Could the teacher had handled it differently? Perhaps, but there may have been a reason she did it the way she did? Perhaps she was trying to reach the kid, by letting his classmates speak out, and then maybe he would learn and change his behavior. Who knows?
Alex
The child has an IEP. An IEP should address behavior issues and how do deal with them. Frankly if a teacher had done this to my disabled child who is protected by her IEP I would be taking serious steps to get this teacher disaplined. Yes perhaps the child does need a more quiet place, but the parents WERE working toward getting the diagnosis needed to possibly get a different placement. This teacher has overstepped the bounds. There is a time to get kids who have violent tendencies put into other prgrams but really kindegarden is not that time. Exactly how fast do you think a diagnosis of aspergars is made? Overnight?
To let the whole class denigrate this youth with supervision from the teacher is wrong Don't you remember what it felt like to be picked on because you were different?
Nice looking kid, but is he an Iranian? http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2019906/posts
It's kindergarden! This is where they are supposed to develop social skills before moving on. If the teacher is not up to the task - and obviously she is not - then she needs to find another line of work.
Actually, finding another line of work should not be her choice.
“His parents really need to find out why he is acting up the way he is.”
He is acting up the way he is because he’s likely an Asberger’s syndrome, which means he lacks the outward interests that many kids display. These children are often socially awkward and may come across as self-centered. They try to speak with others, but usually end up in long monologues about a subject that interests them. They have difficulty responding to the emotions of others and need to be coached this regard. These children will be clumsy. They will be very geared towards organization and the arrangement of objects, and will not exhibit normal social interactions.
There is very little that can be done to amend this situation outside of behavioral and speech therapy. These kids need emotional support, as well, as they are often victimized by their peers.
As for a teacher who allows her children to say hurtful things to a child as a collective effort and then allows them to vote him out of her class, she deserves to be thrown out of the school on her ear and never allowed to return. That kind of childish nonsense is unfitting of any professional, much less a teacher. Let her wait tables, where her unprofessionalism will at least be rewarded by meager tips. If a teacher wants to discipline a child, it is her job to do so individually. Opening some kind of trial by one’s peers can only be devestating emotionally.
I might not fire this woman, but I would sure put her on the shortest imaginable leash.
You will find on these autism threads that a kid with autism should be allowed to disrupt the world and we should just keep our mouths shut about it.
“Perhaps,”
This loone was using a frigen TV survivor show tactics to teach....she needs to be fired!
“Perhaps, but there may have been a reason she did it the way she did?”
Perhaps that teacher is incapable of exercising adult judgment and should not be in charge of a classroom of kids. She took a stupid idea from reality TV and applied it to a classroom of kids, holding a child with problems up for ridicule.
This entire thing is not an easy situation, but this teacher is not part of the solution.
It would appear the child is unfit to be in normal school.
To prevent repeated disruption, isolation seems necessary.
Yeah thats a classic cure for Asbergers Syndrome, public humiliation!
If this child has gone through the system far enough to have an IEP meeting, then this school district better get ready to stroke a big check. The IDEA is a federal law and it guarantees that child's access to an education. I can't believe the school district hasn't moved to have the teacher canned.
her judgment was lacking here... these are 5-6 year-old children... seems that she's taking his behavioral problems personally... should she have sent him to the nurse's office... sure--if that's how she can get peace and quiet in her classroom so the other students can learn... but to have his classmates vote was silly... what if they had voted to keep him in the classroom? how would that have helped the situation?.. she is in charge... she should act as though she is in charge... and yes--maybe she was trying something new... but it was a stupid choice on her part...
do i think she should be fired? no... do i think legal action against her should prevail? no... should the parents send the child back to her classroom? no... his being there is not working for anybody...
That's more non-judgementalism than I could muster. I don't doubt but what the boy was a little monster, but an adult teacher asking 5 year olds to vote on expelling him from class? Please. It's absolutely inexcusable.
You are talking about a LOUSY teacher. And probably an equally pathetic school administration that put him in a general education class.
Nonetheless, this is kindergarten. She was teaching the class that they could gang up on and emotionally bully one child who has enough problems.
Everthing they really needed to know they did not learn in that kindergarten.
It's been my experience that "normal" kids behave far worse sometimes. And it's also my opinion that this teacher totally stepped in it. I doubt seriously that this is the documented manner in which she should proceed with a problem student.
Alex may be a pain in the butt, but he sure is a cutie.