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Perhaps an AP upper level high school class (esp. in science and math), where the focus would be more on academics and less on behavioral management? Or college level.
I'm not sure it's ever a good plan for anyone to set out to teach public school assuming they'll get to teach all AP or upper-level classes. Everyone on campus wants to teach the AP and honors classes for the exact same reasons a teacher on the spectrum might--you don't have to deal the headache of behavioral management and can just teach content. At most campuses I've been at, the rule has been to divide those classes up so there's no resentment among the faculty or issues with teacher retention (everyone has to teach 3 regular level, 2 advanced, 1 honors.)
For twenty years as an administrator I worked with a teacher...that was a challenge. The teacher was obviously significantly above average in terms of intelligence. In faculty meetings, team meetings, and department meetings, the teacher would get so mired down in details that he or she would seem to totally miss the “bigger picture”...how things might affect the overall school or the overall faculty (for example, desperately in need of gum chewing policy and never letting go of the quest despite a majority of teachers angry at the suggestion because they chewed gum themselves). Saw his/her content area as a bunch of facts, couldn't connect those facts to concepts such as social movements, etc. Out of a faculty of 74 had perhaps 3 people he/she could call a friend. Rigid behavior at social functions such a faculty parties, to the point where some people joked that he or she might be a zombie, which fit in with his or her flat persona. Totally obsessive about rules, and as a result his or her classroom seemed "dead". Difficult to have a conversation with because his or her conversations tended to emphasize the overly literal use of words and phrases. Totally business-like, never let his or her hair down. Went a little bananas when he or she was required to change classrooms.
And our faculty got to the point of wanting an honor code for our middle school students. Okay. Guess who headed up the committee. They came up with a fairly reasonable honor code...perhaps a little heavy handed...but something the administrators could work with. The honor code was introduced to the community, and of course to the students. Guess what teacher had the first honor code case. A boy who "cheated" during a test. In the parent conference, the teacher repeatedly described the boy as "a cheater", inflaming the parents. Fortunately, the honor code gave me, the administrator, the decision on a punishment, and I went with a couple of detentions, a zero on the test (required by the code), and, reluctantly, an entry on the permanent record due to the disciplinary action. However, the teacher argued for a 3 day suspension -- the max penalty allowed by the school system. The whole situation ruined that student's time in middle school. It was visible. The student became bitter, began to hate school, and became rather surly.
Fast forward two years. The student in question is now in high school. Meanwhile our faculty has decided it's time to fine tune the honor code after two years. A very few teachers want to give the code "more teeth"; guess who was the spokesperson for that POV. More teachers want to relax things just a bit. The teacher in question goes into a long discussion of his/her first honor code violation conference and how it should have been a three day suspension. During his/her diatribe, he/she slips and says, "Even though the boy was only asking for a Kleenex during the test, that made him a cheater". I think this was the only time as a school administrator that I lost my cool. In the end, I went to the high school to have the incident expunged from the student's permanent record, and personally apologized to the student for the incident. I also privately met with the teacher and admonished her for labeling a student as "a cheater" for asking for a kleenex tissue. But I also ranted and raved about the issue to one of the teachers I was closest to, who also happened to be one of the very few friends of the teacher. That friend happened to be our special ed chairperson. He or she said, "Victor. Considering all the IEPs you sit in on and sign off on, I'm surprised you don't see it". "See what?" "List [that teacher's characteristics, but suppose that it's a student we're looking at for special ed placement". I started down the list and suddenly stopped. "You're saying [the teacher] is Aspergers?" And of course, it was. But it's so easy sometimes to see these categories as something affecting kids, and we often don't transfer the diagnoses to adults.
Don't get me wrong. There were students who thrived under that teacher. Those students who need total a highly structured classroom setting did well. Others didn't fare as well, although I can't say it was an ideal classroom setting. Many students complained of being bored.
But the question comes down to -- will such a teacher be happy in a public school setting. I'd question that and wonder if teacher in -- for example -- a community college setting might be more appropriate. The teacher in question would have probably been a brilliant researcher in his/her field of study.
Bottom line: In my view, an adult diagnosed with Aspergers might be far more comfortable and a far better fit in a different field or working with adult students.
I'm not sure it's ever a good plan for anyone to set out to teach public school assuming they'll get to teach all AP or upper-level classes. Everyone on campus wants to teach the AP and honors classes for the exact same reasons a teacher on the spectrum might--you don't have to deal the headache of behavioral management and can just teach content. At most campuses I've been at, the rule has been to divide those classes up so there's no resentment among the faculty or issues with teacher retention (everyone has to teach 3 regular level, 2 advanced, 1 honors.)
That's the other thing about the case I just outlined. This particular teacher thought he or she should only teach gifted classes...even though he/she had had no training in gifted education.
These are the first two I found, but there are others. My heart always breaks for people who find themselves in this position, and I do to some degree blame the university that didn’t stop them before they got a degree.
Let me say, that I did get that resolved. The administrator of that investigation mishandled it. He asked me not to come back without investigating the actual claim, I appealed to the district, and the district sided with me, and I am back with that school substitute teaching, and that administrator is not. I heard he left resignation notice before this happened, so it's likely he just didn't care enough. This district doesn't allow schools to remove subs on their own, as they have to do the appropriate paperwork and allow the sub to appeal, and I got none of that, and could have theoretically accepted a job there until they did and I told the district who had no idea what I was talking about that I wanted nut appeal according to the handbook policy. The administrator said he just forgot about it and it was sitting on his desk. They investigated, found nothing, apologized to me and let me return. There was also a complaint before that I didn't find out until later from a student that was separate from this, and that student was recently expelled for that and other behaviors towards students and teachers.
The point is, being stubborn and determined to get what you're entitled to does have its advantages.
The thread about the gender issue was more that I don't know why they even had to tell me that in the first place. I'm fairly used to assignments being changed and cancelled and didn't need a controversial explanation.
That being said, I know other teachers who have autism, and it's not a disqualifier. I had trouble in my internship, and could do it again and be much better, but I just feel I've moved on now.
That being said, what I can't handle are certain noises, room lighting that is too bright (I subbed in a sensory appealing room and was very calm there), being interrupted a lot when I'm focused on a dilemma I'm trying to solve, and having to change schedules.
I also do tend to get overwhelmed by trying to make sense of all the details.
I do very well with making computer programs though, and I'm even talking to some teachers on programs that might make their jobs easier. I can sit in front of a computer for hours looking for solutions tto complex problems in computer language.
What I'm going to miss though when I start with that is that working with kids every day who see you as unique and want you to be their teacher more often does have rewards. I'm not an easy sub that lets them do anything and not work, and many said that's not what they think. I'm a bit more easy going, but it's mostly because I listen, understand their frustrations when they have them, and try to relate. A lot of teachers don't tend to do that, or don't do it in a more natural way. A behavioral specialist said that's what's most shocking about me having autism, as that kind of empathy is usually a struggle.
I'm not sure it's ever a good plan for anyone to set out to teach public school assuming they'll get to teach all AP or upper-level classes. Everyone on campus wants to teach the AP and honors classes for the exact same reasons a teacher on the spectrum might--you don't have to deal the headache of behavioral management and can just teach content. At most campuses I've been at, the rule has been to divide those classes up so there's no resentment among the faculty or issues with teacher retention (everyone has to teach 3 regular level, 2 advanced, 1 honors.)
I think part of what my flaw was is that the first lessons I taught were in honors algebra 1 for 8th grade. My lesson on factoring polynomials was considered brilliant and other teachers even used my smart presentation that I made for it. I had teachers using my powerpoints, projects, and tests I made for science and math, but I just had a hard time relaying the information in the classroom.
I think the reason I had success my first field lessons was that the students were at grade level being in honors, and other classes I said it wasn't my job to teach 8th grade students long division and greatest common factor, as that was not a common core standard I was responsible for.
So, another issue as pointed out here is looking for the ideal situation. Ideally, we wouldn't be passing kids to higher grades until they met the necessary milestones.
When Temple Grandin first started teaching at CSU, she had to be reminded to turn around & face the class while lecturing. She would literally start talking with her back to the students.
When Temple Grandin first started teaching at CSU, she had to be reminded to turn around & face the class while lecturing. She would literally start talking with her back to the students.
My issue was eye contact in my internship. I don't regularly make eye contact as it causes sensory overload. I was wondering if it really was that important, or if they were just using it as something else against me to make their point.
The biggest obstacle for an Aspies in teaching, and it is a HUGE obstacle, is the inability to read social cues. This leads to the inability to read facial expressions and interpret them, the inability to catch on to subtle signals of distress, and inability to appropriately proactively prevent a thousand little mini incidents that could blow up into a crisis if left unchecked. The second obstacle is the inability to quickly deescalate once an incident occurs. The third biggest obstacle is lack of flexibility. The first glaring issue all this results in is an inability to appropriately manage a classroom.
Simply put, teaching in a K-12 setting is not an appropriate career for someone on the spectrum. The real issue is that a teacher does not get accommodations, instead they are the accommodators. The ADA does not cover this as appropriate social response is considered an essential skill in teaching.
I will try to find some of the threads from various Aspies who have struggled with this, reading them might help you get a picture of the struggles.
I agree.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheTimidBlueBars
No career is inherently out-of-reach for all people on the spectrum. Autistic people's symptoms vary in range and severity from person to person, and appropriate social behaviors can be learned.
As a person on the spectrum, I would guess the biggest hurdle for me would be knowing how to deal with kids' unruly behavior, especially when two kids are arguing or fighting with each other and both want me to take their side, or when the particular way they're goofing off is unusual and not something teachers would usually encounter. (This would be less of a problem the older the classes you're teaching are.) I don't know how education degree programs work, but I would suggest paying a lot of attention to the conflict management-type stuff. Emotional intensity + ambiguity + everything coming at you at once with no time to prepare = a nightmare for most autistic folk.
After being a teacher for over 40 years, while I do admit that being a successful teacher, while being on the autism spectrum, isn't "inherently out of reach" such as being a wet nurse is out of reach for a biological male or being a sperm donor is out of reach for a biological female. IMHO, it is extremely, extremely rare for a person on the spectrum to be successful as a K-12 teacher.
Is it impossible? No, I wouldn't say that, but every teacher faces hundreds (maybe even thousands) of split second decisions every school day, many of which are tied into the need to instantaneous interpret fleeting, minute facial expressions, minuscule changes in posture/body language, slight changes in vocal qualities or tone of individual students, while teaching the subject matter to the entire class. By the very nature of autism this is not something that "comes naturally" nor, IMHO, can it be taught (except for the very basics).
My issue was eye contact in my internship. I don't regularly make eye contact as it causes sensory overload. I was wondering if it really was that important, or if they were just using it as something else against me to make their point.
In the United States, eye contact from the teacher to an individual student, from the teacher to all of the students in the classroom (on a rotating basis), from the teacher to parents during conferences, from the teacher to coworkers during discussions, from the teacher to superiors/bosses (principals, superintendent, school board members) is, IMHO, absolutely essential. So, yes, it is very important.
My specialty was early childhood special education. One of the very first things that we focused on when a child was diagnosed with autism, as a three year old, was eye contact, because that was often the foundation of the learning the other social skills.
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