Absurdities and Realities of Special Education
Absurdities and Realities of Special Education: The University of Vermont Center for Digital Initiatives 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 191 - 200 of 342 Records
Whole Language
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows Mr. Moody sitting at a desk with papers and a phone on it. He is on the phone and says, "You're darn right I'm in favor of a whole language! Those partial language approaches are completely inadequate." The tag line reads "Mr. Moody left the district in-service on teaching reading before they discussed the importance of combining literature and phonics."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Career Development
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon has three panels diagonally across from the bottom right to the top left in a stepwise arrangement. Starting at the bottom right corner the panels has three people following three rulers. The caption at the top of this frame is, "Following the rules" There is an arrow pointing to the next (middle) panel. That panel shows a man with an angry face bending a ruler. The caption at the top of this panel says, "Bending the rules." and has an arrow pointing to the top left corner panel that shows an older man breaking a ruler. The caption says. "Breaking the rules" In the lower right side of the panel is written, "Stages of Career Development" The tag line reads, "How professionals respond to rules that don't make sense."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Laboratory Retriever
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: This cartoon shows a group of people sitting around a lab table with scientific instruments in front of them. One person is in a wheelchair and a happy (tail-wagging) dog standing on it's hind legs with it's paws on the table is handing him an instrument with his mouth. The person in the wheelchair says, "Thanks!" The tag line reads, "Laboratory Retriever."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Typo?
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two people talking, a man sitting behind a desk, and a woman standing on the other side of the desk. The woman is saying, "I think there is a typo in the job title next to this person's name." The man behind the desk says, "No. It's correct. Paraeducators are part of our new recruitment of unemployed actors. We can pay less for paraeducators because they don't hold a current membership to the screen guild." The tag line reads, "What happens when personnel availability and money get tight."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Black Hole
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a spaceship out in deep space heading for a black Hole. There is a sign on the edge of the Black Hole that reads, "Welcome to the Black Hole of Special Education." Someone on the spaceship says, "Captain, I've heard tales. But I thought they were myths!" To which the Captain replies, "Apparently not! Engineering, reverse thrusters Full Power!" The tag line reads, "Boldly not going where too many others have gone before!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Roots of Special Education
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows Rita tending to her garden of root vegetables. The image depicts a cross-section so you can see the roots growing under ground. Each different type of vegetable has a different label: (a) "Access," (b) "Individualization," (c) "Quality Instruction," and (d) "Meaningful Outcomes." The tag line reads, "Rita returns to dig up the roots of special education."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Weeds or Wildflowers?
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a group of monks sitting in a circle in a field surrounds wildflowers in bloom. One of the monks says, "Master, speak to us of labeling." The Master replies, "Long ago, flowers had no names. Each was treasured for its unique beauty. Then someone decided to label some flowers as weeds and convince others that they were undesirable. Still today when people look, some see a weed, while others see a wild flower." The tag line reads, "What do you choose to see? Weeds or wildflowers?"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Seven Habits
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a large numeral 7 in the middle surrounded by seven numbered white circles around it that are labeled as follows: 1. "Meetings: Arrive late leave early." 2. "Eat chocolate in front of others without sharing." 3. "Avoid collecting any information about what you are doing." 4. "Avoid planning at all costs!" 5. "If a plan sneaks by you, implement it infrequently enough that it will have no impact." 6. "Be prepared with at least 10 reasons proposed solutions won't work." 7. "Insist on maintaining separate goals and use a lots of jargon." The tag line reads. "Seven habit of ineffective team members."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Hierarchy of Deeds
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a black triangle with white writing divided into five sections (meant to evoke Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs) that read from top to bottom. "Encourage each student's unique abilities and talents." "Teach the kids and provide opportunities for learning." "Welcome every student and help each one be a valued member of the classroom community." "Make sure the classroom is a safe and secure place to be." and "Make sure kids have meals and snacks. Let them drink water and use the bathroom whenever needed." In the lower left-hand corner of the panel are two men reading the triangle and one says to the other, "What do you think?" and the other replies, "Roscoe. I think Maslow would approve!" The tag line reads, "Roscoe's Hierarchy of Deeds."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Pants down
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a man with his pants down around his ankles wearing blue boxers with red hearts on them. He has a file in his hand and papers have fallen out on the floor that are labeled, "IEP." The man is saying "OOOOPS!" The tag line reads, "Are you prepared for all your students? Don't be caught with your pants down!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks