REFLECTION MacAloney, 1

Reflection 1

Spencer MacAloney #4012477

Professor Dr. Aviva Segal

EDUC 450

July 7th 2021

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Inclusion, to me, is one of my guiding principles as a future early childhood educator,

ensuring that no matter what the exceptionalities, race, gender, socioeconomic status, sexuality

or religion my students fall under, they will feel included and supported within my educational

practices and environment. Especially as an early childhood educator, due to them being at such

an impressionable age, I want to ensure that my students have a role model who preaches

inclusion, equity and equality but also practices it. Therefore, to practice what I preach, I want to

ensure that every student has an equal right and fight for their education. Inclusion is an essential

aspect within our educational practices and environments that go hand in hand with an equitable

lens. As someone who has worked in the inclusion sector at a camp, I believe that inclusion

within any form of childcare, particularly in early childhood education, is a huge aspect that can

make or break a student's success. Inclusion does not only mean giving support and

accommodations to students with IEPs but to any student who may need extra support for all of

my students to succeed, no matter what barrier they face.

When reflecting on what inclusion means to me as a future early childhood educator, I

want to ensure that every child has an equal fight and right to education. Therefore, my three

guiding principles that I will put in place as an inclusionary professional in a milieu that

appreciates and expects inclusionary practices on my part are to ensure that the diversity of my

students is reflected within my practices and environment in order to enrich their education, to

have a strength-based and personalized curriculum and to make sure that my students' voices and

choices are heard and shown within my practices.

When thinking about inclusion, one of the first areas I reflect on is ensuring that the

diversity within my classroom is reflected in my environment through the visuals I use in my

practices, such as books and other forms of media. Another way that I will use this principle is to
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make my educational environment structured and ensure that any child with exceptionality will

easily maneuver in my classroom. I would implement this principle within the third teacher of

my classroom by ensuring that the diversity of my students is reflected through the different

media I use in my practices and environment and ensuring that my classroom is an accessible

environment for all students.

The second principle I will be implementing with my practices is a strength-based and

personalized curriculum. This principle is where I ensure that the curriculum I will apply in my

classroom is implemented to play to my student's strengths. As we all know, each student has

different strengths and weaknesses; hence, by making sure that it is implanted in a way that plays

to each of my student's strengths, I will be allowing them to succeed in a manner appropriate for

their individual needs. I would ensure my students demonstrate their learning differently and

help each child identify what works for them. I will also implant this by focusing on what the

child can do rather than what they cannot.

The final principle I will implement in my practices is ensuring that my students' voices

and choices are heard and shown. One of the significant ways that I will implement the students'

voices is by collaborating with them to find the best pathway and learning plan to have the

students' voices and choices heard and shown and have a personalized plan that plays to their

strengths. I would also allow their voice to be heard by encouraging the exchange of ideas and

opinions and letting my students set their own goals and miniature their learning.