I seriously have no words adequate to express my RAGE

[mickeym]

Via aspecialparent, but also seen on raynedanser and keepaofthecheez's LJs:

Mom says special needs child 'voted' out of classroom.

I really...can't describe how reading that made me feel. My *13yr old child*, who is special needs himself, said, when I broke down and started crying, "that's SICKENING", wrt to the teacher's behavior. He hugged me and held me while I cried, and said he couldn't understand why a teacher (or anyone!) would do that to a little kid. (Do I even have to say how proud I am of him right now?)

Some other links, by way of keepaofthecheez:

Apparently some parents started a petition to get Wendy Portillo voted "out of her class", aka FIRED FOR FUCKING LIFE. If you want to sign, or just simply voice your displeasure with the school, sign here. This is an absolute disgrace.

Also, from here:

Barton said after the vote, Alex's teacher asked him how he felt.

"He said, 'I feel sad,'" she said.

Alex left the classroom and spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office, she said.

Barton said when she came to pick up her son at the school on Wednesday, he was leaving the nurse's office.

"He was shaken up," she said. Barton said the nurse told her to talk with the child's teacher, who told her what happened.

Alex hasn't been back to school since then, and Barton said he won't be returning. He starts screaming when she brings him with her to drop off his sibling at school.

Thursday night, his mother heard him saying "I'm not special."

You can reach the school and members of the board of education here.

Please feel free to pass this information on, link to this post, whatever. Please go vote in the petition to get the teacher fired for LIFE. If you have kids yourself, talk to them about the importance of valuing everyone, regardless of any disabilities or differences. I know the kids in the class were going along with what the teacher said to do -- they're five year olds, for heaven's sake -- but it's never, EVER too early to teach love and tolerance and understanding and to underscore the importance of standing up for those who maybe need it.

Editing to add information:

From hanncoll: If you're as outraged and disgusted about this as I am, please take a few minutes to contact the St. Lucie County School Board at webmastr@stlucie.k12.fl.us, or call Lucie County Schools Superintendent Michael J. Lannon at (772) 429-3925 (fax #: 772.429.3916, email: lannonm@stlucie.k12.fl.us), or contact the school principal, Marcia Cully at (772) 337-6730 (email: cullym@stlucie.k12.fl.us) and tell them so.

Because Alex has been repeating the phrase "I'm not special" since the incident, there's information here about a card-writing campaign to let Alex know that he IS special.

Comments

[linda3m.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Just wanted to let you know that there are those of us who are not parents who are also sickened by that level of gross malice.

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

*hugs back* Thank you. Not that I ever doubted -- I know that parents aren't the only ones who will be outraged and sickened by it -- but it is nice to hear :)

I figure it's really awful when my kid, who is pretty emotionally disconnected (as far as empathy/sympathy go) knows how bad that is.

[raynedanser.livejournal.com]

I'm still just so dumbfounded... I can't even FATHOM what this woman was thinking. Then again, as soon as Alex showed up at the nurse's office, someone should have called mom IMMEDIATELY.

[clumsygyrl.livejournal.com]

dear god above.

i... i have no words. it makes me realize that the little bit i am doing to help the kids i am teaching is trying to counteract this type of trauma.

just... how can you call yourself a teacher? i want to punch this woman in the face.

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

how can you call yourself a teacher?

How could you call yourself a human being? *shakes head* Like I said above, when *Matthew* is shocked...it's beyond awful.

[mickeym.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It seems to me there was a whole LOT of letting-the-ball-drop going on there. The teacher, that's inexcusable. But what child goes to the nurse in elementary school, visibly shaken and upset, and the nurse *doesn't* call mom? Or refer it to the principal to handle? Or SOMETHING?

[raynedanser.livejournal.com]

I just emailed HER and the school board because OH MY GOD. I just... WOW.

This is what I said to her:

As a mother and the mother of a child with special needs, I am horrified
and repulsed by your behavior with Alex Barton. Whether he is or is not
on the Autism spectrum, has Asperger's or not, what were you thinking?
Where was your head?

As a teacher, you are being given a special gift every single day that
you teach those kids and what were you doing with it that day? Teaching
these kids bigotry and hatred and how to ostracize another child.

I hope you are never allowed in another classroom again. Any child is
too good for you.

Den*** B****
Bangor, Maine

ETA:
BTW, M came into the room for a hug when your post was still up and wanted to know what it was about, so I explained it to him. He was shocked and was all "OMG, did they fire her?" And we talked about how the teacher's behavior was very wrong, but I think he had that figured out anyway. ;-)

[laurificus.livejournal.com]

That's just--awful doesn't cut it. God, that's a hell of a thing for a 5-yo to experience. And the fact that she's a teacher obviously makes it worse, but come on. what adult, teacher or not, doesn't realise that's wrong? There are kids not much older than the ones in her care who probably realise that.

[gabilady.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing all of this. I am so disgusted that it even happened. I have responded and passed it on.

"As the P.T.O. President, former kindergarten para-pro and mother of 2 children in elementary school, I am horrified that this took place and I hope no child ever has to face a teacher impersonator such as this woman."

[magser.livejournal.com]

Oh wow....
My eldest son is 14 yrs old and has a chromosome disorder which has led to learning difficulties and he started acting up bi time this year in class after making the transition to secondary school.
Everyday without fail he was sent out of a class cause he wouldnt sit still.... we have not had a pleasant year trying to settle him and now are trying to get him moved to another school..
i just wanted you to know that im horrified and know exactly how you and this poor kid and his mother are feeling right now...

[clumsygyrl.livejournal.com]

god, i feel so much for him and alex and the parents.

also, i subjected myself to the comments on the other article.

i'm beginning to hate the world.

[tabularassa.livejournal.com]

That is indeed sickening. People appall me more and more each day. *hugs to you and Matthew*

♥

[zillahseye.livejournal.com]

I invited a friend of mine (who was often teased in her own school, as she was raised Mormon with long hair and handmade clothes, and had two special-needs brothers) to go to class with me once. My music teacher had the whole class ridicule her singing voice and led the laughter. I went to the principal and had him bitched out by two administrative staff members while I watched and gave my side of the story. There's no excuse for a teacher humiliating a student. School's humiliating enough as it is.

[musiclover03.livejournal.com]

There was just no freaking need of her to do that.

The punishment should fit the crime-- have people send emails, video message, phone messages to this woman of people telling why they dont like this teacher. Young children are impressionable...and something like this could mess him up for life. Somewhere down the road he'll have hiSs revenge on the world because of it.

[kashmir1.livejournal.com]

DUDE WHAT THE FUCKING FUCK.

[thehighwaywoman.livejournal.com]

I feel sick to my stomach over that. Just, God. Demons, I get. People are crazy.

*hugs you in sympathy*

[rainbow.livejournal.com]

oh my GOD. what is wrong with that woman? who DOES that to a child????

i've written to each of the email addresses.

*fierce huggings*

[tealin.livejournal.com]

Good grief, what is wrong with people, now days? That woman needs to have her teaching license revoked--permanently. And that nurse wasn't much better, letting him sit for hours without calling a parent or reporting the incident. I hope there are some serious repercussions.

This lack of empathy and common sense is really starting to feel pervasive though, and it's disheartening. We've run into a minor variation of the same thing, locally. A litle boy in my sons' preschool is on the rambunctious side, and often pushes and shoves, where others are more restrained. Still, he's well within the boundaries of behavior for a neurotypical four year old, and his mother spends several days a week in the classroom, in order to help with him. The teachers also respond promptly and don't let things get out of hand.

Despite this, a group of young mothers banded together to demand he be booted from the school. When they were denied, they tried to rally the rest of us into removing our own children in some sort of twisted solidarity. They also made frequent, pointed comments in front of the family in question. Eventually, a few of them transferred their precious little flowers out, and the furor died down. But man, the pain they must have caused that family in the meantime.

[kageygirl.livejournal.com]

I swear to god, I have no words for how completely fucked up that is. None. I'm just horrified.

[geneli4.livejournal.com]

that's horrifying. what kind of person does that to a five year old? jesus. also, the two kids who stood against the rest of the class and didn't vote him out, man, i just want to hug the shit out of them, too.

[gweneiriol.livejournal.com]

Oh that poor baby! With three very rambunctious boys at home, I can understand the frustration if one child is misbehaving, but to humiliate him like that? Oh how could that woman DO that? *shakes head* It breaks my heart just thinking of how that little boy felt.

[starweather.livejournal.com]

Reassigned? What do they mean, reassigned? Reassigned to what, another class, another group of kids, another year level, another disabled child? WHAT?

They should just FIRE her. Or throw her into jail. No matter what the law says, to me, what she did is emotional abuse. It's right up there with physical abuse. What she did is rape this poor, innocent child's view of himself and the world around him.

[fpvs.livejournal.com]

That's so horrible. <-- A total understatement

I had a kid in my class in Grade One. He had braces on his legs and required an aide. We all liked him. We were all made to understand that his differences weren't anything to worry about - and he was always made to feel special in a GOOD way! And that's the way it should have been.

That teacher should never have the care of another child put on her hands. I signed the petition and I emailed the school principal. Thank you for telling us about this.

[twelve-pastels.livejournal.com]

HE IS A SMALL BOY. SMALL BOYS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE LOUD AND NOISY AND HAVE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ISSUES AND IF HIS MUM SAYS HE'S HAVING ISSUES, THEN IT'S OBVIOUS THAT SHE'S WORKING ON IT. MOREOVER, IF THIS WOMAN THINKS THAT THERE IS REALLY SOMETHING WRONG WITH HER CHILD, THEN, TO PARAPHRASE KIPLING, HER INSTINCTS ARE PROBABLY RIGHT.

If the teacher had engaged in constructive criticism of "What do we think we can do to help Alex better integrate himself into the class?", then I would have just muttered something nasty about social psychology and left it at that. But to ask five year olds, who really don't get what's going on, to "vote" him out of the class? Madness. And what does it accomplish, other than ostracizing the child? It's not as though he'll be switched to another person's tutelage - it's the end of the year.

On top of this, HE'S FIVE, FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST. He might not even have any mental problems that wouldn't be solved by a good stiff talking-to from a Scots Granny, but even if he does, this is the most incredibly foolish thing I've ever heard of. I'd better not let my Mum read this; she already has a thing about bad teachers, and she'd be willing to hop a flight just to have this woman's head on a pike. I hope she gets fired, the irresponsible dilletante.

More than that, I hope she gets blacklisted.

There is no excuse for that sort of behavior from a professional. And, need I reiterate, THE BOY IS ONLY FIVE. Hell, I knew plenty of kids who were utter monsters at that age and two years later were the calmest human beings on the planet, even without the aid of pharmacopia!

God, and the teacher had the brass balls to tell the kid's mother what had happened. What sort of reaction did she expect?

I am revolted.

[fromyourashes.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the links to the petition and other information. I saw that, and just didn't know what to do, I was so upset. When I was a child, and didn't know that my sister was too "sick" to go to school with the other kids, I was terrified that something like this would happen to her. As years went by, and I had my own children and saw that my fears were unfounded, something inside me relaxed. My middle son is not quite as quick as the other children, but his teachers have fought to keep him from being placed in classes that will make him feel as if he's not just like everyone else. No one's ever berated him or done something to purposely hurt him. And upon reading this story, I - I don't have any words. I broke down, as well, and haven't been able to even think about it with any sort of mental coherence.

I'm grateful someone's begun to do something about it, and I'll be linking to this post from my journal. There is no excuse for anyone to do that to a child, much less a person who is responsible for shaping the way other children interact with each other. Not only has she scarred that poor baby for life, she's altered the way the other children will respond to kids who aren't exactly like them, and I don't know that I've seen many things as horrible as this.

[moonflower-rose.livejournal.com]

god, this is just despicable.

[merihn.livejournal.com]

That is utterly disgusting. How could a TEACHER do that? God, people make me sick. Even if that child wasn't in the course of being diagnosed with some form of Autism, doing something like that to a small child is just AWFUL. Who cares what kind of kid he was? If she was having that much trouble with him, there are many other avenues she could have gone down to get the child into a different class, get him help.
♥

[dragonwhishes.livejournal.com]

Hi, I found you via my friends list. I just wanted to tell you that I'm putting this on my journal as well.

As a kid (also an Aspie) who went through hell during school, I can just say that this disgusts me. I could barely cope with it when I was eleven, I have no idea how a five year old could.

Thank you for posting this.