Inclusion is a concept that we have come to hear about daily in nearly every part of our lives.  As I reflect on how I’ve defined inclusion in my career I’ve asked myself; what does it look like, feel like and sound like to be inclusive? How people define inclusion is broad, but ultimately many describe it in terms of exclusion, so the challenge is to not focus on what it doesn’t mean, but what does it truly means to be inclusive.

It is important to be more purposeful with our learning and be clear in our ideas of making people feel welcome and part of the purpose of the group or situation.  Being inclusive isn’t just about not leaving someone out.  You can still look like you are being inclusive with having the person join your group but exclude them because you are not finding a way to engage them appropriately.

As educators, we want our classrooms to be inclusive, especially when it comes to Special Education students.  Throughout my career, I have observed educators who excel by identifying the learning targets of all their students and creating and developing their classrooms around those needs. It makes me realize we may be doing inclusion all wrong and this article highlights some of the areas we need to re-examine 9 Ways Your School Might Be Doing Inclusion Wrong.

Let’s continue to challenge each other on ways to engage our students. How do we avoid teaching what something is, by describing what it isn’t?  We can continue to do more and be better! 

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