Dear Mayuri,
Through this letter I wish to share inclusive practices that one can see being practiced around and how I envision learning space of my class so that there is compassion and inclusion doesn’t become a charity approach.
Theoretically the concept of inclusion is being talked about, valued and understood a lot. Many questions arise in one’s mind regarding the fact that we are not able to be all inclusive if we value the idea of inclusion so much. What hold us back? Is it our incapacity to handle and be around differences or is it because we don’t have internal sources(knowledge) to handle/work with differences, are we threatened by differences or the survival instinct has got so ingrained in us that we are competitive and only way we think that we can survive and be relevant is by being part of the dominant group.
The reality of the differences is not only related to different abilities, race, gender or religion, there are also differences in behviour, attitudes, beliefs etc among different groups based on various demographic, geographic, political, religious parameters. There are archetypes which are different for different people. So we are exclusive on so many parameters and exclusivity makes the world beautiful. There is so much curiosity and learning when we see differences. The exclusion and marginalization is seen to be talked about and going down when we look at sharing physical spaces and facilities. It seems more to do with the person who is extending oneself to know, understand and work with the differences. It also seems to fill some vacuum in the person who extends any help. So inclusion from the space where one is in the position of helping still works but the most difficult thing where we have to work is to be receptive of the fact that the people can have different ideas and realities.
So my idea and vision for a compassionate learning space is where learners are able to accept themselves the way they are and be curious about the other. So many ideas and feelings die their own death as they are never shared. Learners should be able to wonder, marvel and laugh together, they should be able to communicate different ideas without feeling any threat. In our small little groups we have perception and identity of ourselves which is so unique and different in our minds that in order to believe that my ideation is the best we purposely keep our senses shut to the reality of others and live with our perception of others’ reality.
As schools and as educators it is so important that we learn to communicate and accept differences. We create spaces where different stories are talked about and understood. The schools have to have a modus operandi and sensitize the students from the time they set their foot in the schools. To achieve this objective the increased communication and connect seem to be the only method which can normalize the inclusion. The culture of complaints must STOP. A culture that breeds compassion has to practice very consciously that any observation is shared as an observation only. As stated earlier, the differences have to be accepted, the aberration has to be brought to focus with an objective to make the person mindful and not resentful.
So a culture where conflict is appreciated so that different ideas have place, and people know that conflict does not mean fights or power struggle it means different people having different opinions.
I would love to have a dialogue with you on the ideas that I shared above. Please feel free to challenge and share your perspective on the topic so that a shared vision can be implemented.
Warm Wishes
Rajni Khanduja
Click here to access other entries!