Special needs student bullied by teachers in Portland, Oregon

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/23/kyron-sloan-special-needs_n_1110259.html

"Every morning I get pulled out of my homeroom to go mow the lawn," 11-year-old Kyron Sloan of Portland, Ore. told KATU News.

What sounds like a good deed to keep the school grounds tidy, is actually this special needs student's punishment for falling asleep in class.

Sloan, who is a 6th grader at Ott Middle School, has ADD, Aspergers, and what doctors think may be a medical condition which causes him to sleep. Cutting grass with a push reel lawnmower also makes his allergies act up, he says.

"... I try to keep myself awake," Sloan told KATU, "... drink water, walk around school (and) stand up. I try everything to keep myself awake."

It gets worse.

Earlier this month, the New Jersey parents of 15-year-old Julio Artuz were outraged after the student recorded his teacher bullying him for being a special needs student.

"Don't call me special," Artuz told the teacher.

"What? Oh my god, f-ing. What does the sign on the front of the school say? Special education," the teacher fired back.

After Artuz told the teacher that he couldn't call him that once he graduated from the class, the teacher responded with a threat.

"...I will kick your a-- from here to kingdom-come until I'm 80 years old."

....

Around the same time, parents of a special needs student at Miami Trace Middle School in Ohio hid an audio recorder in their daughter's clothing, hoping to prove the abuse their daughter insisted was occurring. What they found was heartbreaking.

"No wonder you don't have friends," former teacher's aide Kelly Chaffins is heard saying. "No wonder nobody likes you." Chaffins and the classroom teacher later made remarks about the girl's weight. Chaffins was ordered to step down, while the teacher, Christy Wilt, will undergo a probationary period.

It makes you wonder why such teachers go into special needs edcuation? Are they some kind of social misfit or different from routine teaching?

Having worked in education spheres for years and in voluntary uniformed youth work (considerably in the community I spent ages in), I came across youngsters of special needs from time to time. I knew well they could not jump into line like others and it took an extra effort to get them to fit in but we did it. Many is the time a thankful parent met me for the extra time and effort we put in. The other boys soon came round to supporting and protecting them when someone new came in. My efforts also included two who were suffering considerable mental problems and couldn't co-ordinate but patience and trying to show they could get into the same realm as the others was worth the effort. We had a deaf and dumb lad who stayed with us right through until he was 17 and another who had serious physical co-ordibation as well as not able to speak very well or write.

Special education means what it says and these teacher wasters should be got out the system as quickly as possible because they can lay up problems for the young person through their life. Perhaps even have action taken against them?

This just proves how evil the world is. That is wrong on so many levels. Some people do not care about others and their feelings.

Very true.

Originally posted by rjhowie:

It makes you wonder why such teachers go into special needs edcuation? Are they some kind of social misfit or different from routine teaching?

I would thank you not to talk about my mother like that.

Originally posted by mandi26:

This just proves how evil the world is. That is wrong on so many levels. Some people do not care about others and their feelings.

The world is evil because there are people like that jackanapes?

What you say about "some people" is spot on.

Gee. You have a mother johnnysaucepn? Good for you.

Originally posted by johnnysaucepn:

Originally posted by rjhowie:

It makes you wonder why such teachers go into special needs edcuation? Are they some kind of social misfit or different from routine teaching?

I would thank you not to talk about my mother like that.

I think you missed the point of what he was saying. He seems to have been referring to these specific teachers who were bullying their students. I highly doubt he was referring to Special Education teachers as a whole.

Originally posted by Vinny14:

Originally posted by johnnysaucepn:

Originally posted by rjhowie:

It makes you wonder why such teachers go into special needs edcuation? Are they some kind of social misfit or different from routine teaching?

I would thank you not to talk about my mother like that.

I think you missed the point of what he was saying. He seems to have been referring to these specific teachers who were bullying their students. I highly doubt he was referring to Special Education teachers as a whole.

Agreed. He didn't say, “I wonder why some teachers go into special needs education — are they misfits?” He said, “such teachers,” i.e. those that bully and otherwise clearly can't stand the special needs students as described in the OP.

Perhaps this can (somewhat) lighten the mood? http://notalwaysright.com/bow-wow-bigotry/15124

Originally posted by Vinny14:

Originally posted by johnnysaucepn:

I would thank you not to talk about my mother like that.

I think you missed the point of what he was saying. He seems to have been referring to these specific teachers who were bullying their students. I highly doubt he was referring to Special Education teachers as a whole.

It was a joke. Apologies for dryness.

Dryness is fine. It's textness that doesn't necessarily communicate such well.

The "Portland, Oregon" caught my eye. Well, there are cases like this everywhere. People in a position where they shouldn't be. I had teachers like that myself (thankfully a minority). But it is especially bad when the teacher is supposed to have been selected to be especially good.

... brings to mind Pink Floyd. There's a certain type. Teacher, manager, even parent.