution of such a grandiose idea won't happen in a straight line. There will be different routes for each institution, team, or individual. However, taking the time to honestly uncover what it means for you, your team, or your school is crucial for progress.