I agree it was inappropriate, but it's not THAT bad. He'll get over it just fine -- I got over much worse -- so long as everyone doesn't act like it was the end of the world.
It's beyond the pale. It IS that bad. It's one thing to not intervene when students pick on each other (and there's an awful lot of that and it's not particularly appropriate). It's another when the teacher leads the charge.
This is particularly frustrating because the school has already developed an IEP for this child, and the child is going through the diagnosis process for autism.
I know that mainstreaming students can be frustrating for teachers, but to teach other children intolerance of learning disabilities is inappropriate.
I'm more worried about kids growing up in war zones and/or surrounded by disease and/or starvation and/or crushing poverty and/or drug abuse and/or sexual exploitation and/or I could go on. I agree it's bad, but its not THAT bad. It's not "get the cops involved oh-the-humanity" bad. Keep in mind that what this teacher did is encouraged in Japan.
Alex is in the process of being dxed with Asperger's Syndrome. Asperger's Syndrome is marked by social awkwardness and a general immaturity in the social realm. Asperger's Syndrome also contains a myriad of various co-dxes that range from difficulties with oversensitivity to sounds, smells, and other general sensory difficulties.
In regards to the social difficulties, one of the aspects of this is a lack of understanding regarding the requirements and workings of social systems and system rules.
In other words, where in neurotypical children social rules and practices are just learned naturally, kids with Asperger's Syndrome have to be specifically taught these rules and practices.
So to demand that this child, who has yet to have undergone any therapies or any special training, to follow the social norm is ludicrous and destructive.
What this kid needs is patience and understanding.
I'd like to see his teacher experience the same treatment she gave him and see how she does with it.
Yeah, but we're still talking about a kid getting his feelings hurt. How does this merit national attention? I don't even think it merits serious disciplinary action beyond, "hey, don't do that again," and maybe an apology. Anyway, if he's got problems adapting to social norms, he's going to have to get used to people reacting badly. Better he starts now than grows up in a bubble and is shocked to discover the cruel, cruel world only when he's 25 and completely mis-raised to believe that people will accommodate him.
This kid is going to be far more aware of the cold cruel world than you will ever be aware.
People with Asperger's Syndrome are acutely, if not largely, aware of being separate of society all their lives. They have to learn how to properly interact. It never becomes just a natural action.
You know, research says that at least 99% of kids with Asperger's Syndrome are bullied? And many of those are severely bullied.
I might also add that the suicide rate in people with Asperger's Syndrome is far higher than the typical population.
Not to mention the fact that one of the signs of AS is perseveration -- focusing intensely on certain subjects and memories.
At the age of 11, I became very aware that life sucked and there was nothing you could do about it.
People with AS are some of the more aware people out there. We're very in touch with the hardships of the cold cruel world.
Researchers say that we lack empathy for other people because we can't put ourselves in their shoes. I disagree with that. I think it's the other way around. People don't show empathy for us. They don't try to imagine what it's like to be in our heads.
You tell me a bad story and I'll tell you 10 more. Kids with AS get the raw end of the deal. Always.
And your marginalization of this event helps perpetuate such discriminatory behaviors.
I'm not marginalizing the event. I'm pointing out that the event is marginal. Perhaps you're just "focusing intently on certain subjects and memories," as per your disorder, but you should realize that there are much larger problems in this world than this one. People SHOULD be nice to each other -- but first we should make sure they don't rape, murder, starve, bomb, etc., each other. Frankly, it's far more important that funding be found for the vast majority of kids whose schools are being strangled out of existence than this one kid be hand-held through the inevitable reality of people being assholes to him.
This is more than just one kid one time. This is one kid in the news representing a spectrum of people who went through the exact same thing as kids. This is the point where we say enough is enough. We were kids when we had to go through this crap and he is now--but the difference is that we're finally adults and we can finally say something.
Aspies don't just get the short stick once in a while in school situations. It happens like this every day, every year. You get this kind of crap as an aspie from the majority of your teachers while they let the preps get away with murder.
There's no one to turn to as a kid who's getting bullied by the teacher.
And you think about those other things you mentioned - rape, murder, bomb. You don't think that the rate of those things increase more for and by people who have been treated like crap all their lives? How can you expect to build community when you treat the people on the fringes like they're worthless?
This is more than just one kid. This is a subculture that has been told all their lives that they're worthless and no good and stupid. They tell us that we're freaks and weirdos and are worth shit.
No one fights for us.
This isn't perseveration. This is everyday life.
And you think about those other things you mentioned - rape, murder, bomb. You don't think that the rate of those things increase more for and by people who have been treated like crap all their lives?
Good point. Let's throw little Billy in jail right now, to prevent the death and destruction he will undoubtedly cause.
I'm kidding, of course, but just to show what an awful point you're making.
Can I ask again, why not just make the teacher promise not to do it again and apologize to the kid? There's no law against being a jerk, and there's no law protecting the feelings of the overly sensitive -- nor should there be.
You're missing my "awful" point. Don't throw him in jail now. Treat him with justice now. Show him that he is important to the community--that he has unique worth.
As for acting like a jerk, I should think that the teachers teaching our youngest and most impressionable should not be part of that category.
Aspies are responsible for some of the most innovative and creative ideas through history. Without them, we would lead significantly less advanced lives.
And for that, we treat them as though they don't matter. They are treated with contempt by their peers and by teachers. People with AS are not only at higher risk for bullying and suicide, but they also experience higher rates of depression and PTSD.
Why the PTSD? It's actually a form called "chronic PTSD." It is most often seen after a period of long-term abuse at the hands of others. Sexual abuse. Physical abuse. Emotional abuse.
Well of course I agree with you that mapeople "should" be nice to other people. But you can't force them.
And if you try, there comes a certain point when attempts to protect one person or group begin infringing on the rights of others. Force me to "be nice" to people and you've taken away my freedom of speech and expression.
In an employment situation you can deem what someone did unprofessional and reprimand her. In this case that's probably called for.
None of the rest of this -- getting the newspapers involved, etc. -- is called for. There's just far more important things in the world. There's more important things in the realm of education alone. A kid being voted out of a classroom -- no matter his disability, no matter how poorly that means he's going to take it -- is SUPER-low on the priorities list.
You can reply to this however you'd like, but unless you have a new, compelling argument, I'm done with the conversation.
Aspies are responsible for some of the most innovative and creative ideas through history. Without them, we would lead significantly less advanced lives.
Hold on a second. Asperger's was first described in 1944, and while it no doubt existed before that, you don't get to rewrite history and claim people from the past as having it just to buttress your argument. That's crap. You may want to claim some great creative minds as yours, but the fact is you'll only be making guesses as to their conditions, and flawed ones at that. No no--we're not going to play that game here.
Let me point out one other thing about my position on this matter. While I believe that the teacher was way out of line in her treatment of that student, I think she did as much damage to her other students in that classroom, by acting out bullying tactics and basically giving her other students reason to believe that such behavior was acceptable. However, having had students who claim Asperger's syndrome in my classes (although in some cases, they didn't provide any documentation), I can also say that they're challenging students to deal with, to say the least, and at times have been a hindrance to the class as a whole. How much distraction should a teacher be required to put up with? How much harm has to be caused to the rest of a class in order to accommodate a special-needs student?
Amy, your ongoing argument seems to be that since your generation got treated like crap, then mine should to.
"I went through crap, therefore you should too."
In a word, that's bullshit. God I hope you're not an educator.
Purportedly, Bill Gates is an aspie. And Einstein, Mozart and Leonardo show all the signs of being on the spectrum.
Either way, aspies are rarely cannon fodder.
I didn't make that argument at all.
lastcrazyhorn,
Of all those examples, only Gates is provable, and when he steps forward, fine. You don't get to claim any of the others, not with any degree of intellectual honesty anyway. Best case, you're making a diagnosis based on historical documents. I don't buy it, and neither will anyone else with any sense.
He'll get over it just fine -- I got over much worse.
Better he starts now than grows up in a bubble and is shocked to discover the cruel, cruel world only when he's 25 and completely mis-raised to believe that people will accommodate him.
There's no law against being a jerk, and there's no law protecting the feelings of the overly sensitive -- nor should there be.
A kid being voted out of a classroom -- no matter his disability, no matter how poorly that means he's going to take it -- is SUPER-low on the priorities list.
Amy, I beg to differ. That seems to be your constant argument. Everyone gets treated like crap so why should we care?
What kind of bullshit philosophy is that?
This is the problem with society. This is what leads to all of those other problems. We don't take care of our own. We don't take care of the next generation. For every one of Alex, there's a 1000 more not being noticed.
Come check out my blogroll sometime. You'll find 100 more aspies that are awesome folk making a difference every day in the lives around them.
Thanks for the invite, but I think I'll pass.
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