Exceptional Students

Years ago I was invited to speak to the Faculty at the University of Alberta. The topic was Special Education. One member of the faculty after dinner asked the question, "What's so special about special education?". In my capacity as provincial director of special education at that time, it was a question that I had become far too familiar with. Coming from a gathering of esteem educators it seemed odd however.

The word "special" was in my opinion incorrect. The collective of students so classified were more appropriate "different". Some had physical differences, some intellectual differences and some were gifted. They formed some 20% of the student body and up to 80% of the concern for educators often with program costs equally proportional.

Then there were a myriad of parental organizations that surfaced with increasing specificity around the world. Some touted the popular inclusive jargon while others advocated a segregated approach especially the gifted and talented sector.

The thoughts in this section are my own and are presented to engage the reader in further dialogue.