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 81 - 90 of 228 Records
Workable Team Size
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows lots of people stuffed into a phone booth and a line of people waiting. Mr. Moody is holding up his hand and saying "OK that's enough." The tag line reads "In an effort to maintain a workable team size, Mr. Moody suggests limiting membership to the number of people that can fit into a phone booth."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Book Club
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a group of people sitting around in a living room having tea there is a cat sitting on the coffee table. One of the women sitting on the couch says "This month's book club selection is controversial and quite revealing. Some of you might even find it shocking." The tag line reads "Club members prepare to read 'Everything you always wanted to know about special education but were afraid to ask.'"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Marking Territory
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows people sniffing around the area like dogs. One man is sniffing a tree another is sniffing a fire hydrant, another is peeing on a lamp post and another is sniffing a fence. The tag line reads "Marking Their Territory team members in experimental therapy learn to overcome primitive behavior."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Search Committee
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: Four search committee members are seated at a round table. The first person says, "Any other suggested criteria for hiring a candidate for the position?" The second person who is holding up a book to show them called Ants in His Pants Absurdities and Realities of Special Education says, "I think we should show them a bunch of educational cartoons. If they laugh, they move on to the interview round; if not, it's ciao for now." The third person says, "O.K." The last persons says, "Sounds good." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Search committee members recognize that to be effective in schools it helps to have a good sense of humor."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Adjustment Problem
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: This cartoon has two panels stacked vertically; they shows a man who is a school administrator calling Mrs. Jones from the school. The top panel is split in half. On the left half there is the administrator from the school on the phone saying, "Mrs. Jones we're having a problem at school. Sarah, Buzz, Roy, and Val seem to be having difficulty getting along with your daughter." On the right half of the panel Mrs. Jones says into the phone, "I'm so surprised! I thought she was getting along so well with her classmates!" The panel on the bottom is split the same as above and the administrator is saying "She is! Sarah, Buzz, Roy and Val are Adults." Mrs. Jones has a thought bubble with gray in it and she has a frown on her face. The tag line reads, "Adjustment Problems: 'Usually the adults, rarely the kids.'"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Educational Jeopardy
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows the game show Jeopardy. The categories on the wall are "Grumpy People" "Big Battles, Little Battles" "You Did What?" "Can't Get There From Here." At the top of the panel it says "Your Child's in Educational Jeopardy." In the panel the game show host says "Janet, it's your turn." and Janet replies "I'll take Grumpy People for $100" the tag line reads "Parents find new ways to raise money for educationally related legal fees."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Special Class Euphemisms
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows four panels arranged in a square. Each panel shows a door with a different sign. In the top right frame, a door sign shows two hands reaching out toward each other and reads, "Inclusion Room." The top left panel shows a door decorated with a blue star that reads, "Discovery Room." The bottom right panel shows a door with sign with a spaceship and stars on it with the sign, "Space Place." The bottom left door has a sign that is shaped like an apple; the sign reads, "Learning Center." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Opening the door on special class euphemisms."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Wearing the pants
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows four people walking together in the same direction. The woman and man on the left of the panel are wearing very large pants that clearly don't fit them. To the right of this man are a taller man and woman in underwear acting a bit embarrassed to be without pants. The man in his underwear says, "Excuse me, but I think those are our pants." The tag line reads. "Decisions about a child's life: Someone in the family should be wearing the pants."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Double Standard #5
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows two men and a woman sitting around a table talking. The first man in the lower left corner of the panel says, "Fred can't stay in the regular classroom because he disrupts students' learning." The woman says, "So we've decided to recommend placement in a special class." The man on the right side of the panel replies, "So is that designed to solve the problem or just move it?" The tag line reads, "Double Standard #5: If it's not ok to disrupt the education of students without disabilities, why is it OK to disrupt the education of students with disabilities?"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Method to the Madness
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a cluster of university buildings, one is a tall bell tower with a person at the top laughing, "Hee hee hee." There are three people in the foreground of the panel one man standing on the left says, "Is the rumor true about Dr. G?" The woman standing in the middle says, "I'm afraid so. After 20 years of conducting research he's regressed to a child-like state of writing cartoons." The man standing on the right says, "He won't get tenure that way!" The tag line reads, "Method to the madness: Unbeknownst to his learned colleagues, Dr G. got more people talking about important issues when they were cleverly disguised as corny cartoons."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks