Talking Points 9

1. “Those who appear not to make use of these conditions (supposedly open to all), or who appear to lack the potential to accrue privileges, are systematically devalued as less than full citizens – charged as they are with having the differences that matter.” Kliewer suggests that people with mental disabilities, such as Down syndrome are denied full citizenship rights. This claim has validity. People with Down syndrome should have the same rights as people without any disability. However, at the same time, I do not see how it would be effective to bring students into the classroom that have Down syndrome. I feel that if you are going to participate in a class, then you need to be able to linguistically communicate with your peers. I understand that many people with Down syndrome are intelligent, but basic communication within the classroom is key.

2. “Then, in the following two chapters, I closely analyze the meaning of school citizenship for students with Down syndrome as it relates to (1) literacy development (Chapter 5), of central importance in experiencing school success and (2) friendship formation (Chapter 6), a possible consequence of being recognized as communally valuable.” I believe that these two goals are important for all students, and are vital in the first few years of schooling. Here it makes sense to keep all students, Down syndrome or otherwise, in the same environment. All students need to develop valuable social skills in the early years of schooling. This is a strong argument for keeping all students in the classroom together.

3. “Seven valued patterns for solving problems… (1) logistical mathematical thinking… (2) linguistic capacities… (3) a spatial – representation intelligence… (4) musical intelligence… (5) kinesthetic intelligence… (6) interpersonal intelligence… (7) intrapersonal intelligence.” Society values these seven principles, so it makes sense to teach these in class. Students learn to develop patterns, which are used throughout their lifetime. Kliewer suggests that people with Down syndrome develop patterns differently than normal students do, thus still making them beneficial to society.

I find myself at an intelectual crossroads. After reading Anyon, McLaran and Oakes, I am against tracking students into specific paths, which are dictated by the color of your skin, family net worth, and culture. This reading suggests putting Down syndrome students into mainstream classroom. Anti-tracking thinking would agree with this theory, keeping all students together to benefit everyone. However, I feel that as a student with Down syndrome develops, and students move up in the grade levels, I don’t know how they will be able to cope. I believe that having a conversation is of the upmost importance for students, and in society, and many Down syndrome students cannot do that. I believe that a Down syndrome student in the lower grade levels (i.e. kindergarten) would be beneficial. They will be able to learn some basic socializing skills, but after that I don’t know how many of them could keep up with the work, or function in the classroom.