all God's critters got a place in the choir, some sing low, some sing higher..... -Bill Staines

I'm reminded of this song when I hear our administrators talk about inclusion of special needs kids in our mainstream classrooms.  Sounds so right!  Everyone has a desk in the classroom no matter what culture, learning style, disability, size, shape, needs. 

But what if having every kid together in one place doesn't allow for every individual in the classroom to show progress and learn?  What if the distractions are too great?  What if language or communication styles are too diverse?  What if there are just too many adults and kids in the room?  What if the range of academic functioning is greater than 2 grade levels?  What if the district mandated curriculum has no relevance to our kids' real worlds at home?

Having all kids "singin' in the choir" is a beautiful notion, but is it more important for kids to feel "included" in a group - or for each kid to reach his or her greatest learning potential?

Be well and always,