Building a Bridge to Special Students - Grades: PreK–K, 1–2,
3–5, 6–8 By Terry Martinez As my class headed out of the
lunchroom one day, the usually indifferent Michael announced,
"I'm frightened of them." He was watching our school's special-
ed children in the hall. Two weeks later, Michael and his
classmates embarked on the first phase of a three-step process
to educate them about these students' disabilities. In this
article, you'll find out how we began building a bridge between
regular and special-ed students. The Three Phases of Building
Our Bridge In my school, the special-ed students eat in the
common lunchroom and are seen as they walk in the hallways, but
there is little mingling with the regular students. Four years
ago, in an attempt to change attitudes among teachers as well as
students, Carla, the supervisor for special-ed, sent out a memo
offering teachers in-service training leading to integrative
activities with the special-ed children. I was interested, so
Carla and I set up the following th