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Died By Bear
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Location: On the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
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 Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 5:25 pm Post subject: Voted Out of Kindergarten by Classmates |
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http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/voted_out_of_kingergarten_by_classmates_autistic_boy_5_gets_350k_settlement/
The family of a 5-year-old boy who, at his teacher's suggestion, was voted out of his kindergarten class by the other children has won a $350,000 settlement of a federal lawsuit.
About $150,000 of the money will be paid in structured settlement, starting in 2020, when Alex Barton is 18 years old and continuing until 2032, TC Palm. The remaining $200,000 will be paid within 30 days.
The settlement with the St. Lucie County School Board and the St. Lucie County School Classroom Teachers Association in the Southern District of Florida suit must still be OK'd by a guardian ad litem and the court before it is final.
There was no admission of liability.
Read the rest on link |
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chellovek
Joined: 29 Feb 2008
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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| It doesn't really say why she called the kid up to the front of the classroom, only that he was being tested for autism at the time. A bit cruel though. I remember some of my teachers being somewhat cruel to me when I was a tot, but I turned out fine sans a large payout *sob* |
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Underwaterbob
Joined: 08 Jan 2005
Location: In Cognito
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 6:19 pm Post subject: |
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| Yes cruel, but suing a school board? Aren't they simply dousing the flames with gas? |
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ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 9:26 pm Post subject: |
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I gotta admit, there are times when I can see the logic in this. A lot of the parents' comments are predictably anti-teacher, but now that there are so few forms of discipline available, and the parents refuse to discipline their own children or teach them things like 'hitting is wrong' and 'be polite'... the 'democratic approach' actually seems like a pretty good solution.
Seriously, there are kids out there who can set their whole class a year back... and it's not just the students who suffer because of that, it's their parents as well. If he was voted out, and if an educated teacher resorted to that, then there's probably a good reason why.
I've heard horror stories about teachers who were forced to make all of these special considerations and invent all kinds of new ways of dealing with certain children just because the parents don't want them tested or they can't get special clases or whatever... |
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eamo
Joined: 08 Mar 2003
Location: Shepherd's Bush, 1964.
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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If the kid has special needs then he should go to a place where those special needs can be met.
I remember when I was at high school during the peak of PC in the mid-late 80's and they tried to put some mentally challenged kids in the school. It was a disaster. Those poor kids were mercilessly bullied and teased and just couldn't find their feet socially or academically. |
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brento1138
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:00 pm Post subject: |
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| Wow, so much stupidity with everything here (the voting, the trial, the result, everything). Really, everything. Stupid... |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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| ESL Milk "Everyday wrote: |
If he was voted out, and if an educated teacher resorted to that, then there's probably a good reason why.
.. |
But what would be the reason for giving each classmate a chance to say what they DIDN'T like about him?
There's just no reason for that. |
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ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Dec 06, 2010 11:59 pm Post subject: |
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| TheUrbanMyth wrote: |
But what would be the reason for giving each classmate a chance to say what they DIDN'T like about him?
There's just no reason for that. |
The way I imagine it in my head is he's been hitting and kicking and swearing and teasing mercilessly, choosing his targets for no reason other than they're nearby, and has 'episodes' in which he just gets completely out of hand and won't listen to anyone (which happens-- I've seen kids like this in Western schools, and there's nothing you can do). The teacher has called the parents, and they have said 'HOW DARE YOU WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME HOW TO RAISE MY KIDS IF HE IS BEING BAD YOU MUST DEAL WITH IT YOU ARE A TEACHER NOW DON'T BUG ME EVER AGAIN'.
So after a few months of trying just about everything she can to try to deal with this (mind you, no one else in the entire school wants to or has to deal with it, and no one has any solutions either), the teacher thinks 'well, maybe he needs to realize how his behaviour is affecting other's opinions of him', so one day he is hitting some girl and she's trying to ignore it but he keeps pushing and pushing and when she fights back he just does it more... and of course, this girl has a special relationship with the teacher because she's kind and supportive and studious and basically does everything right, maybe to the point where the other kids actually hate her... and the teacher just thinks 'that's it-- a line must be drawn'.
So she stands him up in front of the class and says 'okay everyone, let's talk about why we think it's wrong for so-and-so to be doing what he does' and they all start saying what bugs them about him... and then she says 'okay, let's put it to a vote... who thinks that so-and-so should be allowed in the class if he's going to behave like this?', and they all vote 'NO'.
I'm not saying it's the way that these things should be handled, but to be honest, I think this entire case is basically a huge argument as to what's wrong with the education system and why teaching in the west is an impossible job. You can't discipline them physically, you can't control them, they're ruining the whole class, so you need to get psychological... if you're not allowed to do that, then you might as well forget about the entire school system and force people to pay for private tutors, because it's not going to help anyone. |
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Koreadays
Joined: 20 May 2008
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 12:16 am Post subject: |
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hnat boy will be laughing when he is 18!
buys himself a new ride.
"dude, how did you afford those new wheels bro'?
" got kicked out of kindergarten when I was like 8 and the government felt sorry for me and gave me 300G's!!
" DAAAAMN " |
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brento1138
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 1:04 am Post subject: |
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| Koreadays wrote: |
hnat boy will be laughing when he is 18!
buys himself a new ride.
"dude, how did you afford those new wheels bro'?
" got kicked out of kindergarten when I was like 8 and the government felt sorry for me and gave me 300G's!!
" DAAAAMN " |
No kidding. Seems society itself has autism... |
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rollo
Joined: 10 May 2006
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 3:29 am Post subject: |
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Principal was assualted and badly beaten in my hometown by an angry parent over a situation like this.
Perhaps some sort of legal action was called for but the award was grossly excessive for what could have been dealt with by talking with the parents. Just insane. |
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DorkothyParker
Joined: 11 Apr 2009
Location: Jeju
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 5:54 am Post subject: |
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He was 5 years old.
Seriously, we can't know what the actual situation was like, but turning his peers against him like that isn't the brightest thing to do. I am just irked that it's the taxpayers footing that teacher's major lapse of judgment. |
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ESL Milk "Everyday
Joined: 12 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 8:25 am Post subject: |
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| How would you have handled the situation? |
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comm
Joined: 22 Jun 2010
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:12 am Post subject: |
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Actually, that's a clever idea that is pretty instructive. You can rebel against authority, but in a social environment it's your peers that count.
A student who's behavior hasn't been corrected by normal means is voted out of -class- by the classmates, rather than being arbitrarily removed from class by an authority figure.
I mean, is the outrage over the fact that he was removed from the classroom, or that it was the decision of the students to do so?
The article couldn't get much more biased I think. It makes the situation sound like a mentally handicapped student was voted off of school grounds by a gang of 5-year-olds and their bloodthirsty mistress. When in actuality, the student hadn't been diagnosed with autism and he was only removed from class (probably only one time). |
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Died By Bear
Joined: 13 Jul 2010
Location: On the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
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| Posted: Tue Dec 07, 2010 9:55 am Post subject: |
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| comm wrote: |
Actually, that's a clever idea that is pretty instructive. You can rebel against authority, but in a social environment it's your peers that count.
A student who's behavior hasn't been corrected by normal means is voted out of -class- by the classmates, rather than being arbitrarily removed from class by an authority figure.
I mean, is the outrage over the fact that he was removed from the classroom, or that it was the decision of the students to do so?
The article couldn't get much more biased I think. It makes the situation sound like a mentally handicapped student was voted off of school grounds by a gang of 5-year-olds and their bloodthirsty mistress. When in actuality, the student hadn't been diagnosed with autism and he was only removed from class (probably only one time). |
I tend to agree. |
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