ABSTRACT
This chapter details the author's journey in two extremely different inclusive classrooms. The author's first student teaching placement was in a fifth-grade inclusive classroom at Public School 700, a K–5 educational institution. This school follows a consulting teaching model of inclusion with a general educator and a special educator moving among several classrooms. Her second placement was in a first grade at Public School 300, an alliance between a community school district and District 75—special education district in New York City. P. S. 300 is a pre-K to fifth-grade school. When paraprofessionals are present in a New York City classroom, some are assigned to specific students and others are assigned as general classroom paraprofessionals. In both schools, a paraprofessional was present to assist with the students. Unlike the author's first placement, the first-grade class did not share one behavior reinforcement plan. The class was expected to cooperate and follow classroom rules like talking in turn and working together.
