Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
Absurdities and Realities of Special Education: This collection is a complete set of all of the cartoons created by Michael Giangreco with the assistance of the artist Kevin Ruelle. This includes a total of 335 cartoons from four previously published books and searchable CD that went "out of print" in 2019 and a few newer cartoons. Michael Giangreco created the original ideas, text, and sketches for each cartoon and Kevin Ruelle redrew the sketches.
The cartoons in the first three books all were originally in black and white. That was a conscious decision, both for aesthetic and practical reasons. The cartoons were designed to be easily copied on to overhead transparencies for display in classes, workshops, and other learning environments. A group called Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE) requested permission to use one of the cartoons on the cover of their magazine and subsequently colorized it. Prompted by Giangreco’s colleagues associated with ALLFIE, Giangreco and Ruelle began to colorize the rest of the images. In this complete digital collection, we have included a total of 335 different digital images; including the 315 different cartoons from the four earlier books, 12 cartoons that were on the CD only, and eight that were not included in any of the previously published books or CD.
Cartoons from the early books have found their way on to the pages of many newsletters disseminated by schools, parent groups, disability advocacy organizations, and professional associations. They have appeared in books, manuals, and journals; a few were even published in a law journal. The cartoons have been used extensively as projected slides or within learning activities in college classes, at conferences, in workshops, and at other meetings. Parents have framed cartoons that closely reflected their own experiences and hung them in their homes or offices. Other parents have used them in meetings with professionals to help get their points across. They have been given as gifts to people who "get it" and handed out as door prizes. The Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights used them as part of "Disability Awareness Day" at the Vermont legislature. The cartoons can be used in innumerable creative ways.
Showing 111 - 120 of 228 Records
Educating Roaches
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon is two panels in the top frame of the panel are a man and a woman. The man is a reporter and is interviewing the woman who is holding up a "Not Roaches" sign. He says "And now a commentary from Bertha Snippett." And Bertha says "Who are these 'Inclusive Education' people and why do they want to educate supportive roaches? I don't care how supportive the are! Roaches are nasty little bugs and furthermore..." In the lower frame the reporter interrupts and says "Excuse me, it's not "educating supportive roaches." It's "Educationally Supportive Approaches." Mrs. Snippett says, turning red in the face "Oh...never mind." The tag line reads "Inclusion mishap #13: Mrs. Snippett decides it's finally time to have her hearing tested."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Eyes in the Back of the Head
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a teacher writing on the blackboard in front of a class full of students. One of the students in the front row is making a goofy face at the rest of the class. Without looking behind her, the teacher says, "I saw that." The tag line reads "Students conduct a scientifically controlled experiment to verify that teachers really do have eyes in the back of their heads."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Pumped Up
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman lifting weights on a barbell. The tag line reads "Mrs. Hart gets pumped up about teaching a full range of students, because even though it's hard work, the results really show."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Placement Matters
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a car driving away with a bird nest on the tire and the bird flapping her wings and trying to fly away. The tag line reads "Examples from nature remind us that placement really does matter." A note on the left says, "Inspired by a robin in my yard."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Fear of Formulas
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a man watching TV. The man on the TV is saying "A new national study revealed that a majority of the nation's special education teachers choose their college major to avoid taking advanced math classes." The man watching the TV's thought bubble says "And all this time I thought I was the only one." The tag line reads "Having never advanced past math 101 (math in everyday life), Fred is comforted by the realization that he was not alone in his fear of formulas."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Three Bears
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a Mama bear, a Papa bear, and a Baby bear sitting on Papa bear's lap. Mama bear is sitting on a stump knitting listening to Papa bear who is sitting in a chair reading to Baby bear. Papa bear reads out loud "When Goldilocks went to school, they gave her support services. The first set was too small and it didn't fit...the next set was too big and didn't fit...the next set was just right and it fit!" The tag line reads, "Support services that are 'only as special as necessary' fit just right!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Family-Centered Approaches
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a group of educators sitting in chairs in a circle with a man and a woman sitting in the center of the circle back to back. The woman says to the man, "This isn't exactly what I had in mind." The man says "Me either." The tag line reads "Family - Centered approaches gone bad."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Head in the Clouds
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows two people standing at the top of a mountain overlooking a town with their heads in the clouds. The tag line reads, "Inclusive Education: Proving you can dream with your head in the clouds and still have your feet on the ground."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Placement Problem #32
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a classroom of students with one very large older boy sitting with all the other younger children. The tag lines reads "Placement problem #32: Functioning level rather than chronological age."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
The Three Rs
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a man dressed in a suit from the waist down as he is stomping on three large letters -- all Rs as he is pointing his finger at the letters saying, "Take that!" The tag line reads, "Stomping out the conditions that lead to the 3 bad Rs: Retention, Referral and Rejection." The tag line on the left reads, "Inspired by Joseph Lockavitch"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks