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The mentality seems to be that this one child should be prioritized over all the others, at the expense of the other students' ability to have a safe and effective learning environment.
I understand that there are legitimate needs with ADD/ADHD/Asperger/Autistic/etc. students. But, should we really be elevating the rights of one student over the rights of all of the others?
Too true, and a horribly sad commentary on the state of our public school systems.
I saw this far too much in middle and high school, but not as a result of a kid on the spectrum. In my school system, if you were rich, that was the only requirement you needed to be treated like another entity unto yourself.
That is why I'm getting out of teaching after 10+ years. I cannot deal with all of the behavior problems. I cannot deal with kids ripping up referral notices in my face, walking out of class, talking back, interrupting me every two minutes, etc. I cannot deal with administrators who tell me I cannot send kids out in the hallway when it is impossible to teach the class when they are there. I do not believe that all kids are bad and this is a "lost" generation. I feel sorry for the kids who want to learn. They are having to put up with teachers who have lost the ability to actually teach. I am sick of reading about how schools must "achieve" when we have so many kids who do not have any boundaries at home.
That is why I'm getting out of teaching after 10+ years. I cannot deal with all of the behavior problems. I cannot deal with kids ripping up referral notices in my face, walking out of class, talking back, interrupting me every two minutes, etc. I cannot deal with administrators who tell me I cannot send kids out in the hallway when it is impossible to teach the class when they are there. I do not believe that all kids are bad and this is a "lost" generation. I feel sorry for the kids who want to learn. They are having to put up with teachers who have lost the ability to actually teach. I am sick of reading about how schools must "achieve" when we have so many kids who do not have any boundaries at home.
It's funny (sad) how we hear over and over that teachers need further training and that we need to pour more money into schools in order to improve the education our children get. No one ever seems to address what I consider the root cause of all the problems in today's schools--the behavior problems you describe.
Yep. But there are two culprits here. The teacher and the parent. A child who exasperates a teacher this badly has a parent who is obviously asleep at the switch.
Obviously, YOU have no idea what it is like parenting a special needs child. YOU have no idea what it is like to see the pain and suffering these children (Those with asperger's) go through everyday because of people like you.
does mychild act out yea. is it disruptive sometimes. does the school or anyone else for that matter blame me for my child's faults that they have NO control over nope. Am i doing everything that I know of to help them, your d**n straight I am even taking her to one of america's best specialest in this area so don't youdare say that this is the parent;sfault untilYOu are there. ipity your childern for being so closed minded to the world!!
I confess,I haven't read many of the posts (I did read the first few). There seem to be a lot of insensitive and clueless teachers out there. When I was in grade school (granted a number of years ago but not EXTREMELY long ago),there was a teacher who had what was called a "popularity contest" where students voted who they liked best(which student) and she would read their names and how many people voted for them. A lot of kids who got few votes felt terrible (and yes,I was shy so not popular). I wonder--did this teacher even finish high school? Young children should have their confidence built up,not torn down!
Shame on the teacher she should be fired and her teaching license revoked. I certainly would not stand for her being my child's teacher after such behavior.
I understand these children with behavioral problems are, well, a problem for the teachers. If they are placed in the classroom with normal children, and the teachers cannot handle it, they need to inform their supervisor that they cannot handle the job and asked for the child to be moved out of the classroom or QUIT their job.
For the people saying that the children need to behave and get prepared for real life---what about this teacher? Where in "real life" do you get to vote annoying or bothersome people out? Not in your job, not at home, not in your family---nowhere. So how is this teacher prepared for real life herself.
What a stupid idea that teacher had. Too bad for her she made such an idiotic decision that will haunt her for the rest of her life. I am glad to see her humiliated by the media.
Argh!!!! It is just so unimaginable that an educated person would do this to a five year old, no matter how disruptive. I hope she is no longer teaching, the idiot!
I agree that the teacher in this case should be severely reprimanded. An adult quite simply cannot do this to a child.
However, I do think we need to re-evaluate whether these special needs children should be in regular classrooms. Some can function fairly well, but others need so much special attention that they are disruptive to the other students. My son had an autistic child in his class for 4th and 5th grade and quite simply, he was impossible for any regular classroom teacher to handle. IMO he did not belong in a regular class, he should have been placed with a teacher who has special training in how to handle ESE students.
It is quite unfair to the other students in the class to have to deal with "room clears" when an autistic child is so frustrated that he becomes violent. It is quite unfair for my son to come home upset because "X threw a chair at the teacher and she is pg. I am afraid the baby will be hurt."
While I do not blame the parents for the child's condition, I do blame the parent for insisting that her child be placed in a regular classroom. It was unfair to her son because he was not receiving what he needed. It was unfair to the other students because he was very disruptive. It was unfair to the teacher because it is difficult to give an autistic child the attention he needs whild still serving the other students.
I agree that the teacher in this case should be severely reprimanded. An adult quite simply cannot do this to a child.
However, I do think we need to re-evaluate whether these special needs children should be in regular classrooms. Some can function fairly well, but others need so much special attention that they are disruptive to the other students. My son had an autistic child in his class for 4th and 5th grade and quite simply, he was impossible for any regular classroom teacher to handle. IMO he did not belong in a regular class, he should have been placed with a teacher who has special training in how to handle ESE students.
It is quite unfair to the other students in the class to have to deal with "room clears" when an autistic child is so frustrated that he becomes violent. It is quite unfair for my son to come home upset because "X threw a chair at the teacher and she is pg. I am afraid the baby will be hurt."
While I do not blame the parents for the child's condition, I do blame the parent for insisting that her child be placed in a regular classroom. It was unfair to her son because he was not receiving what he needed. It was unfair to the other students because he was very disruptive. It was unfair to the teacher because it is difficult to give an autistic child the attention he needs whild still serving the other students.
Thank you for this reasoned response. You make an important point--just as the autistic child was not receiving what he needed, neither were the other students. So who did this inclusion serve? Dare I say economic interests?
Before everyone gets excited about the idea of not including some special needs children in regular classrooms, you need to realize how some special needs kids affect their classroom and those around them.
Special needs does not just cover children with physical disabilities; nor does it cover only children with autism; it also includes children with all kinds of emotional/behavior disorders.
I've had children throw chairs while I moved the rest of the class to safety.
In one school where I taught, a 2nd grade boy with "behavioral issues" (we used to call it something else) tripped a teacher so that she fell down a flight of stairs; the resulting injury has caused her to have years of surgery, and she still walks with a limp.
In another school, a first grader broke his very experienced teacher's finger.
A third grade girl was a "runner;" she would take off out of the classroom and out into the traffic in the road in front of the school; in another year, a 2nd grade boy would bolt from the class with several staff members giving chase to catch him before he did something harmful to himself--one time he climbed the backstop at the ball field and threatened to jump off.
My list could go on. More and more, the kids with the behavior issues are hijacking the educational day.
As far as this post goes, the teacher was wrong. Period.
I understand the parents of children with behavioral issues. I have a child with ADHD who is on medication. Without his medicine, he would very probably be one of those who bothers other children. We choose to use medication b/c it keeps his focus and attention and has resulted in him doing VERY WELL in school thus far. I see no reason to watch my child struggle and fail when I know there is medicine that can help him. I know all the risks but we moniter him closely and are happy with our decision. Parents who have children with behavioral issues don't want to have their children excluded and a part of me can sympathize with that. However, when it gets to the point that the MAJORITY of the students in the classroom are being held back or fear for their safety, then the behavior problem should be removed. Public school is there for all students but one child should not take precedence over the majority b/c the parents want their child treated the same as everyone else. They aren't like everyone else. Sometimes the child needs to be in a program or school that will cater to them and their issues. If one is not available, then perhaps homeschooling should be considered. It's not that people don't sympathize with you. It's just that your child is not more important than the rest of the students to them. It's not fair to expect teachers to parent your child. They are there to teach and some kids just don't need to be mainstreamed.
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