My first EdCamp experience went really well, I have to admit jumping around into different zoom rooms was a new concept for sure but I liked it. This new experience definitely made me realize I need to brush up on my zoom skills though. I mainly stayed in a room where inclusivity in the classroom was discussed. The group was made up of mostly students and two teachers so it was basically us as students throwing ideas and questions at them while they tried to help us along, which they did very honestly. What we had mainly discussed was how do you create inclusivity while maintaining the safety of the group and making sure the environment is working for everyone. One of the teachers that was with us described his job as a teacher in the lower mainland in a teaching position that mainly seeks to help kids with moderate learning disabilities. In his experience, he shared that sometimes inclusivity may not be the best thing in some cases when it comes to creating a safe learning environment for everyone. He mentioned some students that need “exit plans” because for them the classroom can sometimes be too much. I believe that having heard these teachers’ experiences really put into perspective what it can be like to help students that have learning disabilities, or even disorders such as anxiety. For some students just getting through the door, some days should be considered a win, not every day is going to be a great one so you have to meet your students where they are at. Another topic that was discussed was grade-level success in this room. Here, the group discussed that sometimes in elementary school there really is not a pass or fail as it is very uncommon for children to be held back at this age. This real pass or fail mentality only really surfaces in the older secondary grades when graduating is the goal. What we found as a group from this that I really liked, especially considering those with learning disabilities was that sometimes standards need to be lowered. Failures can be devastating but it can also point to where a student may be on the learning curve, and if a student is not at that level of expectations yet that shouldn’t necessarily be the end of the world. If they fail to meet that certain goal or expectation maybe that should be a sign to take a step back and reevaluate what they can achieve. I really did enjoy this conversation as it opened my eyes to what are some real-world experiences are in the world of teaching but it also made me feel a little relief in some way. I felt this way because we are all figuring this out together, with every student and every situation. I will take with me the idea of little victories instead of illuminating failures.