Inclusive education: What does it mean for Christian learning communities into the future?

Pre-service and in-service teachers often ask me how to teach a student with a particular learning need. The conversation goes a little like this: "What should I do when teaching a student who is .. . ?". "Well, you have to get to know the individual; understand their interests; build from their strengths; create an environment where they are understood, accepted, and connected socially; ensure there is flexibility within the class curriculum in terms of challenge and learning processes. Make sure you communicate in ways that the student best understands and allow them to communicate in ways that best allow them to show what they understand. Work in partnership with their parents. Connect them and their peers with relevant services and opportunities within the local community." Regardless of whether we are discussing a student identifiable by their giftedness, cultural and linguistic diversity, or a developmental disability, most of my answers will be the same. Over the course of a semester, after repeating this kind of answer in response to questions about students with all kinds of 'special needs', people generally get the point. There are no silver bullets in this thing called 'inclusion'. There will always be a need to build relationships with individuals and exercise professional expert judgement as educators. We will always have to rely on and trust God! And we are always going to need each other in this process.