I thought that Dr. Quinn’s talk about inclusive education was important to hear. She discussed how inclusive education was the route that every country should be aiming towards. Throughout our class, however, we have gone back and forth about if inclusive education really is the best for everybody. One aspect of her talk that I found especially interesting to consider in this context was the idea that children become socially isolated when they attend specialized schools. I can understand this, if we do not allow children to become valued members of their local communities they feel isolated and detached from their schools. Mainstreamed children may not realize they are even a part of their community and because of their differences they may be ostracized when trying to engage in social activities outside of school. While this all sounds like inclusive education is the key issue here, I also began considering the other side. What if a child who has a disability is included in mainstream education becomes ostracized because of their disability? What if they exhibit behaviors that challenge other students so much that they are not included in the community? I understand that the only way to combat this issue of bullying is to expose children to people who are different from them at a young age, however, in the mean time there are children’s emotions on the line if we integrate/ include them too brashly. I also think that there are ways of engaging children in communities. I think that saying children become isolated if they go to different schools says a lot about how we treat children in our society, that their only “meaningful” social interaction is through education and no other avenue or activity. I am left unsure about where I stand on this issue, but the presentation definitely made me consider new approaches and avenues to think about inclusive education.