Kilewer: Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Sydrome

1. “How absurd to be judged by others at all, especially those who have never experienced a disability or who are unwillingly providing us with support or who don’t listen to the voices we have.”
I absolutely love this quote. It reminds me of the saying “take a walk in someone else’s shoes”. This quote reminds us that we should not judge others simply because they are different, especially if we have never experienced what it is we are judging. Very often however, it is the people who have never experience a disability, or those who would just not listen to them in the first place who pass the greatest judgments on those with a disability. We should not judge others for the ‘state’ they are in, especially if we are unwilling to do anything to help them.

2. "[Community] requires a willingness to see people as they are -different perhaps in their minds and in their bodies, but not different in their spirits or in their ability to contribute to the mosaic of society."
This quote says that yes, we are all different, our minds work differently, we appear differently, and we are differently able, but none of this has anything to do with how much we are able to contribute to society. Children/people with Down syndrome or any other mental disability are often treated like a burden, like second class citizens from which little is expected. I have worked with a Special Needs class teaching dance classes for a performing arts program my mom runs and what these individuals have inside of them that they are willing to give is more often than not, far greater than what any “normal” student gives. These children will put their heart and soul into a performance and want nothing more than to be included and accepted by their peers. The performing arts program my mom runs has ‘normal’ students working with special needs students to create and perform a musical. When the program first started 3 years ago, the ‘normal’ students were apprehensive about working with the special needs students, they segregated themselves from them, but now ALL of the students work together despite their differences. The ‘normal’ students may be better at writing and articulating what they have to say better, but it is the special needs students who put everything they have into making sure they know their routines and putting every ounce of energy and all of their being into performing their dances. Everyone has something to offer to society, and it is each different, individual contribution that makes us better as a whole.

3. “The Wild Thing production was not an add-on to a preexisting curriculum. It reflected Shayne’s unique approach to building community through the process of learning. Within the web of activities, Shayne and her co-workers systematically developed opportunities for their students to engage with literacy, and numeracy skills, problem solving and critical thinking processes, and interpersonal capacities. Though the children may not be aware of it, learning was always a central concern.”
I have often heard teachers complain that the curriculum is so set in stone they are unable to do different things with their students because of all of the standards that have to be met. This quote and story about what Shayne did with her students is proof that these types of teachers are simply too lazy or too unimaginative to come up with different ways of learning in the classroom. This quote also reminded me of the ditto we were given in class the other day and the subsequent discussion about that kind of work that followed it. Shayne’s class learned so much more about not only the story itself, but about working together as well by doing this production, much more than they would have ever learned from filling in a ditto, which, because of their disabilities would most likely be frustrating task. In order to teach any students, not just those with Down syndrome or other special needs, we must instruct them in a way that is beneficial to the way they learn. Shayne’s class was clearly benefitted much greater from this type of assignment than if they were to be asked to write a paper about the story. The best way for kids to learn is simply by making them feel like they are not even learning. Teaching does not mean everyone has to sit at their desks, with a textbook open, listening to a teacher lecture and it is important that we don’t get trapped in only using this model.

I really enjoyed this article. This article shows how much students with Down syndrome and special needs are capable of. The worst thing to do is to ever put a limitation on what any student, not just those with Down syndrome can achieve. By doing this we are essentially ensuring that, that student with never become anything more than our low expectations of them. This article was a reminder that everyone has something to offer to society and thus we all deserve to be treated equally. People with Down syndrome are much more than the label that is placed on them just like a White, Black, or Asian person is far more than the color of their skin, but this is fact that so many of us often forget. As future teachers we much remember never to limit our students. I have decided on a concentration in special education and this article will certainly remain a useful tool in the “filing cabinet in my head”.