Preschool classroom welcomes learners of all abilities

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - It's Circle Time in Ellie Richardson's preschool class at Clear Creek Elementary.

On a red, blue, orange and green rug covered in squares, about 10 children sit cross-legged. They sing, clap and wiggle as they count the number of days that have passed on the March calendar and say their ABCs.

"Xander has his eyes on me. He's sitting quietly," Richardson says aloud to the preschoolers seated on the colorful rug in front of her. The rest of the kids start to follow Xander's example.

As a reward for his behavior, Xander McCloud gets to be the helper and comes to the front to stand beside Richardson, where he blows bubbles through a plastic wand. As the bubbles float over their heads, the kids reach up and pop them between their tiny hands.

"Bubble popping!" exclaims preschooler Leighton Brown.

"Bubbles are cool," says her classmate Brodie Smith.

Some of the kids, ages 3 to 5, wear pigtails or braids in their hair. Their tennis shoes may light up when they walk around the classroom. They play with tiny Matchbox cars, dolls and Lego blocks. Some ride the bus to school, while others get dropped off by their parents. Together, they giggle and hold hands while singing during Circle Time.

At first glance, Richardson's classroom is like any other, yet there are some signs that some of her students have disabilities.

Beside Richardson is a paraprofessional who uses sign language as she sings along during Circle Time. There's another paraprofessional who holds a picture of a child sitting cross-legged and shows it to students to remind them of how they need to sit.

In Richardson's preschool room are quite a few more adults than you might find in other classes - often as many as six during Circle Time. Some are seated on the floor. Others sit in chairs. One walks around the room where the rest of the students are curled up under quilts, their arms draped over stuffed animals; they haven't quite finished their afternoon naps.

"It takes a lot of energy, but it's a lot of fun," Richardson says of teaching preschool in an inclusion classroom, which means she has students who are developing typically as well as those with disabilities.

She teaches with the help of occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, hearing specialists and interpreters. Richardson uses a lot of visuals, such as a schedule that doesn't just list the day's routine with words, but shows it with pictures.

All of her students are learning social, play and language skills along with counting and ABCs, but they're learning in different ways, at varying levels and speeds.

From Richardson's point of view, having all of the students together - those with and without disabilities - benefits the entire group. That's because of peer modeling.

The students with disabilities can learn by their peers' examples to follow a schedule and play together. The students in the classroom without disabilities are finding out that everyone struggles and everyone can persevere.

Marking disability awareness month in March is an opportunity to remind people there are so many kids with disabilities and with different capabilities, Richardson said.

"They can do things just like you and I can do."

As a preschool teacher, Richardson says, she gets to see much growth in her students. One girl came to her classroom and couldn't speak or follow a routine, and today, she's able to do both.

"It really is the best job ever, and you get to make a difference," Richardson said.

The Monroe County Community School Corp. has 1,700 students enrolled who have disabilities, and they range from preschool-age to 22 years old.

Young adults ages 18 to 22 who have attended four years of high school at MCCSC and are working toward a certification of completion as opposed to an Indiana high school diploma can continue daily educational activities through the Community Transitions program.

Students regularly volunteer, exercise at the Monroe County YMCA and learn practical skills not covered in a classroom setting. Community Transition staff teach students how to use public transportation, provide employment coaching and discuss how to productively spend their time after the program ends.

"Anything they are hoping for in adult life we're trying to put into place," said Jennifer Robinson, Community Transitions coordinator for MCCSC. "It's a big step to leave school and go to adult services."

The young adults also can also take on part-time employment or a work study opportunity. Kasey Coleman, a 20-year-old Community Transitions student with developmental disabilities, works twice a week for a few hours each day at Wagon Wheel Country Market and Deli.

Her responsibilities include serving food, cleaning tables and assembling silverware sets. Other classmates work in local fast food restaurants prepping food, washing dishes, and at local gyms and retail stores. These jobs also allow shoppers and restaurant patrons who might not otherwise interact with people with disabilities see these students as active and involved members of their community.

"Most of them continue to keep everything they wanted going and maintain that," Robinson said.

For Coleman, that goal is to "buy a house," the 20-year-old said with a smile.

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Source: The (Bloomington) Herald-Times, http://bit.ly/1RIAAhE

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Information from: The Herald Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com