This month our students learned more about our Snow School students who have a special education eligibility.  We have 5 classrooms at Snow that are self-contained special education classrooms.  While students in these classrooms learn differently, we are more alike than we are different.  It is up to us as leaders to make sure everyone feels included.  Saying or waving hello, offering a compliment,  helping a student who may have fallen are just a few ways we can connect with students who learn differently.  We can also help students learn social behaviors by modeling good behavior.  When we witness students making a bad choice we can tell them a better choice they could make.  We can also try to understand that if we see challenging behavior, it may be out of that student’s control or part of their disability.  Empathy is the ability to put ourselves into someone else’s shoes.  Questions you may want to ponder at home to further this discussion:  How would life change if  I had a disability?  What would I need to help me learn?  How would I want others to treat me?  Everyone wants to feel included and it is our hope to make sure that we are showing kindness and empathy so that everyone feels included.