One Body - Many Parts

Consider the following two examples of teachers’ response to the following question during a parent/teacher conference:

Parent Question: Hi Mrs. _______________ Please tell me how my child is doing in your class?

Scenario A:
Teacher Response: “Hello Mrs. ____________, let me take a look at how your child has done academically … well based on his marks in my grade book here, it looks as though he handed in all but one assignment, and did very well in his most recent test – wow your child is progressing nicely – you should be proud of him. Let him know that he should keep up the good work”

Scenario B:
Teacher Response: “Hello Mrs. ____________ , I just want to tell you that just yesterday I noticed your son stop what he was doing get out of his desk and pursue another student who is struggling both to understand the work that was assigned, and the courage to ask questions about it. This struggling student has some learning challenges and generally has little confidence in accomplishing assignments correctly. Not only is your son progressing nicely with his individual work, I used that act of kindness as an ultimate example of how I would like to see our classroom exist this year.”

What teacher appeals to you most as a parent?

This past spring our Special Education department went through a difficult time (more so than usual) sorting out their budget, and it was extremely difficult to address how best to meet the needs of our special needs children, given the budgetary constraints that they found themselves under. It is true that we go through this every year, and it is true that we agonize/compromise through it knowing that we just can’t provide everything that we want across the board because there just isn’t enough funding available to do what we want. Last year, in this process we were re-exposed to some beautiful things about our Special Ed. program, our school, and our school community. Of course it’s a little sad that it sometimes requires economic struggles for us to get to this point – but God knows how we work – and generally our attention is especially gained when it affects our pocket book. Nonetheless, what was crystalized was the following:

• Our Special Education Program continues to be sought after in the Abbotsford community

• Although the program in and of itself is excellent, what sets us apart is our philosophy of inclusion and how we see the Special Education program as fundamental to our entire educational experience – not just for students who qualify for funding, but just as important in the building and shaping of all of our students.

• Our inclusion philosophy in no way hinders our march towards academic excellence and relevant learning, in fact it enhances it.

• This model of inclusion is financially taxing on the system – our school community shells out an additional 35 percent of the total cost for this program (approx. $200,000), through its tuition and donation dollars.

• Our community continues to believe wholeheartedly in this philosophy of inclusion and the costs associated with it.

Perhaps you didn’t know one or any these facts. Perhaps you’d like to engage in a discussion about them – we’d love to have them with you – stop by.
In the meantime – click on this video that you can find on our website. It is a new promotional video specific to Special Education and our inclusion model. We’re excited about it and will be using it from time to time in various settings. Thanks Special Education Coordinators and Tym Berger (MS Principal) for piecing it together.

We are one body with many parts. Thanks for being a part of this body, for committing to us being more than just a ‘pay for service organization’, for staying engaged in the life of the school, and for continuing to support us here and throughout the community. ACS is a great community and is committed to accomplishing what we say as Christians about community – we are one body with many parts.

Click on the following link to see more:

http://www.abbotsfordchristian.com/admissions/Pages/SpecialEducation.aspx