I am Harriet’s mom. Here is a story: I remember when my four daughters were younger, we were driving in our minivan to the pediatrician’s office for our yearly check-ups. The girls were asking me if they were going to “get a shot” during their appointments, and this led to a conversation about immunizations. I shared a bit about the scientific rationale for immunizations, and about the controversies related to immunizations. At one point in the conversation, Ruthie, then age 11, stopped me and asked, “If immunizations are designed to help keep children healthy, why would some parents say no?”. So I explained the concept of “side effects” and listed a few examples. In my list of potential “side effects”, I noted that some people wonder if maybe immunizations are linked to children being diagnosed with autism. Ruthie immediately blurted out, “Wait. Are you saying that doctors are telling parents that autism is bad???? That is horrible! Doctors should not be saying that!” At that moment, I learned something about how life works. We show our children the world. They learn to see what we see, but their understanding does not stop at our understanding; they go farther. Our world view is their starting point, and if it is a starting point that holds inclusive education as a value, then what a gift we give. It is true that due to my work in the world, all four of my children were given the gift of an inclusive starting point. But what they have done with that gift, is the work of who they each are, and who they are each becoming. Ruthie taught me something that day when she wondered why autism would be listed as an “undesireable” side effect of immunizations, along with fever, and rashes and illnesses. Before she pointed it out to me, I did not see what she saw. Harriet’s story about Eleanor is her own. She came home from school one day quite upset. She told me what was happening. In fact, it was that very day that I first contacted SWIFT Schools and offered to write my first blog, as I wanted to share her story. (SWIFT Schools.org is the site where Harriet blogs also.) Harriet’s view of the world has a starting point that includes my view of the world, but what she sees is with her own eyes, and her vision often, and increasingly exceeds mine. This is not unique to our family. All parents and teachers offer children a lens through which to make meaning of the world. Children take it and go. Where they go is how the world changes. Thank goodness.
Posted on: Thu, 16 Oct 2014 05:01:33 +0000
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