Ambivalence (amˈbivələns) – the state of having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.
My youngest daughter has Down Syndrome. Before she was born, I was like so many others who chose to be an inconspicuous spectator when it came to supporting individuals identified with disabilities. Once she was born, suddenly “their” problem became “my” problem. The truth is, however, it has always been “my” problem – I just didn’t want to own it. My ambivalence for those unlike myself is flushed away and replaced with full frontal advocacy. I will fight for you! I will fight for us! What does this look like:
- I will persistently push for robust professional development for all teachers that helps them to better include exceptional learners in their classrooms.
- I will let decision makers know that sub-par classrooms and low curricular expectations in the special education program is inexcusable.
- I will seek to provide parents, students, and teachers with REAL power in developing students’ IEPs rather than defer to any administrator’s tendency to usurp this power so to take the path of least resistance.
Jim Schul 