2024 Inclusive Education Articles

Education Policy: New leadership, same old problems. February is inclusive education month. Last February I wrote sixteen — 16! — articles about inclusive education. I shared every single one of them on social media, tagging our then-Minister of Education, who promptly and pointedly ignored me…

Exclusivity and discrimination in additional language programs. We had to pull our son out of his French immersion school in our small, rural community after grade two.  Not because he struggled with learning another language, but because it was necessary in order to protect his mental health.

Safeguarding children's curiosity and love of learning. As per usual, I want to reiterate that I am approaching this conversation from a systems perspective. When I criticize public education and schools, I am not criticizing the individuals who are doing the best they can…

Contrary to popular belief, children are generally not waiting to do bad things the second our backs are turned.

An unfunny joke being played on students, parents, and teachers by public education.

When I was in 3rd grade, our French teacher had a “Student of the Week” program.

No school should ever have the right to seclude or restrain children. The only time it is ever justifiable is during a serious emergency in which it is the only available option for protecting oneself or another person. 

A break down of a program called Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS), identifying some very concerning aspects about this "positive" approach to inclusion which has strong roots in behaviourism.

Accommodations and needs are not privileges which can be offered or withheld at the adult's whim. They should never be used as a tool to manipulate or force the student into complying. 

Making classroom spaces and lessons more accessible for all students. The best lesson plans and classroom management strategies will be rendered useless if students do not feel cared about and safe in school. 

Schools are bad enough for neurotypical folks, but can be hell for neurodivergent students. Loud bus rides, hallways, classrooms, announcements, recesses, gym classes, music classes, fire drills... all followed by yet another loud bus ride home.

Knowing when to push and when to back off is a difficult balance. We need to respect children's concerns and trust them to know the difference between something they can't do and something they don't want to do.

Behaviour plans are useless, unless the adults have developed - and continue to develop - secure relationships with the children in their care. If or when staff develop a behaviour plan, they must centre the child's needs so the plan is written to best support the child, not to make the adults' jobs easier.

Behaviour problems or failing academically shouldn't be the only reasons children receive appropriate supports at school. In our under-funded system, children whose parents complain the loudest or whose behaviour is most disruptive are first to get what they need while others go without. 

Change must start at the top, then work its way down. When policy-makers talk about funding models for public education, or about putting more money into education, they often talk about new “programs”.