Love Is a Classroom: Stories of Inclusion

In this episode you will meet Anita and Zach Hamilton, the parents of Archer Hamilton. Archer was introduced in episode 1 by Ms. Rochelle. Anita and Zach share their story about Archer’s transition from preschool with Ms. Rochelle into a general education kindergarten classroom. We will talk along the way about the necessity for communication, the importance of continuity, receiving a one to one aid, their fears, priorities and adv...

In this episode, Archer, Aubrey, and Aaliyah, the children of Zach and Anita Hamilton, whose stories you heard in episodes 2 and 3, share their experiences growing up together. Their words, particularly those of Aubrey, reinforce the positive enduring impact of Archer's inclusion in Miss Rochelle's inclusive preschool classroom in District 51. In Episode 1, Rochelle Said, her conversation with Archer was as good as any she had with...

We started with one teacher, Rochelle Buniger. Episodes 2 through 4 showed that the acts of one teacher have an impact that goes far beyond the classroom. In this episode, I hope you, my listener, will see that high-quality meaningful inclusion is more than the love of one teacher and the positive outcomes of inclusion have the potential to go just as far for children without disabilities as it does for children with disabilities. ...

This focused episode is about advocating for a child with a disability or who is neurodivergent. It features a panel of three distinguished parent advocates. The panelists share their experiences, stories, and professional knowledge. They talk about building meaningful relationships with IEP and IFSP team members, advocating when, from a parental perspective the district data isn't sufficient, continuity between classrooms, schools...

In the second series of Love Is a Classroom: Stories of Inclusion listeners will meet Brooke Walker, Wendy Bowman, Ms. Onofre, Ms. Anderson, and others. Together they tell the story of a team coming together to create classrooms inclusive to all children, especially Navee Walker - a deaf child not introduced to language until she was adopted at 4 1/2. But high-quality meaningful inclusion requires appropriate, individualized suppor...

More Than an Interpreter

In fourth episode of the second series of 'Love is a Classroom: Stories of Inclusion,' the focus is on Wendy Bowman, a sign language interpreter with over 30 years of experience. In the episode, she shares her perspective on Deaf culture, education, and the essential role of interpreters. Wendy discusses the challenges and successes of the inclusion of deaf children in general education settings, emphasizin...