Philosophy of Inclusion - St. Edwards University

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Courtney Nuckols
Dr. Loughmiller
EDUC 2324
9 Sept. 2011
Philosophy of Inclusion
I remember what it was like to feel like an outsider; to feel like my classmates and my
teacher did not understand my struggle, or understand that I needed help. I remember feeling like
I was drowning in my school work, and that no matter how hard I tried there was no way to get it
all done. Then I was introduced into 504, where I was given special services and
accommodations that enabled me to finish the year with all A’s, well except for math but math
has always been a struggle for me. I know what it is like to go from feeling overwhelmed and
unwanted, to feeling like I was smart and knowing that my peers would no longer make fun of
my struggle. When I was in high school I was also receiving accommodations, but I was an A
student in every class, with an exception in math, again. I had my general education classmates,
ask me for help on homework and to help them study for tests and quizzes. It was a complete
turnaround from what I was used to. I was in an inclusive classroom all through grade school,
even though on numerous occasions my ARD counselor wanted to move me into some special
education classes; I chose to stay in regular education because I wanted to learn to interact with
my peers, because I knew that when it came time for college and getting a full time job, no one
was going to give me accommodations like school did. Having accommodations and staying in a
regular education classroom was well worth the struggle; it taught me to be a self-advocate and
to stand up for myself when I was not getting the help I needed, and that is one of the skills that I
still use on a regular basis.

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I believe that inclusion allows both students with special needs, and regular education
students to be in an environment that prepares them for social and academic situations with peers
who have differing disabilities. Inclusion allows for growth in both areas because all students
must learn to interact with each other, and they must interact with students who may not have
been involved in the classroom or learning environment previously. I believe inclusion allows for
moral growth and a growth in compassion and understanding towards the students with special
needs, and it allows special needs students to feel like they fit it.
I think that working in an inclusive classroom would definitely be a challenge, but it
would help me to become a better teacher. I know what it is like to feel “special” inside the
classroom, and to feel unwanted by my classmates and by my teacher. I think that I would be
able to show some compassion and understanding to students who may not receive that from
their peers, or from their environment. I think that teaching in an inclusive classroom would also
help me to understand the struggles that the teachers go through when they are unprepared to
have an inclusive classroom.
The goals for my inclusive classroom would be to help the special needs students get a
good education that will prepare them for whatever path they choose to follow after their
secondary education; to provide attention and the necessary services needed to each child; to
introduce all students to a better understanding of each other, and to help the students to grow
socially and educationally.
The benefits to teaching in an inclusive classroom would be that it allows regular
education students to become familiar with their differing abilities schoolmates, and would allow
for a growth in social skills and compassion for students who don’t learn as easily as others. An
inclusive classroom also promotes the inclusion of all students into the learning environment and

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students learn that students with special needs should be, and can be, included in other social and
learning environments outside of the classroom. I also think that it helps to desensitize regular
education students from the stigma and mystery that often times surrounds children who have
special needs or that are in special education. The challenges of an inclusive classroom would be
incorporating material that would be digestible and interesting for both the regular education
students and the students with special needs. It might also be a challenge to be able to give
enough attention to each student, so that everyone has the same opportunity for help and
clarification. It might also be a challenger to determine whether or not the material is suitable for
the child with special needs. According to out textbook and a discussion in class, a Least
Restrictive Environment (LRE) is, “to the extent appropriate, students with different disabilities
are education with students without disabilities.” I have to keep in mind that I also need to make
sure the special needs students are struggling with the material, because if they are frustrated it
will only hinder their learning even further. Also, being a regular education teacher, it might be
difficult to learn and remember the entire stratagem for teaching the students with special needs.
In order to have a successful inclusive classroom, I would need to have a special
education teacher that could help me learn the different ways to teach the special needs students,
and also for support when I was not sure what I was doing. I would also need support from the
school and its resources as far as learning labs or extra help with tutoring for the times that I am
unable to help the special needs students as well as I might want to.
I believe that an inclusive classroom would not only benefit the students with special
needs, but would help the regular education students and the teacher to grow in their learning and
social environments. I can see that inclusive classrooms have their challenges, and probably just

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as many bad days as good ones, but I think that the overall benefits for the students outweigh any
challenges that are present.