Sir Dustin

Sir Dustin

The boy approaches the microphone with a dignified stride. He nods to the cellist seated center stage, and then addresses the audience that fills the art deco theater.
“Hello,everybody! I’m Dustin. How are ya’ doin’ this mornin’?”
Dustin grins, a smile too big for his face. The focus of 1000 pairs of eyes,
this second grader relishes the spotlight. He recites his poem flawlessly accompanied by the inventive improvisations of the cellist. When Dustin finishes, he bows like a seasoned thespian and acknowledges the musician. With a wave to the crowd, he makes his way back to the semicircle of folding chairs where his fellow poets hoot and holler.
Dustin found joy in a community of children full of fierce curiosity who loved to read and write about the world. But this moment was unique and rare for a boy like him; a boy who found himself in the unlikeliest of circumstances, buoyed by the energy of folks in a theater revered for its history and gracious style.
Physically challenged and intellectually disabled, Dustin was seldom in the spotlight. He had learned to write a few letters and recognize some numbers. His place in space was still a mystery to him; often an awkward movement or unsteady gait sent him careening into others. Part of his day was spent in the resource room; most of it was in the regular classroom where he learned the concepts of science and social studies by listening and participating in hands-on activities. Much of Dustin’s life journey was a struggle that demanded faith and courage at every turn. He approached the foreign and unknown with a stalwart and quiet resolve.
Dustin was very social and talked to everyone. He had a genuine curiosity and there was no end to his comments and questions. The bends and turns of his mind were bewildering at times, yet he sported a smile each morning, greeting the day and his classmates with enthusiasm. Dustin was not just a part of the landscape. On the contrary, he was a dynamic and powerful force in the classroom. Extremely verbal, he enjoyed participating in discussions and debates. So when it was time to write for a school-wide literacy celebration, Dustin dictated his story and poem, illustrated it in his writer’s notebook and presented it to the class. Immersed in rich literature read aloud each day, Dustin used what he heard to create The Spider and the Ant, a simple story that charmed the Child’s Play acting troupe as well as his classmates. His poem, Sir Dustin, was a riveting piece with all the elements that intrigue: a knight, a dragon, a princess in distress. Moreover, Dustin’s love of speaking and hearing his own words spoken aloud made for a passionate and dramatic delivery. During a classroom visit, professional musician Eugene Friesen (Cello Man) played dark rhapsodies and pulsing rhythms while Dustin recited his poem. There was no doubt that the words and music meshed seamlessly. Dustin’s tale resonated with Eugene and was chosen for the writing celebration.

On the stage, Dustin stands front and center, basking in the applause. This experience has taken him to another place; a horizon farther than he could see, a healing place without boundaries. This is an historic moment, in an historic place, made possible by Bill, an elementary school principal of heroic proportions. He helped reluctant teachers to understand inclusion and encouraged an open forum for discussion. Bill is a gentle man whose personal experience led him to promote inclusion for special needs students before mandates spewed relentlessly from the legislature. He is an instructional leader who guides with patience and persistence. Bill walks softly through the minefield of obstacles, anger, and dismay. He recognizes the frustration and confusion that accompanies children challenged by the simple routines of an ordinary day. Deliberate and determined to have the mainstream curriculum accessible to children like Dustin, this principal empowered his staff with words of compassion and hope. Bill championed inclusion, guided the migration of special needs students, and voiced the truths of their birthright.
Was every day a day of celebration? Hardly. Often the school day began with complex problems and slowly lost all integrity. With astounding speed, the Inclusion model could twist and morph into a classroom’s worst enemy. Intrusion, the demon that can create chaos out of order, is as unwelcome as head lice. A group of special needs students in one room can compromise the quality of instruction. Even with capable instructional assistants, disruptions occur. Outbursts, movements and the constant low-level conversations, admonitions, questions and replies stream unfettered. Each disability presents its own problems: issues regarding behavior, academics, health, social interaction and therapeutic services. Each student also has a unique set of needs, often compounded by the lack of a stable family, sa port network.
Everyone in education has the same goal: to protect the sanctity of the classroom so that all students can and will learn every day. There is reason to be wary of inclusion because it can alter the way instruction is delivered to the regular education students. It can sap an enormous amount of the teacher’s energy and consume mountains of time. But with an effective child intervention team in place and a resource room staffed with full time special education teachers, most of the problems that arise can be handled swiftly and efficiently. This alternate location allows students with exceptional challenges, involuntary behaviors and limited coping skills to resolve problems and learn appropriate behaviors.
And, yes, inclusion also has moments of glorious joy and unfettered exuberance. The opportunities present in a classroom of eager learners embrace them all. Each student has personal challenges, some greater than others but in a classroom full of banter and chatter, children gleefully provoke and inspire each other. Together they listen to a read aloud, laugh at the escapades of the characters, wonder what will happen next, and gasp at the plot’s unexpected twist. In small groups, they make math games, burrow through soil to observe earthy denizens, create a timeline of their community; practice and perform readers’ theatre, sing, dance, and smile. All this happens in the regular classroom. What an ideal place for special needs children.

Lucky Dustin. Today is his day. A knight in shining armor, who just happened to play the cello, joins him on stage. A principal with conviction admires the grace and style of this glorious theater and a boy named Dustin. Cello Man’s swinging pizzicato and soulful melodies slay the fire breathing dragon. Myriad challenges hinder Dustin’s quest but need not deter him from living life to the extreme. Being in the regular education classroom made a difference in his life. For Dustin, it delivered the unimaginable: a happy-ever-after ending.

Story ID:	1111
Written by:	toni giarnese (bio, contact, other stories)
Story type:	Musings, Essays and Such
Location:	new hartford ct USA
Year:	2006
Person:	Dustin