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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Joshua Meek sits on first-grade teacher Judy Birk's lap while Keoni Hoxie (left), 6, considers what image to choose to represent the day's weather at Twin City Elementary School. Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald  (click to enlarge) First-grader Hailey Olmstead (left), a student with typical development, considers a question while classmates work with educational assistants Anna Storey (left rear), Tamsen Greaves (center), Linda Talkington (right) and Arlene Voigt (right background) at Twin City Elementary School in Stanwood.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Stanwood kids thrive in mixed-ability classroom One Stanwood classroom mixes all kinds of abilities By Eric Stevick Herald Writer STANWOOD -- From her wooden rocking chair in the front of Room 13, teacher Judy Birk read Dr.Seuss' "A Wocket in My Pocket" to her classroom of first-graders at Twin City Elementary School. A boy sitting cross-legged on the carpet squinted to get a better look at the pictures on each page. "Josh, where are your glasses?" Birk asked, turning a page and not missing a beat. Classmate Catherine Graham was sitting next to Josh Meek, who has Down syndrome. She got up, wandered to a desk near the back of the room and retrieved the wire-rimmed frames that he slipped over his ears and nose. In Room 13, kids helping kids comes naturally. Eleven students are typically-developing children, average to above average for their grade level. Seven others, including two autistic boys with limited speaking skills and two other boys with Down syndrome, have learning disabilities. It's common for students with mild disabilities to be part of regular classrooms. Room 13 is different, because students with more profound disabilities are being mixed in the first-grade classroom with the help of several educational assistants. A few minutes after putting on his glasses, a popsicle stick with Josh's name on it was plucked from a metal bucket. To his delight, Josh was the special helper for calendar time. He leaped to his feet. Quietly shadowing him, Catherine rose to her feet as well, making sure to give Josh the space he needed to lead his classmates as they used American Sign Language to review March-themed words, such as shamrock, kite and rainbow. When Josh got lost on a number chart, his classmate gently redirected his pointing stick. When one of the special-needs students remains inside the domed metal bars on the playground after recess -- a tight squeeze for adults -- there's always a young volunteer to wriggle in and escort him or her out. No one seems to notice the humming of one of the autistic boys during reading time or the tweeting sound of another. "The thing we have seen is that they are doing things they are not asked to do," Birk said of her 11 first-graders without disabilities. "The compassion they have shown has just been a real joy to me." Birk, who has taught basic and special-education classes, volunteered for the blended classroom. School officials chose the students based on their performance in kindergarten and their learning style, patience and social skills. They explained and sought permission of parents before completing the class roster. Rachel Graham, Catherine's mother, had just one concern. She just wanted to make sure the placement wouldn't affect her daughter's learning. It hasn't and it has revealed a nurturing side of Catherine's personality. "I think it has been amazing," Graham said. "I think she has a special gift." Catherine frequently talks about her classmates at home and is known to stick up for them, including the day someone made fun of one of her classmate's names. "Don't make fun of my friend," Graham remembers her daughter admonishing. "He can't even talk." Twin City Principal Pam Gentz is a former special-­education teacher who likes the academic and social results she is seeing. "Overall, it's going really well," she said. Her one concern is the workload it presents for one teacher who must make sure all her students are measuring up to academic standards, whether they are state learning goals for first-graders or widely differing goals set in Individual Education Plans for each of the ­special-education students. The lesson planning and paperwork is enormous, she said. Birk said she is grateful for the small army of educational assistants assigned to the classroom who work alongside the special-education students in groups and one-on-one. Danica Chollar has seen encouraging progress with her son, Aaron, who has autism and is largely nonverbal. "Once I heard that this was what they were going to do, I was very happy," she said. "He is getting good peer modeling and peer interaction." Aaron is also surprising his mom with new skills, such as his ability to manipulate a computer mouse and read words and match them with pictures. "Aaron has come so far this year," she said. "This (level of inclusion) is not happening in a lot of places. I hope the district sees the importance of it and the value of it." Shawna Meek, Josh's mother, said she is thankful for the class her son is in this year. "I think he is going to benefit even more by being around those other kids," she said. "If they are moving forward, he is going to strive to learn, too. He has really learned a tremendous amount this year." Reporter Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446 or stevick@heraldnet.com.

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