The beginning of the school year is an exciting time filled with new opportunities to learn, grow, and build friendships that may last a lifetime. However, for some students, forming these connections can be challenging because of disabilities, personal barriers, or difficult home situations that others may not see. Each child experiences the world differently, and those differences can sometimes shape how they are perceived by their peers. This is why it is so important to teach empathy and inclusion from the very start of the year. When students learn to appreciate that everyone has unique strengths, challenges, and stories, they begin to understand that these differences are what make each of us who we are. Here is a great graphic "Moore Inclusion ABC'S" from: @kwiens62 :
My daughter was born with Spina Bifida Myelomeningocele (Milo-my-ninja-seal), and at the beginning of every year, I enjoy sharing videos and resources to her teachers in case they would like to share with the students to help open up conversations and understanding.
So, here are some of my favorite videos and resources to help you in the classroom:
The first video comes from Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood via PBS Kids on YouTube. This video does a great job highlighting the fact that we are all unique and different in our own ways. Enjoy:
Another video I enjoy sharing is a short film a friend of mine on Facebook shared. This amazing short film encompasses everything I've tried to teach folks about my daughter. I encourage you to please take a couple minutes out of your instructional time and share this video with your students.
From the DisabilityBelongs website:
" “Ian” started as a mother’s mission to educate her son’s bullies on the playground—one to one. When she realized that the need for inclusion was bigger than one playground, she wrote a book and founded Fundación ian to change thousands of minds and attitudes about people with disabilities. She approached MundoLoco, a top digital animation studio in Latin America, about creating “Ian,” an animated film to deliver the message of inclusion to audiences all over the world. "
We are so lucky to have had such amazing teachers for our daughter in Brenham ISD. They are constantly teaching and encouraging other students about ways to include our daughter in all aspects of play in and out of the classroom. Thank you to all the teachers that have impacted my daughter's life!
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