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May 2, 2007
Kids Rights...?
In the past few months, my daughter has come home several times from school, in tears, because of a certain child in her class who has, in one way or another, hurt her feelings. This child is autistic. It has been explained to the class that this boy's brain is wired differently, and they are to treat him as special... Okay... Fine... Wait... What?
While I can understand wanting an autistic child to have the same shot at a normal education and have the same opportunities as "normal" children, at what point does it become okay for a special needs kid to interfere with the education for everyone else in the class?
Yesterday my daughter came home really torn up over the fact that this boy had taken a pair of scissors to the little bean plants she had been growing, and cut them down to stems. In the past he has freaked out in class, causing a scene. There have been the times that he has hit, kicked, broken stuff, and screamed.... and for Baby Girl to even think to mention it to me tells me that, in the very least, it was disruptive to the class as a whole. He has crumpled her school work, colored or written on her things, and now killed her plants that she was so excited about.
So at what point does it become okay for the school to put the needs of this one kid above the other children? I am not trying to be a massive bitch here, but seriously? How much understanding can the majority have about this kind of shit going on?
To basically tell the kids "You must tolerate his terrible behavior, even if he breaks your things, because he can't help it." is ridiculous. If he is bad enough off that the kids are supposed to accept and ignore his destructive and bad behavior then he doesn't belong in that class. He should be in a classroom with a teacher who has been specially trained to meet the needs of his disorder, and where his fits don't compromise the education, property, and sanity of everyone else. It sounds to me that they are treating him like Helen Keller when she would walk around the table and put her hands in everyone's plates... and they let her, ignoring her shitty behavior.
I was thinking of composing a letter to the teacher, but I think I lack the political correctness, nay the finesse, to put into words the mounting frustration I have with the situation. Somehow I don't think, "Keep that little bastard away from my daughter if he can't be taught to be at least civil.", doesn't sound so nice, nor something she might be receptive to.
Go ahead, flame away about my intolerance and ignorance, and whatnot. Tell me about the stats of 1 in 66, and blah, blah, blah. I agree that the teachers are not equipped to deal with the situation properly- especially the DoDEA system- but for fuck's sake, until they are, we can't just throw these kids into the random mix with everyone else and pray it all works out okay. The interim should be dealt with in the same way it has been until another system is in place; they should be pulled off with the kids who have special requirements and put with an educator equipped to deal with those problems. In the mean time, the educational system as a whole needs to be better prepared for these types of situations... a system put in place to make it easy and natural for all of the kids in the classroom, and to get what they came there for- an education.
Tossing them in the mix of a regular classroom is not beneficial to anyone. In the very least, the autistic kid will end up emotionally damaged from the social isolation of no one wanting to be his friend, because he is mean and destructive... and there is the fact of my kids being self-taught intolerance for people who are "wired differently" because of several bad experiences with them.
In the mean time I get to deal with a heartbroken little girl, because she doesn't understand why "wired differently" means mean, hateful spiteful little boy who breaks her shit, ruins her work and cuts up her little bean plants.
Posted by TheFreud at May 2, 2007 8:00 AM
Comments
I think you need write the letter despite how it sounds. This situation should not be allowed to continue, and you can write eloquently enough to get your point accross without offending anyone. I would certainly mention the numerous incidents and be specific. My Grand-daughters education is more important to me then being concerned about hurting someones feelings.
Love,
Dad
Posted by: Dad at May 2, 2007 11:15 AM
I agree that you need to write the letter whatever way you have to write it. Your child is your concern and she is entitled to a civil environment in school. If a single child is depriving her and the rest of her classmates that possibility then that child needs to be moved to a different setting.
And I really feel bad for your daughter...poor kid! How can she possibly succeed under such hostile circumstances>
Posted by: threecollie at May 2, 2007 1:14 PM
Heh. This is whatchoo do.
Write a letter to that bastion of great publication - the Stars & Stripes Opinion column, and blast DoDDs schooling for tolerating the destructive tendencies of some spazzing fucking retard. DODDS Schools are the epitome of inept bureaucratic management left uncheck in my opinion and deserve all the public humiliation in the world (next to AAFES of course).
Or, just beat that fucker's ass the way Billy Bob Thornton did in the movie BAD SANTA, and then flush his head in the toilet for good measure.
Heh.
Posted by: Machine at May 2, 2007 8:19 PM
I say just go straight to the top and tell them exactly what's going on. If they don't have the resources to provide the fucked up kid with the special attention he needs, then they need to reassign his family somewhere else.
Posted by: Karianne at May 2, 2007 11:43 PM
As a longtime teacher I can tell you exactly why people like that are treated so special and people like your daughter are ignored when their rights are trampled. It's very simple. Threats of lawsuits. Money talks. It's truly a sad state of affairs.
Posted by: Ken Albin at May 3, 2007 12:11 AM
Truthfully I agree with your Dad and "Machine". Go to the school director, (in person, don't waste a piece of paper you know is going to line someone's trash basket..) and tell him or her exactly what the "disturbed" child is and has done. Make damn sure that the teacher of this class and the parents of this child, have their asses sitting in the seats next to yours. And tell them exactly what takes place..(but don't be surprised if they are not totally informed as to daily goings-on...or they give you that "deer in the "headlight"look).
It's high time that the military come of age and start running thier schools accordingly. If there are special need students, then stop being so friggon cheap and provide the proper education for those kids and let the normal kids get the education that they need without the hollaring and fucking fits. The government spends millions of dollars building brand new housing with all trimmings; they even build new schools. But the cheap SOB won''t bring in the proper and educated teachers that are needed...THEY DON'T HAVE THE FUNDS TO PAY FOR THEM. For fuck sakes people.
We have a Lt Col. here at Ft. Huachuca that likes that good saying of the militazry doesn't have the $$$. So he put out an article that he was authorizing the closure of the West gate. Well the west gate is the only way for folks who live in Sononta and Elgin and places beyond, to get to thier places of work or the retired fols to get to the commissary or pharmacy. By going all the way around means a 45 to 60 minute commute. His reasons were that the government did not have the funds to pay the security company who employ "wanna-be-mp's". He changed his tune when one of those "retired people" happened to be a retired 2-star general. He basically told them that it was time that the MP's started earnign thier pay..PERIOD!!
My point in all of this is that the military need to start doing whats right. If the school does not have the resources to provide this special child with his own level of education, then they need to either home school the little autistic bastard or provide an educator that can work with him at home, or re-assign the family to an installation where his education needs can be given and his special needs dealt with. Perhaps a petition to have this little bastard removed from the classroom will raise some eyebrows and get some attention brought to the situation.
My Baby Girl's happiness and education is far more important than some "special needs" turd. The rantings and ravings of his parents also need to be dealt with too. You can bet that his folks have alot to do with this shit.."WE WANT OUR CHILD TO BE TREATED JUST LIKE ALL THE OTHER CHILDREN"..SOUNDS LIKE THEY ARE RETARDED TOO AND MAYBE IN DENIAL, and need to have a wake up call.
Posted by: Mom at May 3, 2007 2:34 AM
I think if you put yourself in the other child's parents' shoes, you'd probably be GLAD that there's another person out there fighting for that kid to get the resources he needs. That kid is in that classroom because of a lack of resources, not because it's good for anyone. Autistic children are very very very difficult to raise, and it's even more difficult to get help doing it. I've seen a very good friend of mine have to fight the system every step of the way to have the lovely autistic kid put in the situation that the state law says he is due. And that's back on the mainland, so I can only imagine your plight.
Posted by: vajrabelle at May 3, 2007 3:57 AM
First let me tell you how sorry I feel for your little girl. What she's going through is awful.
That boy needs to be taken out of the mainstream classes & put into a special needs class (preferably one with a padded room). The excuse of not enough money is just plain baloney. The US spends more than enough money on education.
What they need to do is fire a bunch of dead weight school administrators & put that money into the classrooms.
Posted by: cube at May 3, 2007 6:21 PM
Unfortunately, as the mother of a "fucked-up kid" (to quote someone above), I have to tell all you people who are attacking that kid to go to hell.
My child has a genius IQ and tests in the top percentiles on all the standardized exams. She is also bi-polar. So, if the schools had isolated her from the same educational opportunities as the "normal" kids, think of the waste.
Posted by: Disgruntled at May 4, 2007 7:17 AM
Disgruntled... I can relate the the bi-polar thing. I AM bi-polar. I don;t suppose your genius child feels the compulsive need to hit, kick and scream at the other children, and destroy their property? A few emotional/educational needs is one thing.
A kid who compulsively just flies off at least once or twice a week is another.
Posted by: MsF at May 4, 2007 7:39 AM
Heh. Disgruntled.
Nice to hear your kid's a genius - have the fucker solve global warming or some horseshit like that and the kid will be redeemed in the eyes of everyone who has had to suffer its psycho-somatic tendencies.
As for myself, I don't give two shits if you're the fucking high school janitor or a rocket scientist - if you act like a twat in public, you should be singled out and humilated. You can use every excuse in the book to justify behavior - it doesn't hold merit with me. Sorry you got dealt a shitty hand and all but honestly most people don't wanna put up with that kinda shit.
Heh.
Posted by: Machine at May 5, 2007 8:46 AM
OK, when I hear "special needs", I think of some kid with a mental disability (whose fault it ain't)... not a little snot-nosed punk with an attitude problem (whose fault it is). Yes, the school system should spend more money on kids with REAL mental problems, but they shouldn't drop a single dime on some kid who can't behave himself. I'm sorry, but parents need to quit trying to be "best friends" with their damn kids, and stop nurturing their bad behavior. Not all kids that are Bi-polar grow up to become detrements to society. You can still teach your bipolar kid right from wrong, so don't use that shit to jusitfy his bad behovior. Moral of the story: Whoop your kids' asses when necesary, before someone else does... and it won't be considered child abuse.
Posted by: Don_Coyote at April 8, 2008 9:09 PM