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What became really important for me was hearing the reasoning behind each point during the debate.  For each side, I found points that I agreed with, points I disagreed with, and points that I hadn't considered before.  Understanding these multiple perspectives helped me to think about how important communication is around disability issues in the classroom. I'm thinking of it now as a triangle between teachers, parents, and students, and I can see how each voice needs to be heard and valued. Whereas before in my mind  the communication was much more direct, with the teacher telling the student and parents the plan. From the readings and the debate experience, I will bring an open mind to my classroom and a better understanding of how labels can be useful, as well as their limitations.
-Jane

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The debate reinforced the need to have my own classroom engage with the thinking and bring in their own beliefs to the table. What I think for myself is that seeing the debate evolve and move through the ideas presented and take them for their own merit, attempting to remove as much bias and leaning as possible, is an exercise our students need to make their best effort in. Although we should recognize bias, we should have our classrooms make the effort to not let our students just shut own the other argument. A community of listeners is a solid community of learners.

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The debate reinforced for me that solutions often lie at the intersection between both poles of an issue or the fringes. The bi-partisan process that informed the structure of the debate underscored the complimentary nature of both perspectives. 

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The debate reinforced for me that solutions often lie at the intersection between both poles of an issue or the fringes. The bi-partisan process that informed the structure of the debate underscored the complimentary nature of both perspectives. 

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Although I was on the side of labeling being unnecessary, I now understand both sides. Labels are words, but the negative attachment to them is up to us. However, just because someone has a label doesn't mean they need a label. I feel like it is important to hear both sides of the argument. For how can you truly believe something if its never been challenged? I also think it helps to hear new information or hear another perspective you never considered. This can cause your opinion to grow or even change. But you'll never experience this unless you hear other perspectives.

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I think being on the side of the debate that I wouldn’t have chosen to be on based on what I believed I agreed with, really helped me to see how there are pros and cons to both sides. At first glance, I would automatically have said that labeling is unnecessary. As the other group argued, a person with a disability should be able to decide if, when, and what they are labeled as and therefore, labels should not be necessary. But when doing the research and reading through the arguments on our side (the side arguing that labeling is necessary), the one argument that really struck me was that not having labels or deciding that labels are not necessary may further marginalize an already excluded community, possibly even going as far as to say this would be a form of erasure. Labels are not the issue; it is the meaning that is forced upon them by our society and the structure in which it resides. Although disabilities make someone different, that does not mean that those differences need to be tucked away neatly for the sake of those that it makes uncomfortable, which is in most cases, abled people. All in all, after hearing one side of the argument and partaking in the other, I believe I now stand somewhere in the middle. While labels are not necessary, they do have their place and purpose; they can be a choice for some and not for others but we can’t pretend they are completely useless or negative. Hearing multiple perspectives helps us to place our own judgements aside to better listen and understand evidence based arguments.

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I really appreciated the debate format in sharpening my understandings of what a label is. Throughout the debate, I kept feeling like both sides had overlapping viewpoints and agreements. For example, the idea that students should be able to self-identify came up on both sides. Where differences emerged were subtle differences around the definition of labels. While the Unnecessary side argued that self-identification prevents labels from occurring, the Necessary side made the distinction between labels and labeling. The former being an identify you self-identify and the later being identities prescribed by others. I think these conversations are important as we enter the classroom and need to balance knowing/respecting our students identities, supporting diagnosis and services for students with disabilities in our specific class contexts, and setting high expectations for all students.

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Based on the debate, it seemed that everyone was arguing similar points, just in a different point of view. However, everyone agreed that labels should be decided by the person with the label to and no one else. When my group got together, we looked at each article and found points that supported our stance, as well as points that the other team might use to support their stance. I believe though, in the end, that labels aren't inherently bad, but how society has given labels a negative connotation is what needs to change. If disabilities are as natural and a a part of life as one article said, they shouldn't be stigmatized and we, as teachers, should provide an environment that shows this. 

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Based on the debate, it seemed that everyone was arguing similar points, just in a different point of view. However, everyone agreed that labels should be decided by the person with the label to and no one else. When my group got together, we looked at each article and found points that supported our stance, as well as points that the other team might use to support their stance. I believe though, in the end, that labels aren't inherently bad, but how society has given labels a negative connotation is what needs to change. If disabilities are as natural and a a part of life as one article said, they shouldn't be stigmatized and we, as teachers, should provide an environment that shows this. 

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The readings laid a foundation built on multiple perspectives, but today I got to see just how difficult it is to argue for each perspective while keeping in my mind that young people deserve the best environments possible to learn. What does a world with labels look like? How are teachers utilizing the practice of naming and centering marginalized communities to ensure all students are learning? I’m also thinking a lot about ableism as a system of oppression and how even in our best efforts, we may continue to perpetuate.  

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The readings laid a foundation built on multiple perspectives, but today I got to see just how difficult it is to argue for each perspective while keeping in my mind that young people deserve the best environments possible to learn. What does a world with labels look like? How are teachers utilizing the practice of naming and centering marginalized communities to ensure all students are learning? I’m also thinking a lot about ableism as a system of oppression and how even in our best efforts, we may continue to perpetuate.  

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Obviously as demonstrated by our grad school curriculum so far, it's so crucial in our work to question systemic issues and try to stop their perpetuation. Today's debate, however, gave me important insight into how difficult it can be to try to enforce an ideal -- in this case, a world without labels -- in real time, in the classroom. Considering both sides also showed me to look for the middle ground; just because eradicating labels would make diagnoses and operations in classrooms more difficult, doesn't mean that the way in which labels socially operate should stay the same and not be challenged. I hope we can constantly be engaging in these kinds of debates from several angles, hopefully to arrive at a conclusion that is both practical for implementation and strong in values.

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As educators, we will be working with parents and staff of all perspectives.  It is necessary for us to step into their shoes and understand their points of view, regardless of our own personal stances.  In the case of advocacy, it is especially important to be able to understand the other side, so that we can find common ground and work together towards a solution.  Personally, I think this was a great exercise in hearing out the other side and challenging my own personal views.  Prior to the debate, I felt strongly about not using labels in schools, but now I feel more confused about my stance since both sides brought up interesting points.  To me, this activity has demonstrated the importance of empathy and active listening in the classroom.

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After today's debate, I feel that I gained a significantly different perspective on the reaps and benefits of using labels, as well as why it can potentially further marginalize a community. My takeaway from today is that a label is nothing more than a sign post, or a medium, to finding appropriate instruction for the intellectual/physical variation of an individual. However, the unnecessary perspective also validated that a disability is part of an identity so it should be the person's choice to identify with a label. After hearing the strong opinions on both sides of the debate, I do believe it is important for us as educators to understand  how labeling, if not used for its purpose of benefitting from learning, can become associated with negative connotations but also how knowing what services to provide can expedite the learning process.

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Sitting down with my group and actually considering both sides of the argument in order to find ways to  wholly support our side was just as useful and informative for me as the actual debate. The debate itself was interesting because basically every question my group wanted to ask the other side beforehand became irrelevant in the context of the other groups argument, which I think speaks to the necessity of hearing all sides of a discussion before making decisions, because there will always be additional information we hadn't thought of that other people can contribute. 

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Sitting down with my group and actually considering both sides of the argument in order to find ways to  wholly support our side was just as useful and informative for me as the actual debate. The debate itself was interesting because basically every question my group wanted to ask the other side beforehand became irrelevant in the context of the other groups argument, which I think speaks to the necessity of hearing all sides of a discussion before making decisions, because there will always be additional information we hadn't thought of that other people can contribute. 

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-Haylee

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By arguing different sides, I believe that that we were able to grasp the most wholistic view of the question of 'labels'. I think that the ability to make an argument on either side of a debate shows a full grasp of a concept. I also would agree that we were essentially arguing the same points, however I think that to be able to come at it from two sides solidifies the understanding of a very complicated topic. This in turn will allow us to be better advocates for our students. By knowing the ways in which labels can be harmful or empowering, we can put the power back in students hands to take onus of their own learning.

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It's interesting that both sides were essentially arguing that labels should not be used in a harmful way. I think everyone in the room clearly wants the best thing for students, whether that is a label or not.  To me, the debate illustrated the complexity of the question. I think both sides had really good points, arguments, and responses. It's important to understand these multiple perspectives because as teachers we will interact with this debate and people who land on both sides of it. We should be able to engage in that discussion in a responsible way, especially because at that point there will be children's lives involved. 

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It's interesting that both sides were essentially arguing that labels should not be used in a harmful way. I think everyone in the room clearly wants the best thing for students, whether that is a label or not.  To me, the debate illustrated the complexity of the question. I think both sides had really good points, arguments, and responses. It's important to understand these multiple perspectives because as teachers we will interact with this debate and people who land on both sides of it. We should be able to engage in that discussion in a responsible way, especially because at that point there will be children's lives involved. 

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I believe it is important to understand multiple perspectives in order not only to ground your own perspectives and check for any flaws in your argument but also you may hear arguments or ideas you never thought of. Now that I have engaged in the debate however, I feel that both sides were mostly arguing over semantics. Neither wanted negative labels but the disagreement, as I saw it was really over what constituted a unbiased label similar to a diagnosis and whether that was a label.