Topic: Difference is Not Deficit

Radical empathy means creating an entire classroom culture in which both students and teachers can feel safe to share their experiences, to be heard, and to listen. This can only happen when we model what it looks like to acknowledge feelings and accept challenges.

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Teachers must dethrone the centering of diagnosis and see it as merely a description of the symptoms—not the cause of the student’s struggles.

Is your classroom is as inclusive as you'd like? What lessons, language, and work have you created to promote such a culture? Reflect on your special education practices with these questions.