N.J. teacher, aide heard bullying autistic boy




Disturbing indeed..

I find it disturbing on two levels...maybe 3...particularly after reading the father's website Teacher/Bully account of the incident.

One is how the the child was treated in a school situation by adults. Clearly, things went way beyond the pale in a teacher/child relationship. The teacher and the aid were transferred but not fired. It's impossible to say if they should have been fired based just on this - there isn't enough information and it is only one side.

Another however, is the whole idea of "wiring kids" in the classroom. I see this as a real hinderance for teachers attempting to teach whether it's handling disruptions or attempting to teach controversial subjects where what is heard on a wire may be only part of the story or can easily be misconstrued or deliberately cherry picked. I think that, like videos in the courtroom - this should not be allowed in schools.

The third issue is that of mainstreaming disabled kids into classrooms poorly equipt to handle their needs. Autism, for example, can be very difficult and frustrating to deal with especially when you also have a classroom full of active youngsters.

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I didn't hear her say bastard but I don't have my good speakers hooked up. She sounded nasty anyway and not like a person I would want teaching my child who was average or disabled.

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"You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life."

I heard this on CNN earlier. Good for the father for taking the initiative on listening to his instincts and suspicions something was not right at school and upsetting his child.

Shame on this teacher for the manner in which she treated this poor boy. Obviously she has no patience nor is a good fit for her profession. She needs to find a new line of work.

You let a teacher call my child a bastard and engage in other degrading comments or discuss alcohol and their sex lives in front of the class and we are going to have a serious problem.

Glad to see the aide was fired, but am disappointed the teacher is still employed. She does not deserve nor should be allowed around children as a teacher.

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Quality childcare centers now have video cameras in each classroom, that the parents can watch online throughout the day.
I think at the very least Special Needs classrooms in public schools should have something similar.
The point is, when children are nonverbal (either because they're too young to talk, or because they have special needs), they are unable to tell anyone when they are being mistreated, so I think special surveillance is warranted.

Being wired was the only way this was resolved.

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I think video cameras in a classroom can be a good idea if done with a proper respect for privacy.

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Yes - but I can see it being abused as well.

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DISCLAIMER: Extreme amounts of sarcasm can possibly result in inflammatory situations. Not responsible for keyboard violence, spittle on the monitor, irrational responses mistaken for momentary brilliance, one-sided rages against hypocrisy or individual members or unintended consequences such as poor personal hygiene and bad spelling. Please fasten your seatbelts and put your trays in an upright position.