"A change is gonna come..."

As Sam Cooke said, A change is gonna come..

I have said it before and I will say it again, evolution does not come out of comfort. Education has been met with an evolutionary demand, which some (or many) believe has been a long time coming. Where some believe that technology has been pushed off as novelty, others now believe it has become a necessity; where some have long believed that the classroom should be much more inclusive mix of varying levels of capabilities, others have previously focused on a separation of students to, in their mind, better facilitate the needs of students within specific typical or exceptional environments. 

However, the train has already started leaving the station whether all have got on board or not.

Now, I'm not going to suggest that something like Covid will hold the same benefits of curiosity, investigation, development and artistry as what followed the Black Death in the 1300s with the Renaissance eventually following such a horrific human event...but wouldn't that be something? Still, humans have made leaps and bounds out of difficulty repeatedly. Covid made several institutions question their capability and in some ways boil things down to what is most important and I think and education has been no different. This is going to be partially perpetuated by demands of those teaching, those being taught and others by the parents of those being taught. What we have found is that when it hits the fan, we will likely be more prepared, but this will also make greater demands on everyone getting on board. If parents, teachers, admin and students want more technology to be at home and in class for the students, people will have to be willing to invest into the future generation and their education. 

As research has continued to show, inclusive classrooms are also another part of this wave carrying everyone into the future. It has been continuously demanded that everyone receive the same level of education and, rightfully so. Research has shown that student development is multifaceted and interconnected, and this is no different for exceptional students. In fact, exceptional students and typical students both benefit in their development from an inclusive environment. Technology has also assisted in bridging some gaps for exceptional students in inclusive classrooms, making such changes much more possible in some situations along with the incorporation of 504 plans and IEPs. 

What we are finding is that much that has made up the framework for education 20,10 or even 5 years ago is going the way of the Dodo. This is going to trump expectations that have been previously established, but that's how we evolve, right? 

Hopefully, what we are headed for is an evolution, and not something else. We must also, though such changes, mourn the loss...of the snowday...R.I.P.

If you haven't heard this song, give it a listen...