- Home
- Find a Therapist
- Topic Streams
- Get Help
Mental Health
Addiction
ADHD
Anxiety
Asperger's
Autism
Bipolar Disorder
Depression
Eating Disorders
Insomnia
OCDPersonality
Passive Aggression
Personality
ShynessPersonal Growth
Happiness
Goal Setting
Positive PsychologyRelationships
Low Sexual Desire
Relationships
SexEmotion Management
Anger
Procrastination
StressFamily Life
Adolescents
Child Development
Elder Care
Parenting
SiblingsRecently Diagnosed?
Diagnosis Dictionary
- Magazine
- Tests
- Psych Basics
- Experts
While catching up on the case of Wendy Portillo, the teacher who led her class in voting a 5-year old boy with Asperger's out of her classroom, I clicked into a story from one of the local papers. Read More
It really disturbs me that
It really disturbs me that people like Michael Savage get their voices out to so many people.
Also, I had a very similar incident in high school like with your art project, which somewhat disturbs me.
You don't know what you are
You don't know what you are talking about because you dont listen to Michael Savages show enough to know him. He has 2 masters degree and a PHD. He has written a book titled "Healing Children Naturally". He is against the use of ritalin at the drop of a hat. He did plant research in the south pacific for many years. You heard one comment taken out of context and exploited it, which utterly shows your ignorance as to Michael Savage as a person and his level of intelligence.
Out of Context...
His intelligence has no bearing on the matter. Intelligence and ignorance are not mutually exclusive. If there is "context" that would make his comments anything less than offensive, I'd love to hear it...because there certainly seems to very little ambiguity in comments as recorded:
http://mediamatters.org/research/200807170005
"SAVAGE: Now, you want me to tell you my opinion on autism, since I'm not talking about autism? A fraud, a racket. For a long while, we were hearing that every minority child had asthma. Why did they sudden -- why was there an asthma epidemic amongst minority children? Because I'll tell you why: The children got extra welfare if they were disabled, and they got extra help in school. It was a money racket. Everyone went in and was told [fake cough], 'When the nurse looks at you, you go [fake cough], 'I don't know, the dust got me.'' See, everyone had asthma from the minority community. That was number one.
Now, the illness du jour is autism. You know what autism is? I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is.
What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.'
Autism -- everybody has an illness. If I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, 'Don't behave like a fool.' The worst thing he said -- 'Don't behave like a fool. Don't be anybody's dummy. Don't sound like an idiot. Don't act like a girl. Don't cry.' That's what I was raised with. That's what you should raise your children with. Stop with the sensitivity training. You're turning your son into a girl, and you're turning your nation into a nation of losers and beaten men. That's why we have the politicians we have."
Gee, I'm so glad to know that when my mouth stops working...and I can't get the words out, the cure is so simple: Just get someone to call me a moron... That'll fix me right up.
Thanks Mr. Savage!
It really disturbs me that
Michael Savage is an arrogant, ignorant Savage who rationalizes the social savagery of neuro-typicals. I've heard enough of what he's said besides his inexcusable comment on autism to know that he is arrogant enough to take 1 good point (overuse of meds ) and want to apply it to everybody- all he has is a hammer so everything looks like a nail - he has an "overvalued idea" (or 2, or 20....).
The story about the kid's meltdown in art class, and the Florida boy make me realize how lucky those kids were to have some understanding or diagnoses early. What the little boy went thru was traumatizing - but there will be some remediation at least, some justice for the savage teacher.
What about the girls who experience the same as the Aspie writer and are misdiagnosed as "borderline personality disorder" (her behavior appears much the same as BPD to the undiscriminating clinician who is blind to the existence of Asperger's in females) and other stigmatizing labels and just called "bad" for decades?
Hopefully someday science will help us to better understand the social savagery and "normal narcissism" of the mediocre majority (ie, neurotypicals) and understand why it is that these people are intolerant of minorities and people with different views than theirs, why these people don't recognize manipulation, dishonesty, and inaccuracy, why they always put social status above fairness and honesty and will so often tell lies about people they perceive as unpopular while committing all sorts of deceptions to align themselves with people they perceive as powerful. But for now, their pathology remains a mystery!
Lucky....absolutely!
I agree with you, that I was incredibly lucky to have such understanding teachers. My life has not been easy in a lot of ways, but I didn't realize how bad it could get until I began to compare notes with others on the spectrum.
This is part of why I share my stories...I want others to learn from my teachers' successes. I lay a great deal of my sucesses at the feet of this teacher, and others like her...they made a path where there was no path.
Many defended Ms. Portillo by saying, "Well, the kid wasn't diagnosed yet! She didn't know what she was dealing with...what can you expect?" Besides the fact that is mistakes some facts in the case (The boy was not yet diagnosed, but was undergoing assessment at the time of the incident. As the teacher, she would certainly have known this.) - I find the argument doesn't sway me.
My teachers didn't know, couldn't have known, what they were dealing with in my case. Asperger's wasn't even available as a diagnosis when I was a kid. They used what teachers have used from time immemorial -- creativity, compassion and empathy.
Kids are not cookie cutter - even with a label, you can't say "Oh, he/she has Asperger's, so I need to do X, Y, Z." There's no magic formula.
Really talented teachers focus on the child, not the label. They look for ways to nurture the child's strengths, and minimize their weaknesses. That's what my teachers did for me, and I'll be forever grateful to them for it.
Alex Barton's Abuse
Lynne,
I agree with you. I am a very peaceful person...don't eat meat, advocate pacifism...but if there is one thing that will throw me into a righteous wrath, it is watching my people humiliated or abused by NT's.
I try to be a loving, full of faith, truthful, peaceful person...but watching while someone attacks 'our children' is VERY, VERY difficult for me...my desire to protect and shield them so that they can flourish is very strong.
I applaud your blog and sharing your experience and sincerely hope it reaches the minds that need elucidation.
Christian
Alex Barton had humiliated
Alex Barton had humiliated himself in front of his peers on dozens of occasions in the few months he was at Morningside Elementary. He was routinely removed from class for disciplinary reasons. He ate crayons, threw crayons, climbed under other student's desks, and did all manner of other things to make himself standout in a negative way. Hearing, "I don't like it when you crawl under my desk," from another student, did not cause him irrepairable psychological harm.
His mother is a drama queen who loves publicity, is very willing to embellish her story, and wants a big payday from her lawsuit. She has been clever enough to remind Alex of this minor incident every day since then. Melissa Barton, Alex's mother, is the poster child for bad parenting and any teacher's nightmare.
Wendy Portillo is an excellent teacher with a long and otherwise unblemished record. Many parents spoke on her behalf at the school board meeting where she was reinstated. Thankfully, Melissa Barton has moved out of town. She can spread her hate and lies somewhere else. Unfortunately, the tremendous harm that she has already done to the community will persist for quite a while.
Interesting
It's interesting to me in reading the coverage of this case that comments like yours didn't seem to be as prevalent until Ms. Barton filed suit. What is about filing a law suit that suddenly makes someone wrong?
I've listened to Ms. Portillo's testimony, and I've listened to an interview with Ms. Barton (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/aspergerwomen Transcript at: http://sweetperdition.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/transcript-melissa-barton...). I did not find their disparate accounts that different as to bare the facts of the case.
Ms. Portillo admits to calling the child up to the front of the classroom, and having the children state the negative things they felt about Alex. That is also what his mother states. So, I have to question on what basis you indicate the Ms. Barton's allegations are "...hate and lies."
As far as I am concerned, it showed grave lack of judgement to handle things as the teacher did. We are dealing with 5 year olds here, not adults. At that age, I absolutely believe that having your peers call you "disgusting" in front of your entire class could inflict some serious damage.
Do Kindergarteners really have the emotional maturity to express negativity in a constructive manner without serious coaching by the teacher? Did she give that? By all accounts, it doesn't sound as if she did.
In her testimony, she indicates that at that moment, when Alex was at the front of the class and she was taking tallies of the children's votes, she was thinking not of how to teach these children to express their frustration in a constructive way, but that this would be a good opportunity to teach math & tallies.
While not necessarily malicious - it shows a definite gap in sensitivity.
If the most serious charge you can make is that Alex ate crayons and climbed under other children's desks...I have to wonder at that as well. Autistic children are often known to eat inappropriate things...it's called pica (https://health.google.com/health/ref/Pica). At the same age, I was known to eat paper.
You say that he humiliated himself on multiple occasions by acting in socially inappropriate ways. Okay. Also, not at all out of the realm for an autistic child.
So, what is the basis of your argument? It sounds as if you are arguing that Alex is the way he is, not due to autism, but due to bad parenting and a "drama queen" mentality in the mother. Yet, the examples you present of his bad behavior are both clearly indicative of Asperger's and common in autistic children.
Whether a person agrees with the actions Melissa Barton took to remedy a situation in which she felt her child was wronged is immaterial to the actual issue.
Did the child have Asperger's? Was his behavior a result of Asperger's? Did the school system know about it, and did they take appropriate action within those circumstances?
Those are the issues that should be the focus. Alex did have Asperger's, per his diagnosis, and the behavior cited seems to be quite in line with behavior that manifests in Asperger's. By all accounts the school system did know...so the final question remains. Did the teacher and the school system act appropriately?
I don't believe the teacher did...and as to the school system, well, I have a bit of doubt about their actions.
Josh210
Josh is a foolish individual. She/he is likely a votec grad with no children of Her/his own. "Josh" obviously has no idea what she is talking about.
Alex Barton's mother should file a suit against "Josh"
Here's a letter to the editor
Here's a letter to the editor written by Melissa Barton's sister last March. It does not support Melissa Barton and it was written before she filed her preposterous lawsuit. WRITTEN BY HER SISTER!
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/mar/21/letter-portillo-should-continue-t...
I am not foolish. I am not a votec grad. I very much do know what I'm talking about.
Melissa Barton loves adult autistics because they want to believe her lies so much that they never, never, never check them out. None of you here want to discover that Melissa Barton is a liar. To make sure that you don't, you refuse to check her story against published reports.
Barton hysterically reported the teacher to every news outlet that would listen to her and to the school board, the police, the state board of education and the department of children and families. Guess what? No one found that the teacher broke any laws or intentionally did any harm.
Now, the teacher is back in the classroom and Barton has moved out of town. As I said before, now we must try to repair the damage that Barton has done.
You Do Not Provide Any Background
You state that you know what you are talking about, yet you do not provide any credentials to back up this claim...what is your axe to grind in this matter? It certainly seems you have one.
You say that I, as an "adult autistic" never checked out Barton's claims, yet how closer can I get to the heart of the matter than to listen to Wendy Portillo's own words? I can assure you, I found enough in her own testimony to concern me even without hearing Ms. Barton's interview.
You do not have to break a law to do damage...and I do believe that Ms. Portillo did not intentionally do harm. I believe she thought she was helping. But that does not mean she did not do harm. People unintentionally do harm every day...that doesn't mean that they do not bear any responsibility for the results.
But, once again, this is about the child, not the mother. Did the child have autism? Was the behavior presented a result of that autism? Seems the answer to both is "Yes." That being the case...the question remains.
Was this an appropriate way to relate to a child with special needs? I don't think so.
The person posting under the
The person posting under the name JenniferDawn writes:
Submitted by JenniferDawn on December 14, 2009 - 8:53am.
Josh is a foolish individual. She/he is likely a votec grad with no children of Her/his own. "Josh" obviously has no idea what she is talking about.
Alex Barton's mother should file a suit against "Josh"
Melissa Barton has written things just like that on lots of blogs. She uses dozens of aliases to write these things. Barton constantly refers to me as 'she'. She constantly says that she should sue me. She regularly tells me how foolish I am.
Well, Melissa Barton, I am here, as I am on all the blogs, to expose your lies. TCPalm is onto you. They have banned dozens of your aliases. They write editorials that support the teacher instead of you. Last year, you made their 'naughty' list. You find refuge on blogs like this where the moderator erroneously reports that negative comments about you only began appearing after you filed your lawsuit. http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2008/dec/25/naughty-nice-picks-run-the-gamut/
Obviously You Did Not Read My Comment Closely
If you had, you would know that I said "not as prevalent" - not that negative comments did not exist. But I have noticed a large difference between the number of negative comments before the suit and after the suit. It's evident on TCPalm's own site which you quote with such alacrity.
I have also seen your comments on various sites...why is it that your comments seem to be variations on a theme? Do you actually engage anyone on the issue, or do you counter every sincere question with the same canned response(s)?
Why is it that whenever someone questions you, or asks you to back up your claims, you claim that the the questioner is Melissa Barton in disguise?
If you have something new to add, I'd be glad to hear it...but in order to convince me, you'd need to provide arguments other than "his mother is crazy and a liar."
Wendy Portillo acknowledges that she brought the student to the front of the room, then asked the children to vote as to whether he should stay in the room or not, and she encouraged them to express the things that bothered them about Alex. She acknowledges that what she did was wrong.
Why do you continue to defend it?
Whether she intended harm or not, the fact is that encouraging such young children to publicly single out a child for negative attention created an atmosphere that could have quickly (and by some accounts, did) become a bullying environment.
The next time someone acts "differently," how will these children react? What precedent has been set? What have they learned from this?
Melissa Barton Trolls the Blogs
"(and by some accounts, did) become a bullying environment."
Really? Which accounts? Name any report made by anyone other than Melissa Barton that says that Wendy Portillo bullied anyone or created a bullying environment.
Note, I wrote 'report'. Your opinion is not an account. No one's opinion is an account. Melissa Barton calls the teacher a bully all the time. She used to have a web site just for that purpose. It was justiceforalexbarton.com It is now closed. The name is somehow being used for an unrelated purpose.
Barton claims that several children were physically abused and that four other parents will back up her 'story'. It's easy to find the news articles where she makes those unsubstantiated claims. Who are these four other parents? The only parent from the class who is on the record supports the teacher. What about the investigations from several agencies? No evidence to support Barton's fantastic claims could be found.
What about Barton's claim that she was physically threatened by a parent? The police dismissed it. She is a drama queen and a liar.
As to my claim that Melissa Barton trolls the blogs under aliases, she has posted details about her own family that no one else could know. Her sister has confirmed that she is on the blogs. She once posted my IP address, which she harvested from her web site when I left a comment. She also signed me up for spam by filling out forms with my e-mail address. Melissa Barton is a piece of work.
As to the prevalence of negative comments about Melissa Barton, one of her goals while flooding the blogs with her lies is to shout down opposing views. Another goal is to create the impression that she has wide support. She was initially more successful than she is now. TCPalm, for instance, has had enough of her. Her first lawyer has also had enough of her. The school board reversed its decision to revoke the teacher's tenure. The tide has turned. Thank goodness.
Once Again...
You do not address any of my questions....I did not reference any of the claims you dispute. I referenced what Wendy Portillo admitted to doing. I asked - what did the children learn by Ms. Portillo's actions? You have not answered that, nor addressed any of the questions I have posed.
Do you have anything to add to this debate other than a wholesale attack against his mother?
I have said - I have no interest in the mother...this is about the child. Even if the mother were what you say (and I don't know her well enough to know), that doesn't make what happened to Alex okay.
What Ms. Portillo did created a negative environment...per her own testimony, she didn't spare a moment to think if her actions were appropriate. It was simply an opportunity to teach sums. It didn't even occur to her that it could cause anything else.
When you get a group of kids together, and encourage them to express public negativity towards a student, without considering the consequences, that creates an atmosphere that is ripe for bullying. A kid calling another kid "disgusting" in front of others is edging the line towards bullying.
When kids see an adult giving tacit approval, or even just tolerance to such behavior, they tend to take it to the next level.
As to shouting down opposing views...what are you doing?
MELISSA BARTON IS PROBABLY TROLLING THE BLOGS
BECAUSE THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION DID NOT TAKE ACTION TO ASSIST HER CHILD OR TO REPRIMAND THE BULLYING TEACHER.
WHEN THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION DOES NOT INTERNALIZE THE PROBLEMS AT ITS SCHOOL BY DEALING WITH BULLYING PROFESSORS INTERNALLY THEN THE FEW RECOURSES OF PARENTS ARE INDEPENDENT LAWSUITS OR THE MEDIA.
IT IS NOT MELISSA BARTON'S FAULT THAT THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION IS NOT DEALING THEMSELVES WITH THE PROBLEM OF A BULLYING TEACHER.
Shrink Wrap Much?
I did not intend on coming back but I had to.
Lynne, you are correct! The person you are speaking to seems to me to had an axe to grind rather than actually post new or informative information regarding the atrocious situation in Wendy Portillo's classroom.
Even she, Wendy Portillo said she wished she never did what she did to the child and although this seemed to me to be referencing her own humiliation after the fact and not the childs during her little vote she knew it was wrong. Every sensable, compassionate human on the planet knows it was wrong. The politics of the situation we as the public may never know. I live on the Treasure Coast where this took place and unlike "josh" I understand the environment surrounding the school district.
As far as TCpalm I think it's known less of a local paper and more of a local tabloid. The reputable outlets The Palm Beach Post, CNN, FOX, CBS, MSNBC, THE Washington Post, The Huffington Post, The NY Times, People, The Miami Herald, The Orlando Sentinel,Christina Chew, Ari Neeman, ASAN, Autism Speaks, About.com, Dissaboom all have written many articles against the decision the teacher made in her classroom. I am sure there are countless more. Unlike "josh" these people reporters, editors, advocates and writers all have access to information that we do not.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2009/02...
http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/opinionzone/tag/alex-barton/
And: NBC
http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local-beat/Kindergarten-Survivor-Makes-Hono...
Not to mention that the local tv stations reported that Fox News - National not local has followed the case Alex appeared on the morning show Fox & Friends several times.
No, "josh" you have it wrong. I am not Ms. Barton but I do understand where she is and support her decision to defend her child. You are as I said foolish and not only foolish but a COWARD. Alex has more courage at his young age of five than you ever will. At Least he faced - FACE to FACE his bullies. You hide behind blogs - and many of them I might add. I have looked at other blogs and found you there as well. You like to taint this poor child and his mother thinking that you are changing minds when you are only making yourself look as I called you out to be A FOOL & COWARD.
As for the 'letter to the editor" claiming to be a sister in Ms Barton's recent interview with a blog talk radio host and Aspie Ms Barton addresses this claim I do not recall her exact phrase but she mentions people claiming to be her family. So, "Josh" unless you know something even Ms Barton herself does not speak now or forever hold your peace. Even if it were true that this was a family member of Ms Barton and Alex then I would question this person's morals. To say that she supports a child abuser speaks voulmes. I hope she never has children, she would make a horrible mother. Also, it would seem she like you would be looking for your fifteen minutes of fame.
_________________________
Additionally, I am insulted that you "josh" seem to be in the mind set that "adult autistics" are not intelligent enough to know when someone is a liar and con. You have no idea of what Aspies are capable of. I am sure it killed you when the very child you spend your time blogging about made Honor Roll at his new school. Did you ever make honor roll? I bet not. Guess what? He is an Aspie!
This comment:
"Melissa Barton loves adult autistics because they want to believe her lies so much that they never, never, never check them out. None of you here want to discover that Melissa Barton is a liar. To make sure that you don't, you refuse to check her story against published reports."
Is despicable but shows your TRUE character. You clearly are the person full of hate and lies. Guess what? Aspies have rights too and are not going to stand for this.
"josh" writes
"Her sister has confirmed that she is on the blogs."
This is an interesting statement......Name any report made by anyone that backs your claim. And after that please inform us of how this psychic - non related sister was able to confirm that Ms Barton is on blogs.
"josh" your claims are wild and make you seem a bit on the insane side. I honestly don't know why I am still addressing you.
You must really believe that "adult autistics" are as ignorant as you. I hope you grow enough in your personal thoughts to realize you are WRONG.
More Lies from the Liar
Here's a quick note for Melissa Barton, who is now using the alias JenniferDawn.
You say that you 'had' to come back.
TCPalm is not a tabloid. They would not have published your sister's letter without verifying its authenticity. You do have a sister named Stepphanie. I have been in contact with her. She has given me a copy of a letter that her lawyer sent you to try to get you to stop harassing her.
I have also been in contact with your aunt and with Anna Moore.
You are a liar. You are clogging up this blog as you did on TCPalm until they shut you down.
Come on now, show us your stuff. Write all the nonsense here that you wrote on TCPalm under two of your most popular and enduring aliases - Jennycurenow and Freedombell. Or, write any of the nonsense that you've posted under any of your dozens of aliases. All your lies are somewhat entertaining.
Just How's This?
We're told to believe that Melissa Barton has no sister. Well, let's take a look at this post from someone using the name Puppet Master. How is it that the sister named Stepphanie doesn't exist, but this post tells us so much about her, including her street address?
Of course, we're told to believe that posts like this one and the ones from JenniferDawn are simply from some other random person, not Melissa Barton. Right, right. Some other random person has these things to say about Melissa Barton's sister, Stepphanie Godsey. Just what other person would know these things? And, what other person would ever post them on a blog?
http://www.topix.com/forum/city/palm-city-fl/T8SV1BSURMIT03VO9/p13
Is this how you do it Stephanie? I bet not, because we have all seen your writing skills and they are pitiful. Let me guess here, you have some puppet post them for you so when the hammer of justice comes down its on that puppet and not on you. Someone is stupid if they are willing to take one for you. BTW - How is Brandon's job going? Is he home now from his trip? He has that laptop company provided right? What a nice perk!!!!
"Now, for whatever reason, she seems to be on a vendetta against her own sister."
**Thats right play the victim. How does it feel to know NONE of your siblings can stand you?**
Like you were that time when you -claimed- that your own cousin was trying to rape you!
OH and BTW - Tell us all how YOU DROPPED out of HS because you got knocked up! OR How You STOLE from all the people on EBAY! OR How YOU were almost arrested for CHECK FRAUD! OR HOW YOU STOLE from your own parents when they asked you to sell paintings & tools for them BUT you never coughed up the cash! OR how you had to be talked out of having an ABORTION! OR how your own HUSBAND has a sixth child and he has NEVER PAID one red cent for her! Or how you are such a low life you prevent your own kids from knowing their sister! And tell us how you claimed your cousin - who you refer to as CRUSTYTUNA stole form your parents house or how you claimed she took money from you during a babysitting fiasco!
OR ask your favorite aunt about how her daughter claimed ONLY after her hubby filed for divorce that he molested his own daughter? AND now the case is dropped per request of the state! Or ask you aunt how she feels about you telling everyone how her daughter STOLE from the Dollar Store and was FIRED for it!
Add it all up and you are one HUGE rumor mill!
One more thing you live on Galveston in Broken Arrow right?
What an insightful post.
What an insightful post. Thank you for sharing this difficult experience. As an educator myself, I strongly believe that a teacher's attitude toward all of his or her students can do a lot to promote a positive and welcoming classroom environment.
Nicole Caldwell, M.Ed.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/positively-autism
http://www.PositivelyAutism.com/
I was harassed at the last ten graduate schools I attended
and the bullying of professors makes A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE. The bullying professors at the schools I attended harassed me; distracted me from learning; distracted the other students from learning; ruined the student morale in the classes where I was learning or teaching; and broke numerous laws.
1. A law professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School broke the law by insinuating that I was a "terrorist" during class.
2. A law professor at Cardozo talked about my problems durign class with the other students. They talked about ME during hte class insetead of the assigned reading.
3. A law professor at U Conn Law school called me suicidal like Marilyn Monroe.
4. A law professor at U Conn Law school compared me to the Sopranos mob family because I lived in New Jersey.
5. A law professor at U Conn law called me "incompetent" during class.
6. A math professor at the University of Houston repeated teh words "bomb," "explosion," "exploding" about 20 times in one hour which forced me to walk out of the class. The professor denied to me he did anythng wrong when I complained. He also singled me out to tell me that I was not understanding what he was talking about.
7. When I complained about the math professor's treatment to the graduate program director, Chinhui Juhn, she told me she would not do anything about this. After I complained about something else, she told me NOT TO WRITE TO HER AGAIN. As the graduate program director, she was my sole point of contact in the graduate program, so I HAD TO TALK WITH HER. IT WAS HER RESPONSIBILITY TO DEAL WITH STUDENTS.
8. The University of Houston graduate program director wasted hundreds of thousands of my dollars and two years of my time because only three weeks before the program was to start in FAll 2009 David Papall told me I could not attend the program. AFTER I HAD MOVED FROM THE NORTHEAST TO HOUSTON TO ATTEND THE PROGRAM AND AFTER PAPALL HAD TOLD ME I COULD ATTEND THE PROGRAM IN FALL 2009. I WASTED EYARS OF MY LIFE AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS WAITING AROUND FOR TWO YEARS.
YES, LYNNE, TEACHERS MAKE AN ENORMOUS DIFFERENCE IN HOW WELL STUDENTS CAN DO IN CLASSES. THE PROFESSORS I DESCRIBED BRUTALIZED ME AGAIN AND AGAIN, SO THAT I FELT LIKE COMMITTING SUICIDE, I GOT DEPRESSED, I STARTED DRINKING. NONE OF THEM HELPED ME BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER. WHAT WENDY PERILLO DID TO THAT STUDENT WAS REALLY INAPPROPRIATE AND IF THE MOTHER WENT TO THE NEWS OUTLETS IT WAS PROBABLY BECAUSE, LIKE ME, THE SCHOOL REFUSED TO DO ITS JOB AND REIN IN BAD PROFESSORS AND BULLYING PROFESSORS. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS DO NOTHNG IN THE FACE OF BRUTALIZING PROFESSORS AND BULLYING PROFESSORS, AND THE ONLY RECOURSE PARENTS AND STUDENTS HAVE IS THE MEDIA. OBVIOUSLY IF SCHOOLS TREATED STUDENTS AND PARENTS LIKE HUMAN BEINGS INSTEAD OF WHIPPING POSTS, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE TO GO TO THE MEDIA.
Wow. You're saying that there
Wow.
You're saying that there are major problems at each and every of the ten graduate schools you attended. I find it odd that most other students attend just one graduate school and are successful. Yet, each of these ten schools singled you out. Wow. Ten different schools all singled you out, but thousands of other students thrive at those same schools.
I wonder if there is one common factor in your ten attempts to complete graduate school that might account for your lack of success?
Classroom conduct
I agree 150%. My sons 4th grade teacher made him stand at the front of the room so all of the kids could tell him what they didn't like about him. When he put his head down to hide the tears he was fighting off, his teacher demanded he stand up straight. I believe that my son has undiagnosed aspergers. I complained to the school and their response is: She apologized, we'll move on. As if her apology could EVER erase what happened in my son's mind. As if her forced apology (I demanded it) can ever take back the total humiliation and embarrassment he experienced that day in that classroom. He will NEVER forget that happened to him. These teachers make me sick. Even if he was just a "brat". It's not acceptable.
Classroom conduct - fight back!
Alicia -
I read you comment and just wanted to cry for your son! I hope you are doing everything you can to fight back; your son is differently abled, and that is not easy to manage with the resources most public schools offer without you having a lot of insider knowledge to make them do their jobs. Call your school's principal, the district superintendent, call your state board of education, and if they blow you off, start calling the local media. (I've found that emailing them all in one big message that details EVERYTHING with everyone's email address where they can ALL see who is getting the message helps, too, as does telling them if their next step is inaction your next step is hiring a lawyer to help you with your son's rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act - be sure and get that Aspergers diagnosis paperwork finished; it's crucial for the lawyer to have that.)
That teacher absolutely abused your child in front of the classroom and needs to be fired at a MINIMUM, and that school district should be held responsible for payment for the treatment that you son will need to help recover from that abuse.
Classroom conduct - fight back!
Alicia -
I read you comment and just wanted to cry for your son! I hope you are doing everything you can to fight back; your son is differently abled, and that is not easy to manage with the resources most public schools offer without you having a lot of insider knowledge to make them do their jobs. Call your school's principal, the district superintendent, call your state board of education, and if they blow you off, start calling the local media. (I've found that emailing them all in one big message that details EVERYTHING with everyone's email address where they can ALL see who is getting the message helps, too, as does telling them if their next step is inaction your next step is hiring a lawyer to help you with your son's rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act - be sure and get that Aspergers diagnosis paperwork finished; it's crucial for the lawyer to have that.)
That teacher absolutely abused your child in front of the classroom and needs to be fired at a MINIMUM, and that school district should be held responsible for payment for the treatment that you son will need to help recover from that abuse.
lynne what a beautiful story
i have a son with aspie's age 4 and we are just starting to learn about all the things that there are to learn about. but as i read your story today my thought went to how important it is that was have teachers that are understanding and compassionate. teachers that do not only teach math and science. but teach things like kindness, there is no better way to teach that then by example. mari
Lovely post, and lovely
Lovely post, and lovely teacher. I wonder what kind of place the world would be without its compassionate people to tip the balance of edgy situations to the right side. A mayhem, maybe.
Post new comment