{The ABC's of Inclusion} Q is to Quell Negativity



{The ABC's of Inclusion} Q is to Quell Negativity; Removing the Stumbling Block

This one is the hardest.

It’s the hardest to write and it’s the hardest to do.

Today’s world is challenging. We are surrounded by negativity every day. Finding the strength to quell the negativity that surrounds us is no easy task.

And yet, we must.

  • What does the world you want to live in look like? 
  • How does it feel? 
  • How do you feel as you wake each day, as you go about your work, as you seek joy? 

These are tough questions. I told you, this one is the hardest.

{The ABC’s of Inclusion} P is to Prepare



{The ABC's of Inclusion} P is to Prepare; Removing the Stumbling Block

Preparation is critical for successful inclusion.


When our focus is on education, Jewish, special needs or otherwise, we must be mindful of the need for adequate preparation. We must also recognize that our plans will not always go as intended and there is no such thing as the “perfect lesson”. In fact, there is no such thing as the “perfect” anything. It’s why we strive to improve and to grow rather than to reach for something arbitrary that we will never attain. Mistakes will happen, our responsibility is to appreciate them as opportunities for reflection and growth rather than letting them become stumbling blocks.

Live What You Learn - Helping Students Find Their Soul


God does not create clones; Removing the Stumbling Block

There is a wonderful little gem of a book that you may not know about. It is called Soulful Education, written by Aryeh Ben David. And while this is a book primarily written for Jewish Educators, make no mistake that this is a book that will speak to ALL educators.


The tagline tells us plenty: “Why imparting knowledge is not enough.”

The issue, as Ben David sees it, is simple: We need a paradigm shift in our definition of “successful teaching”. He says, “I believe we need a full-out paradigm shift: in the way we prepare material, the atmosphere we aim for in the classroom – and certainly in our expectations of our students and ourselves…I realized that our goal could be – and should be – about more than content and pedagogy.”

{The ABC’s of Inclusion} O is to Open Lines of Communication



{ABC's of Inclusion} O is to Open Lines of Communication; Removing the Stumbling Block



Honest, consistent communication is critical for successful inclusion. We need to listen to one another, really listen. And we need to be forthcoming with all of the information that can help each individual find success.

This sounds so logical, right?

A story:

There was a boy in my program who was struggling through grade school. He was keeping up academically, learning all of the skills that we were teaching. He was proficient in Hebrew, he was reading English above grade level and he could answer most questions posed by his teachers. But he struggled to make friends and had frequent mood swings. His parents shared with us a classification of ADHD and we worked hard to meet his needs. But I suspected there was more to the situation.

{The ABC’s of Inclusion} N is to Never Give Up


{The ABC's of Inclusion} N is to Never Give Up; Removing the Stumbling Block

There will be those who stand in the way. There will be those who disagree. There will be those who just do not care to learn or understand.

Persevere (per·se·vere)

verb: to continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no prospect of success.

Persist (per·sist)

verb: to continue firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty, opposition, or failure.

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