Journal 4 (Chapter 15)

When I was younger I experienced mainstreaming where special education students would participate in classes like gym, music, and our library class. These classes were nothing different because there was little material being taught. Music was the most difficult class for inclusion because of the scales, but aside from that there was nothing too challenging for those students. The classes were not slowed much by having the students “mainstreamed” to be involved in some general education courses.
The problem with it in a class like physical education is that their physical skills are on display for the rest of a young class. Students of the third grade did not see that the person was born with a problem; they only saw themselves as superior. Ridicule of special education students was something common in my grade up through third grade when the last inclusion classes ran for our grade. If the students can be trusted in an environment with students from special education courses then it is an excellent idea because it likely helps the special education students realize that they are not much different from the students in more advanced courses.