Blog Post #10

What is Neurodiversity? by Caroline Miller

Three Quotes

"Recognizing neurodiverse people as having differences, rather than deficits, is important."

It is important for neurodiverse students to be seen by their assets, rather than their deficits. Teachers who see disabilities as deficits are likely to alienate and  prevent students from reaching their full potential. Trying to "fix" disabilities does not work and will worsen student's education. There are strengths to neurodiversity such as creativity, hyper-focus, and diverse perspectives. 

"Getting an evaluation is an appropriate next step, though it’s helpful not to promise the child that the evaluation will automatically lead to the diagnosis they are seeking."

This quote is important for students who suspect they are neurodivergent and their guardians. It is very important for students to be correctly diagnosed by a professional when it comes to this concern. Getting an accurate diagnosis will help students,  parents, and teachers understand how to help the child function and thrive in all aspects of their life. When someone diagnoses themselves inaccurately, they might do more damage to themselves by implementing strategies that are not helping them.

"Proponents of neurodiversity argue that some impairments affecting kids with autism, ADHD, and learning disabilities are environment-related."

This quote is important to explain why neurodiversity needs to be acknowledged by neurotypical people, especially teachers. Neurodiverse students struggle to learn and thrive in environments that are designed for neurotypical students. Acknowledging neurodiverse student's environmental impairments and creating a welcoming and comfortable environment that meets their needs will help them function well.

Reflection:

It is important for everyone, especially teachers to be educated on neurodiversity. It is something we should embrace as a society because it can create inclusivity for everyone, even neurotypical people.

Blog Post #9

 Troublemakers, by Carla Shalaby

In Troublemakers, Shalaby argues that students who "act out" have a right to be free as much as their peers. She thinks that the violent environment around them mixed with the hierarchy in the classroom teaches students that some lives are more valuable than others. She explains, "our children are learning that only some lives matter, that only some deaths are tragic, that only a precious few deserve relief from suffering (18)." In school, children learn that quiet, rule following, pleasant students are the ones who matter. This encourages troublemakers to act out because they don't see themselves as valued. These students are punished, mistreated, and lose freedom to be seen as a full human being. "Troublemakers" become marginalized and excluded from socialization and education, making them more vulnerable to the school-to-prison pipeline; especially children of color. Shalaby argues that we can learn about freedom from these students. She suggests that these students disruptive behaviors can signal to us that there is something wrong with the way things are going. Instead of blaming a students behavior on their internal health, we should examine the classroom environment as the problem. Shalaby points out that school environments, classroom management, students expectations, and traditional education can be toxic for children. Troublemakers might just be more vulnerable to be damaged by this toxicity. 

Reflection:

This reading has helped me understand the "troublemakers" I have encountered in my service learning experience more. I've always thought that students who act out are not to blame because there is obviously something making them act that way. I would like to read more of this book to hopefully learn how to transform the classroom to treat these students equally and educate all of my students as well as possible. What are some strategies that you guys think could work?

Blog #11

After reading the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Guidance for Rhode Island Schools on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students, I was mostly impressed with their policies. They state that students are be allowed to use the bathroom, locker room, pronouns, name, and uniform that corresponds with their gender identity. This quote gave me hope for the well-being of transgender students: 

Some students may feel uncomfortable with a transgender student using the same sex-segregated restroom, locker room or changing facility. This discomfort is not a reason to deny access to the transgender student. School administrators and counseling staff should work with students to foster understanding of gender identity and to create a school culture that respects and values all students. Schools could consider gender-neutral restrooms and/or gender-neutral changing facility in the design of new schools and school renovations.

I'm glad that Rhode Island's solution to potential discomfort from cisgender students is to educate them on gender identity and foster a positive, respectful school environment. 

The only issue I found is the athletics policy. I only knew to look for this because I attended Syed Menebhi's talk about supporting transgender youth. This policy makes transgender students get approval from the school administrator and RIIL before they can play on a team that's consistent with their gender identity. This can be problematic because administrators and the RIIL might discriminate against trans students and prevent them from playing. 

Personally, I'm not sure where I stand on the "issue" of trans athletes. I don't think that any student K-12 should ever be forced to play on a team that doesn't correspond with their gender identity because at that age, sports are important for students social lives and sense of community. A lot of fake news has spread about trans athletes and unfortunately it has swayed people's opinions. I do not think that a FTM transgender athlete who has never taken estrogen/hasn't transitioned should be able to participate in something like the olympics on the women's team, but I do not think anyone is even trying to do that. It seems like a big fuss over something that is very uncommon. 

At the end of the day, trans rights mean rights for EVERYBODY. Because of transphobia, cisgender people have been harmed too. I've seen multiple videos of cisgender women who look androgynous being harassed by people who think they are in the "wrong" bathroom. Olympic champion Caster Semenya- a cisgender woman was banned from competing in 2019 unless she took drugs to lower her naturally high levels of testosterone. The European court of human rights ruled that she was discriminated against although the Olympics has not changed its policy about testosterone testing. This way of thinking is an invasion of privacy for everyone.

Reflection: 

I'm curious to know my classmate's opinions on this topic. Am I being disrespectful to the transgender community in this post? I feel bad for even entertaining the debate on trans athletes because I don't think that someone's right to live as who they are should be up for debate. I think it is important to be able to have vulnerable conversations like this though.