Inclusion at Saints

By Jill Worth, English teacher, co-initiator of the co-operative learning scheme in that school, and passionate believer in what Herzlia is saying about inclusivity.

The program of inclusion that has already started at Saints, might be one of which many of you may not be aware. It's a programme that's going to enrich our lives and make us more complete people.

In the Middle East, there's a stretch of water called the Dead Sea. No water leaves the Dead Sea. It has no rivers flowing out of it giving life to the surroundings. It only has water lowing into it. There's no life in that sea. Nothing lives in it - no fish, no frogs, no plants, nothing. The sun evaporates the water and the Dead Sea just takes minerals from the surrounding countryside, minerals in excess of what it needs, far in excess of what it needs. This just kills all forms of life. Hence it's name, the "Dead Sea".

I would like to use this as an analogy about "receiving and giving". If this sea gave as much as it received, it would be alive. A little like we human beings, isn't it?

We are often told (and we all know) that we are privileged. The homes we come from (the fact that we have homes), food, water and shelter are never a concern for us. We enjoy holidays in Plett., St Francis, Southbroom and other parts of the world and we are dropped at school in BMWs, 4x4s and Mercedes-Benzes.

We have more than our fair share of educational talent and opportunity. The fact that an entrance exam selects us from outside schools into the college makes sure of that at Saints we've constantly produced the best sports teams, best academic results and outstanding choirs.

All this gives us a false sense of the real world outside.

This is not the real world. We are shielded in this environment. I know that we take on bits of charity work, raise bits of money from time to time and do other bits of social duties but this does not put us in touch with life in squatter camps, joblessness, hunger and homelessness that so many other South Africans face on a day-to-day basis - the real world outside. And just like the Dead Sea, we receive and give nothing. Just like the Dead Sea, we as "whole" people are probably the poorer for it in terms of what we are as human beings.

It's amazing how those that have so little, share so much - not only of their things, but of themselves.

Throughout history people with physical and mental disabilities have been abandoned at birth, used as court jesters, gasses in Nazi Germany, banished from society, and segregated from their own kind.

These are people in our very own communities that don't have the talents and therefore can't be part of our world.

I had a small taste of what it's like to be the underdog when Germany was awarded the Soccer World Cup ahead of South Africa. Those countries that have it all, wealth and opportunities, simply took more. Took the world cup away from our country, that so desperately needed all that the competition would bring - the jobs, the excitement, the moment on the world's centre stage.

Many of you might not yet be aware that we, as a school, are starting a project that will allow a few children from our own communities who do not have our ordinary talents to be part of our environment.

The process has worked very successfully in other schools in many parts of the world, and we are doing helped with the integration process by Herzlia, a prestigious private school in Cape Town.

It is a wonderful opportunity for these students, but the real reason that we are doing it is that it's an even greater privilege for us.

Special need students are those who cannot cope without additional assistance. Examples would be: those children-who have reading difficulties (dyslexia); the lack of the ability to concentrate known as ADD (atention deficit disorder); children who have co-ordination problems, that make it not only difficult to cope with sport, but even do simple things like write.

Special need students are a gift to a school because they bring out the best in others. Their very presence allows values to come to the surface, and others to take ownership of these values.

But it doesn't matter how much the council supports this idea or how much the headmaster and staff support this process. It will only work if we, the students, are mature enough to realise all the positive things that an inclusive project can bring.

Many of you know of Steven Hawking. He is severely crippled, but as the author of A Brief History of Time, he is considered to be one of the cleverest men alive. Norman Kunz is somewhat like him - a lecturer at Harvard University, who, although extremely intelligent, is severely disabled by cerebral palsy. He gives some quidelines on supporting the sisabled:

Do not see my disability as the problem, recognise my disability as an attribute.

Do not try to fix me, 'cause I am not broken.

Support me, I can make my contribution to the community in my way.

Do not try to be my friend, I deserve more than that. Get to know me and we may become friends.

I would like to end by quoting a short story by Dan Clark. It's called A Brother Like That.

A friend of mine named Paul received a car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul come out of his office, a streer urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. "Is this your car, Mister?" he asked.

Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas."

The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it cost you nothing? Boy, I wish . . ." He hesitated.

Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.

"I wish," the boy went on, "that I could be a brother like that."

Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride?"

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"

Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those steps are?" the boy asked.

He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carring his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

"There she is, Buddy, just like the one I told you about upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm going to give you one just like it."

This parable was used by a boy, David Wessels, in an address given at Headmaster's Assembly.

Independent Education Autumn 2001

For more information about what's happenning at St Stithians please go to www.stithian.com/asupport