One Without the Other

Every teacher should read this book. Shelley Moore's narrative flows like she's sitting in the room with you relating her stories. The book is a quick, easy read and a wonderful introduction to inclusion. Moore's message is one that all educators should carry with them... kids come first, everything else is secondary.-- (10/08/2016) Shelley Moore was featured in the Globe and Mail's series Stepping Up: Meet Canada's new sources of inspiration and leadership https: //www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-stepping-up-meet-canadas-new-sources-of-inspiration-and-leadership/-- (01/17/2019) Canadian educator Shelley Moore has consulted with schools, school district, and community groups in the U.S. and Canada about her passion and specialty: inclusion. She has gathered some of her wisdom and experience in a new book, One Without the Other: Stories of Unity Through Diversity and Inclusion. Her goal: to make inclusion a natural part of all education. Whereas attempts to homogenize and standardize our classrooms and learners may have marked education in the past, homogeneity is no longer our vision of education (thank goodness). She writes that inclusion means everyone--but actually everyone, even our students who need the most support in our classrooms, schools, and communities. Realizing the realities of needed support, she says, The goal is not inclusion 100 percent of the time, but that 100 percent of the time we are striving to be more inclusive. In her extended discussion of what is inclusion, I appreciated the fact that she started out with presuming competence. For example, some might have assumed that her student with Down syndrome was not paying attention while she was showing him addition flash cards. He seemed detached, flipping through pages of a dictionary. Finally, she noticed that he was turning to the page number of the correct answer! 20 + 40, he turned to page 60! Presuming competence means that from the start, teachers engage students as if they understand and hear it all, because they almost always are hearing, understanding, and learning more than we might have thought. She goes on, unless I presume competence in all people, I am the one who is disabled. Teachers who are unfamiliar with inclusion ought to pick up Moore's book. There are probably more technical and comprehensive studies of inclusion, but Moore's experienced bird's eye view will serve as introduction and inspiration to teachers and administrators. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy! -- (07/01/2016) This book is a must-read for all teachers, educational assistants, administrators...well basically anyone who works with and for children. I love Shelley Moore for so many reasons: she is Canadian (and from my hometown!), she is by far the most engaging speaker I have had the pleasure of seeing (5 times and counting...), but most of all, she explains inclusion, and how to do it, in a way that makes everyone want to be a better teacher. I was very excited to buy her book when it came out. It is a quick and easy read, with tons of humour and analogies that help you remember the important information. --Sarah Holmgren Learning Leader Blog Shelley's voice will move you from raucous laughter to tears in a heartbeat. Her stories will bring you to a full stop to reconsider the impact of your words and your actions. Her inclusive vision, honouring the potential and promise of each person, each strengthened within an interconnected community, becomes our North Star. One Without the Other challenges each of us to value diversity and move beyond inclusive platitudes to action. --Faye Brownlie, co-author of It's All About Thinking series-- (07/01/2016)