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 21 - 30 of 36 Records
Recycling
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows two educators talking in front of a filing cabinet. The woman says "Tom's IEP is due soon. What should we do?" The man responds "No sweat. I've saved every IEP I've ever written over the past 15 years. Pick one and we'll go from there." The tag line reads, "Recycling Gone Bad."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Trial by Fire
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows the door to the principal's office with a sign that reads, "Do not disturb. Interview in progress." Just in front of the door is a ring of fire and in front of the ring of fire are burning coals on the floor. A woman is standing by the coals holding a file. There are three people sitting at a table waiting and one woman, looking nervous and making the sound "Gulp!" as she walks toward the coals with her shoes in her hand. The woman holding the file says, "Right this way! The principal will see you now." The tag line reads, "Prospective employees go through a trial by fire to help determine their suitability for the realities of public school."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Teacher Shortage
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a woman in a red dress standing in a spotlight with film crew around her. She is holding an apple and a script. In the lower left corner a director is holding a clapboard and saying, "Quiet on the set. Teacher Recruitment - Take 3. ACTION!" The woman says, "I'm not a teacher, but I play one at school, you can too." The tag line reads, "Unemployed actors are recruited to fill the national teacher shortage."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Hardening of the Attitudes
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows an overweight, middle-aged man in his underwear sitting on an examining table in his doctor's office. The doctor is standing in front of him listening to the man's heart with a stethoscope. The man says to the doctor, "What is Doc? I can take it!" The doctor replies, "I'm afraid you have a common affliction among veteran educators...Attituderial Asclerosis." The tag line reads, "Harry is diagnosed with hardening of the attitudes."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks
Mirror
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2007
- Description: This cartoon has two panels stacked vertically. The top panel shows two teachers talking with each other while some students are working at a table in the background. One teacher says to the other, "Erin is doing so well in your class! How has it been teaching a student with a disability?" The other teacher replies, "Well, the first day I saw an intimidated, scared girl." The second panel below show the same image but now the responding teacher is shown with a thought bubble where she is seeing younger (child version) of herself in a mirror as intimidated and scared, while she adds, "Then I realized I was looking in the mirror." The tag line under the cartoon reads, "Reflections of a high school English teacher." A note on the left side reads, "Inspired by Erin McKenzie and Peggy Burner."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, CD Only
Poultry Puns
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a teacher in front of a class full of students. The students all have their hands up and they are all saying, "I'm done!" the teacher responds with, "Turkeys are 'done' people are 'finished!' Based on you work, I should give you all 'Goose eggs!' But since I'm 'Mr. Eggstra-nice-guy,' I'll let you do it over!" the tag line reads, "What happens when teachers become obsessed with poultry puns."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Dick, Jane and Spot
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon has two people in the panel. The man on the right side of the panel is saying, "We need to avoid our mistakes of the past and teach kids the 'Classics.'" The person in the right side of the panel says, "Right! I still fondly remember 'See Dick. See Jane. See Spot. Run Spot Run!'" The tag line reads "Literature in literacy an entire generation grew up thinking Dick, Jane, and Spot were significant literary characters."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Bending Over Backwards
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a classroom teacher and a student at a desk. The teacher is doing a back bend and pointing at the students work. The teacher says "Nice work Melanie!" and the Melanie says "Thanks for your help Mrs. V." The tag line reads "Mrs. V. is the kind of classroom teacher who bends over backwards for all of her students."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Old Hat
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 1999
- Description: The cartoon shows a classroom table with children sitting around it working on papers together. Two teachers are in the left side of the frame chatting, one is wearing an old baseball hat. And one is wearing a hairband and glasses. The teacher with the hairband says "It's amazing how well you have adjusted your teaching now that students with severe disabilities are in your class." The teacher in the old hat says "Well, I just keep reminding myself that my students were each different before 'Inclusive Education' that hasn't changed, just expanded." The tag line reads "Mrs. King sports her worn softball cap as a reminder that individualizing to meet unique student needs is old hat to good teachers."
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
This is a Test
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- Creator: Giangreco, Michael F., 1956-.
- Date Created: 2000
- Description: The cartoon shows a classroom with students at desks and a teacher at the front of the class. In the upper right corner is a loud speaker announcing, "This is a test! For the next 16 years we will be conducting a test of the Emergency Educational System. In case of an actual educational emergency, you would have been directed where to go to school in your area." The tag line reads, "Remember, this is only a test!"
- Parent Collections: Absurdities and Realities of Special Education, Teaching Old Logs New Tricks