The concept of mainstreaming takes on a whole new meaning at Seeach Sod. Our primary goals for our students include the conventional elements of interacting and integrating well in society, but there’s another, revolutionary dimension that’s unique to Seeach Sod – and that is “reverse mainstreaming”.
Reverse mainstreaming means that we invite members of the community to our premises in order to promote interaction between them and our students. So yes, that means that children and students from regular educational frameworks come to Seeach Sod and learn here, at our institutions, with our students.
In this article, we’ll describe the learning environment at Seeach Sod’s yeshivah frameworks and we’ll take a closer look at all aspects of mainstreaming.
The Learning Environment
At Seeach Sod, we recognize that every student has to be educated in an environment that’s suitable to him, in both academic and emotional aspects. (The student has to be in the company of other students who are on his cognitive and functional level.) Being in an appropriate setting puts a student in a position that’s conducive to progress and helps his teachers pinpoint his weak points, so that he can move forward, both on an individual basis as well as in a group setting.
Our daily learning schedule is designed to enable the students to receive maximum benefit from the paramedical programs. The paramedical therapists work with each student individually and then follow up by guiding the teachers on how they can apply the therapy plans and goals within the classroom.
For example: a speech therapist, who is working with a student on proper and clear enunciation of words, will tell the class Rebbi to give the student opportunities to serve as chazzan so that he’ll be able to daven out loud and put his newly acquired skills into practice. By sharing his successes with his Rebbi and the rest of his class, the student gains confidence in his ability and progress.
Our daily curriculum also incorporates important activities and lessons that familiarize the students with regular community functions such as davening in shul with a minyan and a chazzan etc. By teaching students the proper way to participate in such activities, we are equipping them with the confidence and tools needed to interact successfully with the community.
Even minor things such as sending students on errands and giving them tasks, each on their own level, boosts their self-esteem and instills in them feelings of success. Sometimes it’s necessary to accompany a student as he performs a chore and of course, it’s always important that he receives recognition from those around him for his efforts and accomplishments. All of this positive feedback serves to spur on the student to keep on reaching for greater heights.
Conventional Mainstreaming
In conventional mainstreaming, a student from a special education framework is integrated in a regular classroom, which naturally learns on a higher level, thus creating a situation where the student is more of an onlooker from the sidelines rather than an active, participating student.
Young children can be insensitive and may say thoughtless comments that further exclude and estrange the lower-functioning student. Even though the child may have his strong points, being in a class where he is on the periphery and not accepted as one of the gang will diminish his self-esteem and he will be afraid to say or ask anything lest his peers will mock and belittle him. In the worst case scenario the child may turn into a laughing stock and he will maintain his negative behavior in order to continue “earning” his peers’ attention. Since the child will associate his negative behavior with “getting attention” he will keep up this behavior at home and in shul, which will only widen the gap between him and the other children. The child gets caught in a vicious cycle that’s difficult to break free of.
Reverse Mainstreaming
In the unique form of mainstreaming that takes place at Seeach Sod, the students remain in their own familiar learning environment and proudly and confidently host visiting children from regular schools. This gives them a chance to prove their true worth to the regular children and being under the supervision of their devoted staff makes it easier for them to learn and converse with the other children in a mature and dignified manner. Equipped with these tools of proper social interaction, the special child then takes them along with him to the local shul, to the grocery and succeeds in integrating in his environment in a normal way.
It’s also very important to imbue regular children with the values of showing acceptance towards special-needs individuals and to teach them that it’s possible to converse with them as these children also have what to say and share and they also have feelings that can get hurt just like all of us. After being prepped and familiarized, these children become more sensitive to others’ feelings – and not only to special-needs students, but they’re even more sensitive to the weaker students in their very own class! Often, after having experienced a unique learning session with Seeach Sod students, the regular children will run to the defense of a vulnerable child who is being taunted since they are more sensitized to other people’s feelings and they have a more mature outlook on life. There is no doubt that such experiences, where children learn to give of themselves to others, make them into better people.