SIE in England lecture

Sarah shared with us the current situation of SIE in England. Apparently we dropped in when there are new changes to their practice. Interesting.

Actually I was writing this halfway and then the blogger app decided to eat my draft away. So a lot of thoughts have flown away with the clouds.

Oh Sarah was good. Makes you think really that everything is not what it seems. Raises so many questions.

And one thing that struck me was how for a country like England where their citizens are entitled to their right to voice out their concerns, entitled to fight for their rights, and their voices heard (somewhat), that they still struggle to realise the ideals of inclusive education.

You'd think that with a developed country with strong educational track record, they'd be quite advanced in this area. Well.. Not all is what it seems.

They still have special schools and even though with inclusive mainstream schools, inclusive practice is debatable. They need more funding but the process is so bureaucratic that it's tough. Same goes for parents and students to get the support they need.

And you'd think their experts and teachers and schools are on the same page.

There still remains those who stand firm on the grounds that specialised teaching, teaching aids and environment is the best for students with special educational needs and disabilities. Not just the teachers, but also the parents, and the students themselves.

But that's not inclusive! What about interacting with peers? What about your right to be included in society? What about not letting your "needs" get in the way of being "normal" and instead turn "normal" into "abnormal"?

Coz how long are the students gonna be in school? The student still has to go out, interact, make friends and enemies, have fun and laugh and cry and fall. If school is not part of society and not the place to "simulate" real life, where then? When then?

The student will get the best support? The student will improve so much better? The student feels happier in Special school?

On the other side of the argument though, if special schools are all closed down, will specialist teachers and professionals still be experts when there's less "training grounds" to hone their expertise?
Utilise them in the inclusive settings then.
What? When mainstream teachers themselves are trained as well?

Oh the dilemma.

And did I mention that the Brits are very bureaucratic? It just makes things so complicated. And slow. So &§¶¥ slow. And I thought we were not efficient back home. I now know better. Jeez.

But they do have a legal system that is on the side of the individual and her parents. Which we don't have. Shame on that.

And it's interesting how so many questions arise from numbers. Statistics, more specifically.

I mean I accepted the notion that there are more boys than girls who have SEN. Well, genetic studies came up with that. But is it really the case?

And ethnic difference? I myself believe that there shouldn't be any difference in terms of the prevalence among ethnic groups, coz well, SEN is not discriminatory. But the numbers show that there is! When did SEN (or God, for that matter) become discriminatory? Or rather, who? And I thought it was bad back home.

And then there's the issue of Teaching Assistant. Substantiality of parental control/decision-making in their children's education as a double edged sword which could swing any way.

Concepts and perspectives that I accepted as true and believe is ideal but have never before this considered the consequences and the possibility that they do not work in reality.

A revelation really. The A-ha moment.

And suddenly I feel overwhelmed by the sheer task of this path I've chosen. Where do I start? How can I do it? Realistically. Is it even possible? What can I do? When there's this possibility that before I even lift a finger I'd be condemned for speaking up against injustice and inequality? When the rotten apples relish in being rotten and are proud of their own degeneration?

And I was so sure that I'd be able to make a difference. Somehow.

I'm afraid of going back to the old routine, the old way. I've taken this big step forward I refuse to move backwards. I haven't come this far to waste what I've learned so far about myself and what I'm going to learned about the field.

One step at a time, right?

But in which direction? Which battle do I choose first?