December was a busy month of learning for students in BOCES 2 teacher Kate McElhaney’s 6:1:1 Medically Fragile class at Hill Elementary School in Brockport. Like many other students, they’ve been learning about holidays around the world and “flying” from country to country right from their desks with the help of an air travel simulation video. In each country they visited, they read a story or watched a video about how residents celebrate seasonal holidays. These enthusiastic globetrotters have been to France, Germany, Sweden, Italy, Nigeria, Mexico and Israel.
The holiday experience gave the class important insight into how large and diverse their world is. It was also a way for them to learn how to better relate to and understand people different from themselves.
“We have been able to say ‘we are more alike than different’ many times throughout our travels,” said McElhaney. “We explained the concepts of diversity and inclusion by talking about the supports that some of our peers might need that others don't. For example, some of my students are able to use their own voice while others communicate with their devices. We also talked about how some of us can walk on our own, while others use wheelchairs, walkers or standers. We emphasized the importance of respecting that everyone is different and that does not mean less. It means equal.”