When you were younger, were you ever picked on or teased? Did a peer make fun of you because of your appearance or the way you dressed? Were you teased about something you could not help such as a physical limitation or being learning disabled?
If you were like most school-age children, chances are you probably were ridiculed or bullied in one capacity or another.
Though being teased as a child is a bit of a growing pain, the maltreatment should never be justified.
I often find myself wondering what became of the kids from my childhood who were mean and poked fun of others. While I am hopeful they evolved into kinder people, the reality is, some of them may simply be mean adults who still make fun of others.
But, in a pie-in-the-sky kind of world, wouldn’t it be nice to imagine a place where everyone exhibited kindness, compassion and empathy toward others? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we were more respectful of one another?
I firmly believe that the educational, social and personal experiences we have as children play a tremendous role in who we become as adults. There is also data compiled by people much smarter than myself, which supports the aforementioned theory.
What this means is, essentially, we can all make this world a better, kinder place simply by working harder with children to expose them to things that will make them more compassionate and tolerant people.
There is a school in New York working to do just that.
The IDEAL School of Manhattan is described as “an inclusion school dedicated to creating a diverse community that affirms and accepts the full identities of all people, while inspiring academic excellence, creative leadership, and a desire to build a more just and equitable world.”
The K-8th grade school lives and breathes inclusion and diversity everyday. In its unique approach to inclusion and diversity, IDEAL students thrive in an integrated environment. But the integration is not simply about race or ethnicity; IDEAL actually places special needs children (for example: a Down syndrome child or someone who is limited intellectually) in the same classroom with high-capacity students.
Such an effort does multiple things, but perhaps its most positive contribution is that it exposes children to others who are different than themselves. This removes the “shock value” or alienation that is generally experienced when kids see someone “different.” At IDEAL, rather than avoid a peer who is “different,” students understand their respective distinctions and actually embrace the spirit of inclusiveness. It is not uncommon to see a high-performing student playing with an intellectually-limited student; or even an intellectually-limited student assisting a physically-challenged peer.
What the IDEAL School is doing is breaking down barriers, which in turn exposes its students to empathy and compassion as well as patience and acceptance. These are the characteristics that will help reduce senseless taunts and random acts of violence. Such characteristics also promote a sense of community, which can be translated into an awareness of one’s social responsibility and world stewardship.
IDEAL School classrooms have multiple teachers to ensure all students are learning appropriately, based on their individual needs.
IDEAL’s model of diversity and inclusion is highly effective. The school’s students outperform their public school peers in math and reading. Data also show IDEAL has eliminated New York’s subject-mastery disparity by race and ethnicity.
The IDEAL School’s concept should be considered in more states, as the school is truly equipping its students with the necessary skills to be confident, competent and accepting adults.
You can email comments to Shannon Williams at shannonw@indyrecorder.com.
