ALL students OUR students

As a member of the #CompelledTribe of bloggers, we were charged with the theme of Unity this month.  I thought and thought and then it came to me after watching this Ted Talk by Dr. Victor Rios.

I was moved by his words.  It’s so true, we can no longer label students as “at-risk”, we must see them as students of promise and be there for them when they are ready.  I loved the statement “Our students are like oysters.  We must be ready for them when they are ready to open up to us.”  As educators we need to educate the whole student, and sometimes it means digging a little deeper within ourselves to do so.  It’s a mindset change, and takes a huge amount of patience and understanding.  It’s hard, but if it can change even one student, then we have been successful.

As a special education teacher I’ve always believed “All Means All.”  All students within the schoolhouse should be treated as equals.  The students on IEPs, the students who are identified as gifted, as ELL, as “at-risk.”  We have to unite and work together to meet all their needs.   

Today, more than ever, we need to unite for our students.  ALL students are indeed OUR students.