Disabilities and Poverty

     As we have begun to go more in depth on the different disabilities I have come to realize how intertwined they are. So many of these disabilities affect many parts of student learning. They truly belong in more than one category and this is why many of them are placed in multiple categories. I have started to try to figure out on my own what I would do with children with these disabilities and how I would include them.
    
     I think a big answer to inclusion is in how you run your classroom. Cliques need to disappear and everyone needs to be treated as equals. It's the teachers job to make this happen. Kids need the direction and need to be taught how to love their peers. I think that it is important to make sure that the kids get put with different students often when you do group work. Love is a big part though. Kids need to know how to love each other.
    
     Another big thing that we talked about this week is poverty and the stresses that it causes. I was very blessed growing up. It was interesting when I got out here to college and had roommates that were struggling to make ends meet. It was in that moment that I realized how big of a difference providing one meal for someone that is struggling can make. This made me think about my classroom. I really do need to look at the needs of my children. I need to know their family lives and how they are struggling. Through this I can decide what is important for the kids in my classroom. Should I put money to new technology or is it more important that I put the money towards the situations that my students are struggling in. I guess it made me realize that if you truly love teaching you become like a third parent to these kids. You make sure their needs are met before the wants of the classroom. Poverty can have a real affect on a child but as a teacher you can make a big difference you just got to take the time to make a difference.