5 Tips to Make Your School Holiday Celebrations More Inclusive

It is well known that the month of December is a joyful and festive time in schools across North America. It signals the end of a term, a lengthy winter break, and a time during which many families engage in cultural celebrations. 

In addition to daily lessons, students participate in concerts, pancake breakfasts, as well as arts and crafts activities during this time. December can be exciting for students!

However, school holiday celebrations can also be a source of stress and anxiety. Students with attention issues can find the repetition of concert practice excrutiating. For students who thrive on routines, the change in routine can make the school day difficult to navigate. Students with social anxiety might suffer at the thought of having to participate in a school performance. Unfortunately, some students find school holiday celebrations very challenging.

Therefore, I encourage educators to use the following tips to make holiday school celebrations more inclusive of students with specific social, emotional, physical, and intellectual needs.

10 Strategies for Teaching Students With Different Ability Levels in Your Classroom

55 million were out of school this past spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. School districts and teachers scrambled to get their classes online with as little disruption to their student's education as possible. 

However, despite school district's best efforts, students faced issues with equipment availability, poor Wifi, busy home environments, and declining mental health due to social isolation. 

Even now, with some districts implementing a hybrid model of learning part-time at home and at school there is a struggle to maintain consistency, As a result, our students face many barriers to learning.

So, what will education look like when our students return to their classrooms full time and pre-pandemic learning resumes?

Virtual Accommodations and Modifications

What do a beanbag chair, a living room couch, and a dining room table all have in common? They are just some of the many places where students in the U.S. are attending school this fall. 

The 2020-2021 school year is like no other. Instead of walking to class, many students are now logging in to their laptops and desktop computers to watch their teachers deliver a daily lesson. While some students are thriving online, others are ..........READ MORE HERE. 

Work with Me!

 

Wondering how to make your school and classroom truly inclusive? Want to know more about the process of inclusion? Learn all you need to know about inclusion from an inclusion teacher! 

I am passionate about inclusive education and love to share what I have learned from over 15 years as an inclusion classroom teacher.

If you are eager to learn what inclusive education is, how to successfully include students with special needs in your classroom, advocate for inclusion or find resources, then we need to connect!

I am available for keynote presentations, breakout sessions, workshops, and webinars to organizations and schools interested in successfully including students with disabilities in the classroom. 

10 Easy Ways to Create an Inclusive Virtual Classroom

    Believe it or not, teachers can create inclusive learning environments even though students may not be physically present in the classroom this fall. 

Using research-based teaching strategies and activities, teachers can build an online community that is inclusive of students with a wide variety of abilities and interests. These teaching techniques can facilitate inclusion. Thus, not only will the student be present in the daily lessons, but he or she will also be an active participant. 

Tips for Helping Your Child Learn at Home During the Coronavirus Outbreak

As I write this, my daughter is packing up her dorm room and getting ready to come home from university even though the semester hasn't ended. In response to an outbreak of coronavirus, the school moved all classes online subsequently thrusting her into the world of virtual learning. One, that I'm not sure she is ready for.

My daughter needs to have structure and routine in her life as well as accountability. She prefers visual learning aids and the opportunity to ask questions while learning the new material. Collaboration with peers and class discussions also deepen her understanding of content. All, of which I'm not sure will be as overtly and readily available on a computer screen.

How to Include Students with Disabilities by Modifying Curriculum in 3 Easy Steps!

Modifying curriculum for students who do not yet have an understanding of grade level content has long been the sole responsibility of the special education teacher. 

However, since the goal of inclusion is to include the student in as much of the general education environment and curriculum as possible, then we have to expect that modifications will occur as frequently as possible across all areas of the educational program. 

Thus, if we want to see full, authentic inclusion exist in our school system then making modifications needs to be the responsibility of EVERY teacher. 

(Read more here.)