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I don't understand why
I'm at the back of the class
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I wish I was like everyone else.
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I want to do what they do.
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But here I am doing
the same old number activity
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watching as my classmates
learn something else.
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Don't they know that they're
setting me up to fail?
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Don't they know they
hold my future in their hands?
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I want to work with my class,
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learn what they are learning
and do the activities they do.
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But here I am, stuck at the back,
limited by low expectations,
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Having a one-on-one teacher aide
just teaches me to rely on them
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and means I get less attention
from the teacher.
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I am not included in the classroom,
I am in the same room
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but segregated from my peers,
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sat to the side or back working on
different things and missing out.
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I want to be free to learn with my peers
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reach my full potential and be seen
to be like everyone else.
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I need something to change.
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You may be wondering
what is wrong with this picture?
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I'm in the classroom with my peers,
sitting in my seat,
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learning the same things as
everyone else.
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You may think that this is inclusion,
but it's not.
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I am stiffled, limited and held back
from reaching my full potential.
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Though I love my teacher aide,
I don't get to think for myself.
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In fact, a lot of the time,
my teacher aide does it for me,
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even whispering the answer
in my ear when I already know it.
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The more she is with me
the more I realise that there is no point
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in me thinking for myself because
she will give me the answer anyway.
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I'm sure there are other kids
who also need her help,
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does she need to be with just me?
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Can't she help others?
Surely if I need help
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I can put my hand up and ask
my teacher like my friends do.
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My friends and classmates want to help me
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but by having someone
right next to me they can't.
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I need to learn from my peers
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be able to do group work
and be challenged.
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I want to be allowed to fail
or succeed and learn from it.
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I need something to change.
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Can you find me in the crowd?
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Inclusion is more than just a word,
it is a culture, a mindset
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that everyone can and will learn
and succeed
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along ther age-appropriate peers.
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I know it can be challenging to include me
in the learning as sometimes
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I migth require extra resources
and information
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but giving me space to learn from
my teacher and peers is the best way
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to challenge me and allow me to grow.
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I want to learn the same things
as my classmates,
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and I wante teachers to have the same
expectations of me as my friends.
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My learning may need to me modified
but I still want the opportunity
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to show what I can do,
not focus on what I can't.
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Treat me the same as any other student
and whatch me flourish.
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I will rise the challenge
of the expectations you set for me.