Heart-breaking and Infuriating

[deelaundry]

I was feeling very sorry for myself until my husband just showed me this news:

Kindergartener Voted Out By Students.

A public school kindergarten teacher encouraged her students to say what they didn't like about a child with special needs and then vote whether he could stay in the class or not.

I am so outraged that I can't even express it. I hope the teacher is fired and not allowed to work with children ever again.

Comments

[inlaterdays.livejournal.com]

DEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

ILU

ILU SO HARD

:((((((((

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

ILU TOO

What the fuck, Lid? What the fuck?!? What kind of person does shit like this?

D:

[hannahrorlove.livejournal.com]

I don't say it all that much, but that's pretty fucked-up right there.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

It is so fucked up. I am furious.

[simmysim.livejournal.com]

Now there's a poor excuse for a human being.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

TRUFAX RIGHT THERE

[anamatics.livejournal.com]

I would be offended, really I would be, if much of my time in elementary school was not marred by having three special needs students in my class at all times. I was a rather slow child to develop and as such I was constantly lumped in with the special needs kids for group work and the like; so let's just say that I can understand why children might feel threatened by both the special treatment that special needs students get, along with the allowances they are allowed for their behavior in class. It can be very detrimental to the learning process of the other students.

That being said, Aspergers' is not that debilitating to most people who have it and the teacher really should have thought that through a little bit more. How does one vote a child out of their class? This isn't survivor, last a checked.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is difficult to have a special needs child in the class. I can see students feeling frustrated and threatened.

About to yell, cover your ears:

I CANNOT SEE A GROWN WOMAN ENCOURAGING STUDENTS TO EXPRESS THOSE FRUSTRATIONS OUT LOUD TO THAT CHILD. IT IS UTTERLY CRUEL.

What this teacher did was horrific, cruel, and abusive. The kid is five years old. The teacher is supposed to be an adult.

[phinnia.livejournal.com]

... what the fuck fucking hell?
*hugs you* I hope you feel better soon, and maybe some silly, fluffy sex wil help. (http://phinnia.livejournal.com/1774411.html) <3 <3

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

WTF, phinnia? WTF was the teacher thinking?

I need to read some silly, fluffy sex stat.

[silsbee329.livejournal.com]

Did I just read that they voted that it wasn't emotional abuse? Cuz, um... YEAH, IT IS. Jaysus...

*hugs*

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

It is horrible for the boy, and what kind of message does that send to the other children? That yu should criticize people to their face and ostracize them if they're different.

[xaipw.livejournal.com]

Oh Dee. *hugs*

I hope they fire that bitch's ass and take away her teaching license.
Stuff like this just makes my heart hurt.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

She should never be around children again. FIVE YEARS OLD. FIVE YEARS OLD. Abuse for the boy and horrible message of hate for all the other children in the class.

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

Someone on another forum suggested that they make her stand up in front of the next school board meeting while everyone says what they don't like about her, then vote on whether she should be stoned to death or not.

I think it's a good idea, except you'd be *amazed* by how many people on, say, newspaper comment threads, are saying they think it was a great idea and she should get a raise.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Should get a raise? A RAISE? A MOTHERFUCKING RAISE? For teaching five-year-olds that they should be cruel to other children? God, I don't want to live anywhere near the sickos who think she did the right thing.

[blackmare.livejournal.com]

Yeah. Of course this happened in Florida.

HOW does the State of Florida decide that this does NOT constitute abuse?!?!!

I'm just ... speechless. Since when is abject cruelty supposed to be part of a curriculum?

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

It's ridiculous, Mare. I can't even believe it, it's so horrible. The rest of the children in the class, the "normal" ones, have been ill-served too, because they've been taught a message of hate and intolerance. It's sick.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

That people who are different should be criticized and ostracized. That only normal people should get respect.

I seriously want to weep.

[hirenkoi.livejournal.com]

Shit! I have no words. Damn the bad teachers and the damage they can do.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

I don't even think I can fully believe it. Do you remember the kindergarten teacher in My Fathers' Son? I thought I was maybe exaggerating some when I wrote her bigoted attitude. And now here is a real-life kindergarten teacher who is so much worse. So sad.

[calamitysxchild.livejournal.com]

That is disgusting. My sister is autistic and if a teacher had ever pulled that shit my mother would have flipped out too. God, how are people so....ignorant and cruel?

[calamitysxchild.livejournal.com]

Also, kudos to those kids that think he deserved to stay. Mind if I steal this link and repost?

[nightdog-barks.livejournal.com]

Disgusting. Just disgusting, and a truly sad commentary on the apparently limitless capacity for human stupidity.

[peapods42.livejournal.com]

O.o I am.... speechless with incredulity.

[jdr1184.livejournal.com]

*is embarrassed for her profession. Bitch is giving the rest of us a bad name.

[daasgrrl.livejournal.com]

WTF? CAN SHE REALLY DO THAT? I say this because surely he has a rightful place in the school, so there is absolutely nothing her 'vote' could possibly achieve anyway. Except to create as much damage as humanly possible. Instant, life-long banning from the teaching profession, imo. Nice.

[poeia.livejournal.com]

What she did was horrible and inexcusable. And "The state attorney's office concluded the matter did not meet the criteria for emotional child abuse, so no criminal charges will be filed."

How is that not emotional child abuse?

Five-year-olds are so impressionable. So, not only did this bitch teach Alex that he's not good enough to be with other kids, she taught 16 other children that it is not only acceptable, it is right to criticize and ostracize people for being different.

And she's in charge of molding young minds????

[alex51324.livejournal.com]

The hitch probably was that emotional abuse is usually legally defined as a *pattern* of behavior--unlike physical abuse, where one incident can count if it's serious enough.

[hibernia1.livejournal.com]

That's just too awful for words. That poor excuse for a person should not be allowed anywhere near children ever again.

[jadesfire.livejournal.com]

I'm speechless that this can happen. Just...speechless. It's hard to believe they're allowed to do something like that.

Is it alright to take the link to repost it? There are several on my flist who have interests in this. I don't particularly want to raise their blood pressure, but I know they'd want to know.

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

The link is to CBSNews; you're welcome to re-post it wherever you like. I'm still in disbelief over this.

[paraoptomistic.livejournal.com]

That really, really hurts. I need something happy, now. :(

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

That teacher was a real bitch. I have Asperger's.

[chocolate-frapp.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna be depressed for the rest of the day now. That poor kid. This is also giving me flashbacks to my own fucked up childhood, and when I was a kid my Asperger's was undiagnosed! (I didn't get diagnosed till I was 36!)

[daisylily.livejournal.com]

I can't find words for that. How can someone who behaves like that be allowed to teach?

It would be bad enough if she'd just decided to exclude the child, but to do what she did has effectively taught a whole classful of kids that you deal with difference by getting rid of it. I hope someone sees they all get taught by someone with some sense that the world shouldn't work that way.

(I really need an 'angry' icon)

[barred-subject.livejournal.com]

Goddammit. I am trying to count the many ways in which this is failing in every duty a teacher has, and I'm already up to some pretty high numbers.

[poorfrances.livejournal.com]

I saw this story several days ago on a community I belong to. Someone posted this (NOTE: ALL PUBLIC INFO):

If you wish to share your thoughts with the officials of the school district, here is their info:

Morningside Elementary School Principal
Mrs. Marcia Cully
cullym@stlucie.k12.fl.us
(772) 337-6730

St. Lucie County Schools Superintendent
Michael J. Lannon
4204 Okeechobee Road
Ft. Pierce 34947-5414
Phone: 772/429-3925
FAX: 772/429-3916
e-mail: lannonm@stlucie.k12.fl.us

St. Lucie County School Board Chair
Carol Hilson
772-519-0397
HilsonC@stlucie.k12.fl.us

Vice Chair
Judith Miller
772-528-4545
MillerJ@stlucie.k12.fl.us