Re-defining "Every Child"

At first glance, my immediate answer to the question concerning every student achieving factual knowledge and higher-order thinking skills would be a resounding yes. In a way, the politically correct answer in regards to every student achieving both is a complete disservice to the educative process for children and minimizes many factors that lie deep within each child. If we are building our answer to this question with our learning about moral imperative than we should believe that every child can learn and should be taught to their fullest potential. (Fullan, 2003) What I find troubling is the sweeping notion concerning the definition of learning being full of personal bias of what these concepts should look like. The key to answering these questions for myself is the phrase every child. Learning and demonstration of these skills are as diverse as each student an educator encounters. I agree that each child needs both memorization and critical-thinking skills however the very definition of these items must be put into perspective. Education cannot embrace a one-size-fits-all conceptual framework that values individualism. These concepts are at arms with one another. Strategies and teaching methods being discussed have a foundation built from special education frameworks. Small group instruction, differentiation of materials, lessons and assessments, student motivation, technology in the classroom have been commonplace within the special education field. With this being said, the success of my students in a self-contained classroom will look quite different than the class next door. Teaching rote memorization has its place within education. (Snider, 2011) Knowing factual data assists the construction of critical-thinking skills, however one must remain cognizant of each student’s ability to retain and recall basic skills. Strategic learning becomes more focused for children with challenges and accommodating for these challenges is mandatory if that child is to succeed. Of course, my definition of success may not look the same to another teacher. Teaching basic skills for exceptional children may not be math facts or sight words, it may be mundane tasks we take for granted such as, knowing your address or phone number. It may be teaching them how to identify road signs or how to read a bus schedule. It could be about basic hygiene or pacing themselves during a meal and providing them strategies to live in the world as independently as they can. Ultimately, we must first define our conceptualization of every child. If we are to honor this notion, we must also begin to redefine our understanding of academic success based on each child’s needs and abilities. My goal is to teach my students skills necessary to live in the least-restrictive environment as they exit the educational system. Their success may be quite different than the norm but incorporating a moral imperative that values every child must include every child. My journey may be different thus leaving me with a very different perspective, understanding and motivation. But as my journey is unique, so is the journey of every child entrusted to me to provide them an individualistic approach to learning. I think these questions run deeper than a surface-level, politically correct answer. If we truly honor an individualistic approach to learning, then we must begin by excluding no child, regardless of ethnicity, language status, disability or other demographical label in our conceptualization of moral imperative. Acknowledging personal bias and remediating how they impact our teaching and leadership must remain on our daily to-do list to ensure all children receive from education what is valuable to their needs. References: Fullan, M. (2003). The Moral Imperative of School Leadership. Thousand Oaks: Ontario Principlas Counsil & Corwin Press, Inc. Snider, J. (2011, February 3). The Blog, Rote Memorization: Overrated or Underrated? . Retrieved from Huff Post: Education: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/justin-snider/rote-memorization-testing_b_817170.html