There were many key takeaways, insights gained, and eye-opening moments that I experienced throughout this course that I know I will carry with me throughout my teaching journey. While I unfortunately cannot talk about, and break down, everything that I’d like in this reflection, I chose to focus on a very select number of my biggest takeaways. By far, my greatest ‘a-ha’ moments in Education 336 – Inclusive Education: Success for All, were about how we as a society label and treat those with learning differences, FASD, and ADHD. As an individual with a learning disability and most certainly, undiagnosed, ADHD, who also had classes with others who had FASD, these topics hit me the deepest and drew me in the most.
As an individual who was diagnosed with a learning disorder, dyslexia, at a young age, watching David Chalk (Chalk, 2021) discuss his experience of learning how to read hit close to home for me. Chalk’s narrative about the difficulties of literacy challenges really highlighted the true emotions and challenges that individuals who struggle with reading face. His story resonated deeply within me, bringing back flashes of my own reading obstacles that I’ve faced and continue to in my academic journey. To me, it greatly underscored, and continues to do so, the need for both ongoing support and understanding for those of us with learning disabilities. Despite being an avid reader now, I once hated reading because I couldn’t; each word was an uphill battle to sound out and understand and there were more times than I can remember that I wanted to give up. Chalk (2021) made my inner child who also couldn’t read smile at learning that she wasn’t alone, and I know that others will feel the same. Regardless of age, gender, or socioeconomic status, the need for educators to grow a supportive and inclusive learning environment will always be at the top of my list, more so now after watching Chalk (2021) and opening my eyes.
In my opinion, FASD is a topic of conversation and interest that I have seen everywhere but not truly learned about. It was not until the fourth week of this class that we started to dive deep into the world of FASD and I began to really understand and change my view on the topic. The more I learned, the more I realized the complexity of FASD (Himmelreich, 2023) and the deep impact that it has on individuals’ lives (POPFASD, 2022). Both the personal stories (POPFASD, 2022) and detailed explanations provided me with a much clearer picture of the challenges faced by those who live with FASD. The need for comprehensive support systems for those who live with FASD was not something I had ever thought of before, but now I can not believe that I was ever blind to it. This new understanding has widened my view on inclusive education and highlighted the importance of tailored interventions and accommodations to address the unique needs of those students with FASD.
The topic of ADHD has been all around me for as long as I can remember, but despite it always being there I have never fully learned about it. My mom had it, my brother has it, my husband has it, his mom has it, and even though I have not been professionally diagnosed, I’m almost certain that I have it as well. This course, and all of the countless materials given, has opened my eyes to so much insight into the nature of ADHD, including its symptoms and challenges (Understood Team, 2022), but it has also provided me with effective strategies to manage my symptoms. Learning about ADHD from both a personal and educational perspective (CADDRA, 2021) has been eye-opening to how it can look in different worlds. It has helped me to better understand the experiences of those close to me and also recognize the significance of tailored support and accommodations. I could write a separate paper on what I have learned about ADHD and how different it looks from person to person. Although I may still be confused at times about ADHD, I now know more than I did before, and I will continue to learn as I walk through my teaching journey.
In short, the moments that I gained throughout this course, those about how we as a society label and treat those with learning differences, FASD, and ADHD stuck out to me the most. This course has not only just simply deepened my understanding of these conditions, but it has also strengthened my empathy and need for more inclusion and advocacy within the educational system. As I move forward in my journey to be a teacher, I am fully committed to applying these insights in order to create a more supportive, equal, and caring learning environment for all students, regardless of labels.