Nicola Fiorita
April 30, 2024 11:39 am
“We want them all together, in the same classes.” This is the message at the center of the “manifesto” for an inclusive and barrier-free school launched by the mayor of Catanzaro Nicola Fiorita, also in his capacity as a teacher at Unical, together with over two hundred authoritative signatories including school managers and teachers, university professors and the Academy of Fine Arts, representatives of civil society. Below is the text of the appeal which will soon also be subscribed online to allow for the widest sharing and participation.
WE WANT THEM ALL IN THE SAME CLASSES, AGAINST ALL BARRIERS AND TO BUILD THE SCHOOL OF INCLUSION
“We, teachers of primary schools, secondary schools, universities and higher education, want them all together, in the same classes, to follow a path that gives everyone the same opportunities while respecting their specific potential.
We want them there, in the same classes, side by side, because every pupil, every student, regardless of their personal needs, represents a resource for everyone.
We want them all there together, in the same classes, because each of them brings a contribution of ability, competence, sensitivity, working on a common project of human and didactic growth.
We want them there, in the same classes, even if this increases our responsibilities, often burdens us with stressful and not always recognized work, but we know that it is essential to create a school of inclusion and valorization of diversity if we want to achieve important results in didactic-educational planning.
We want them there, in the same classrooms, where it is possible to create an environment where everyone, adequately supported, can reach their potential in terms of ability and knowledge.
Those who don’t want them there don’t understand that it is precisely the pupils/students with particular needs who offer their classmates an unrepeatable opportunity for discussion and knowledge, essential for orienting themselves in an increasingly complex and multifaceted society.
We want them there, in the same classes, we want to hear their voices, each different from the other, we want to be disturbed by their laughter or their tears, we want to hear them all the same and all protagonists of this fundamental collective story that is school”.
