Natalie Bull

Dr. Graeme Harper

HC 1000
6 November 2020
I am doing a paper
Prompt

 “This isn’t just a book for young adults; it’s a book for anyone who has ever felt they
were on the outside looking in. Song for a Whale is a blueprint for how to discover and
engender connection, even when it seems impossible.” (Shannon Carriger, San
Francisco Book Review). Is this an accurate description of Lynne Kelly’s Song for a
Whale? Critically discuss the ways in which it is or is not an accurate description.
Topic
 My paper will dive into the themes and meanings portrayed in Lynne Kelly’s book Song
for a Whale and relate them to situations in Education by promoting the inclusion of all
students and adapting to their needs, so they don’t feel like an outsider like Iris did.
Thesis
 Teachers need to adapt the learning environment, so all students feel included no matter
what adversities they deal with.
Evidence
 Some possible solutions to creating inclusion in the classroom. https://tats.ucf.edu/wp-
content/uploads/sites/9/2018/05/adaptingactivitiesand_materialsec-1.pdf
 Details on cases of deaf/hard of hearing students in public school.
http://www.raisingandeducatingdeafchildren.org/2014/01/01/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-
students-in-the-mainstream/
 Easy tips and ways teachers can integrate deaf students into the learning. Inclusion with
other classmates. https://www3.gallaudet.edu/clerc-center/tips-to-go/tips-to-go-
bookmarks---supporting-educational-success/accommodating-deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-
students-in-schools.html
Order
 The organization of paper consists of a beginning explaining the book Song for a Whale,
explaining the themes promoted in this book then transitioning into the prompt and my
stance including research on classrooms. I did it this way to educate the reader on the
book itself and slowly integrating my thesis and evidence.
Natalie Bull

Graeme Harper

HC 1000

20 November 2020

Prompt: “This isn’t just a book for young adults; it’s a book for anyone who has ever felt they

were on the outside looking in. Song for a Whale is a blueprint for how to discover and engender

connection, even when it seems impossible.” (Shannon Carriger, San Francisco Book Review).

Is this an accurate description of Lynne Kelly’s Song for a Whale? Critically discuss the ways in

which it is or is not an accurate description.

Outsider in the Classroom

Lynne Kelly’s book, Song for a Whale, follows a school aged girl named Iris who is deaf.

Although there is a deaf school in her area, she attends a traditional public school. With only the

aid of her translator, she often feels like an outsider among the rest of her classmates. She

believes she’d feel included at the deaf school but after visiting she feels slow and out of touch.

Lost between these two worlds, Iris’ lack of tools she received through her schooling are to

blame. The lack of individualized care by the education system for handicapped students

separates them from their peers mentally and physically. Iris’ mental health and understanding of

material is severally damaged by the separation she faces. With the help of an adapted lesson

plan, Iris can bridge the gap she is affected by. By taking the themes portrayed in Song for a

Whale and relating them to situations in Education, the inclusion of all students can be done by

adapting to their individual needs, so they don’t feel like an outsider like Iris did. Teachers need
to adapt the learning environment, so all students feel included no matter what adversities they

deal with.

The world of education focuses on teaching the large majority of students in the most

successful way. Each student learns in one of three different ways, visually, auditory, and

kinesthetically through touch and movement (Pashler). With most learning plans used in schools,

these three learning styles are covered. Students like Iris that are outside of these learning styles

due to a disability can easily be lost in the material without individualized support in and outside

of the classroom. It can be difficult for teachers to spend equal time on each child so adequate

help from others is important. Iris’ main support system at her school was in Mr. Charles, her

personal translator. Teachers in education such as Ms. Conn, limit the learning of students by

trying to conform their students to her individual learning style instead of adjusting to each

students’ needs. Iris recalls, “On the first day of school, Ms. Conn tried to hold Mr. Charles’s

hands still to force me to read her lips instead of watching his signing. I didn’t catch what Mr.

Charles said to her, but she let go of his hands like she’d touched a hot stove and didn’t try that

ever again” (Kelly). The limitation of growth and success amongst children with disabilities in

classrooms are a real thing that happen to students across the world struggling with their mental

health. Song for a Whale’s message for anyone who has ever felt they were on the outside

looking in looking for a connection, even when it feels impossible is relatable for children like

Iris who feel unheard and out of place in the classroom setting.

Children who want to feel included in a group but feel like an outsider from many, create

a reason for a connection to be made in future classrooms with easily miseducated students. This

inclusion and connect starts with the child’s network of teachers. If teachers like Ms. Conn

embraced Mr. Charles and worked to learn sign language herself to make Iris feel more involved
and comfortable in her classroom. A key idea for teachers to take into consideration when

creating well rounded work is, “When young children with disabilities are included in programs

that use a developmentally appropriate approach, the types of individualizations that are already

used for young children without disabilities must just be extended to meet the needs of all

children” (Adapting). Programs and work should reach farther for each student and not be

shallow and exclusive to children who understand the displayed learning style. With students like

Iris who are hard of hearing, specialized work and learning isn’t standard in a standard public

school like she’s attending. School specifically for deaf students are the most inclusive to

students with this type of disability. In Iris’ case, this school would have best suited her

educational needs, but her mother didn’t want to lose her hearing connection with her. In order

for Iris to learn this lesson, she had to discover for herself through going to this traditional

school. For teachers supporting the education of deaf and hard-of-hearing students “Teachers of

the Deaf support mainstreamed students by providing them instruction in communication skills,

literacy, learning strategies, self-advocacy, and social skills” (Antia). This support system that

teachers create by each taking on a role in the student’s life, helps them to grow and connect with

fellow classmates and to the work they’re completing. Students like Iris had to learn through her

rocky teacher support system, the help of Mr. Charles, and the support of her family and friends.

Although it wasn’t the most effective learning route, she was able to get where she is today as a

self-aware, young, deaf woman.

The education of disabled students goes farther than just in an elementary classroom

similar to Iris. The adaptation of all learning is made for these students in all learning

environments including further education such as college. A study was done on the environment

of disabled students attending three different colleges that found, “Social contact between
disabled and non-disabled students was not extensive, although those who had attended school

with disabled pupils were more likely to have friendships with disabled students at college”

(Angie). The exposure of disabled and non-disabled students in the learning environment has a

lack of engagement between students. Students who have seen disabled students included in the

classroom are more likely to engage with them, compared to students who were in a learning

environment where disabled students were outsiders were less likely to engage with them. This

important upbringing in the mainstream schooling system sets the tone for future opportunities

and interactions for disabled college students. Although these adults are no longer children,

they’d still enjoy and relate to Song for a Whale as the learning and work environment are very

similar to Iris’ school environment. The lessons Iris face can be learned in any environment at

any age and adults reading this book might be going through a similar experience in their life.

Song for a Whale gives children and adults alike a relatable discovery of self through

trials and errors in the classroom. Without the help of subtitles in the classroom, Iris wouldn’t

have found Blue 55 to start her journey of discovery. Adaptive help and learning in education are

important for all students alike, especially those with disabilities. For students to no longer feel

like outsiders in their education and social life, teachers must take charge in creating an inclusion

classroom environment. I agree with Shannon Carriger’s description of Song for a Whale as any

outsider in mainstream education can relate to Iris throughout her story. Taking the extra steps to

support each student individually so they can reach success in their life and promote the journey

of discovery. Without Iris’ relation to something she saw in the classroom, she would have never

gone on the discovery quest that helped her learn and grow as a person. All teachers’ goal in the

classroom should be to help students grow and develop through self-discovery and belonging.

This process begins in the classroom and shouldn’t be looked over.

 Works Cited

Adapting Activities & Materials for Young Children with Disabilities. early Intervention

Technical Assistance.

Angie, Ash. "Everybody In? The experience of disabled students in further education." 1 July

2010, pp. 605-21, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599727155.

Antia, Shirin. "Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Students in the Mainstream." Raising and Educating

Deaf Children, 23 Oct. 2013,

www.raisingandeducatingdeafchildren.org/2014/01/01/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-

students-in-the-mainstream/.

Kelly, Lynne. Song for a Whale. Yearling, 2019.

Pashler, Harold. "Psychological Science in the Public Interest." Learning Styles: Concepts and

Evidence, 1 Dec. 2009, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1539-6053.2009.01038.x.

Citation style: MLA