Well, looks like Port St. Lucie kindergarten teacher Wendy Portillo won't be named Teacher of the Year. According to the Treasure Coast Palm, she handled a difficult child, five-year-old Alex Barton (pictured at right), in what she probably thought was a creative manner: She encouraged the other children in the class to tell him why they didn't like him (e.g.: he's "disgusting" and "annoying") and then to vote on whether or not he should stay in class (they voted to kick him out, 14-2). And so he was forced to leave!
Why in the world would a teacher hand over control to a classroom of five-year-olds? If she thought he needed to leave the room, why didn't she just take the authority upon herself to send him to the principal rather than handing the decision over to an army of PlayDoh-eaters?
Alex, who has Asperger's, a form of autism, spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office. At home he repeated to himself, "I'm not special" over and over, and he now screams when he gets near the school, so he's dropped out.
An abuse investigation is underway and Alex's mother is considering legal action. Even if he was a problem kid, there definitely had to be a better way for the teacher to handle this.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 16)
1. How do you measure common sense and compassion? I'm not sure, but we should make them a large part of the criteria when hiring teachers, that's obvious.
This is un.freaking.believable. If I was that child's parent, I would definitely sue the school district, although I am not generally of a litigious bent.
Poor little boy. What a vile teacher. What was she thinking?
Holliday at 11:29AM on May 29th 2008
2. My mouth just dropped open and stayed that way throughout the article and for a few seconds afterward. I'm am just floored!
I didn't know much about Autism until my now 3 1/2 year old grandson was diagnosed with it at about 18 months. He's beautiful. Sure he has his moments, but what youngster doesn't. His parents are doing everything they can to help him adjust to our "normal" way of life and he's done so well with all the outside help they've received, too.
I remember when my two children started going to school. At home they were loved and accepted for who they were as people, but at school they were taught, "You're not as smart as (whomever) because she got an "A" and you only got a "B" and this happened constantly in school. No matter how hard they studied, they were never "A" students, BUT they were good people.
It always bothered me how children can feel so good about themselves until they go to school where they are so obviously compared to either be lacking or better than someone else.
Marcy at 11:37AM on May 29th 2008
3. The whole story isn't here. I'd like to hear the teacher's side of it.
If a student is going to be mainstreamed, then they shouldn't get any special treatment. That's the whole point of mainstreaming, so that they can interact and function as a student on the same level as their peers. If this was something done for other students, he shouldn't be exempt. I fully support the voting option, it helps students to see how they affect the entire class of peers and friends, instead of just the teacher, who they probably don't care about.
The name calling, however, I do not agree with. She should have made it a constructive criticism option. Throw some nice things in there with what he needs to work on. If she's going to take a more mature approach to discipline, then it should be more mature discipline.
But I still want the WHOLE story before I pass judgement on the teacher. I'm sick of lynch mobs appearing out of nowhere with only one side of the conflict.
Strados at 11:44AM on May 29th 2008
4. Holliday- sue the district? What money, exactly would they pay her with? Taxpayer money. And where was that money supposed to go? The schools. Suing the district only hurts EVERYONE, especially the children.
Sue to get the teacher fired, but please don't steal money from other kids because you're pissed off.
Strados at 11:46AM on May 29th 2008
5. where the hell is this school? if any info on addy can be aquired, e-mail it to me crulintentons1@aol.com
alekos at 12:10PM on May 29th 2008
6. Yeah, I heard the tape of her talking to this little boy, and I have to tell you, she shouldn't be teaching 5 year olds. Any problem she had with this child should have been taken immediately to the parents and not addressed to the child in the manner that they were, especially in front of the classroom. It really doesn't matter that he is autistic. The parents have her comments on tape and they are very damaging. We must be our own children's advocate - at all times.
TJ at 12:45PM on May 29th 2008
7. When you think you have heard it all....we haven't!
Insanity takes a bow and falls flat on its face.
Where do these people (teachers) come from? I am so glad my children are grown and beyond reach of this type of "professional".
Sharon at 1:54PM on May 29th 2008
8. I'd like to weigh in on this issue.
I have Asperger's. I, like many, was not diagnosed until a few years ago. Prior to that, our "problem" was either misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all. I am 51 years old, so I was in elementary school in the 1960's.
Once I reached adulthood I was told that my elementary school had actually held full faculty meetings about me. They knew I was very intelligent (my IQ tests at between 145-160 over the years) but my lack of ability to interact with the other children and my poor attention and participation skills left my teachers flummoxed.
I think, in the case of this Florida teacher, that the situation was handled poorly, but on the other hand I question the decision to mainstream an Asperger's child. Asperger's is a manageable condition, but only with intense training in socialization skills. We have to be taught to do what comes naturally to other people. Even as an adult this is still difficult, and I admit I am only marginally successful. (I still have zero interest in socializing with others. Any interaction I have is forced and intentional on my part). I can't imagine myself as a 5 year old grasping the behavioral concepts.
One of the most helpful teachers I had was my fourth grade teacher. To this day I still remember many of the socialization skills she taught me, although I doubt I remember anything she taught in class. (LOL) Simple things like being aware of how I sat down, modifying my voice, being aware of my movements and facial expressions, reminding me to not interrupt or override other's conversations, and most importantly teaching me to respect other's feelings (even though I had no natural empathy for this). Even though I still didn't FEEL like other kids, I at least began to BEHAVE like one...and over the years it made me less conspicuously anti-social.
I am not sure what the answer is for Asperger's kids. I have no real idea how sitting in class with me and my disruptive behavior affected the other kids over time. It might have made them more tolerant, but it also might have made them more harsh and judgmental. I also know that I, personally, got very little out of my classes. My guess (knowing myself) is that I would have fared MUCH better academically if I had been instructed by private tutors, and had a coach to help me slowly learn socialization skills. As it was, I don't think that throwing me into the lion's den was very beneficial.
Kodiak at 2:02PM on May 29th 2008
9. Strados, your post number 3...it's right on target. It's all about mainstreaming. It's a topic that's decades old.
It's obvious that here we are decades later there's still work to be done.
Willet at 2:12PM on May 29th 2008
10. I agree with Strados that the teacher's side of the story should be heard and that fair and equal treatment is an element of mainstreaming...
But...
1) having a class assemble and then vote people out seems like something from Survivor, not a kindergarten classroom. It may have been fair if they had done the same with everyone... maybe they did and Alex was voted out along with the smelly kid, the one that eats his boogies, and wheelchair girl, too. In that case, FOR SHAME Ada for not mentioning them! ;-)
2) What is fair? Fair would be people with equal abilities competing with each other under the same rules. Right? So... what if not all those people have the same abilities? Wouldn't that mean the rules have to be changed, too? I understand Strados in that "fair" should be the same rules to all the same people, but "fair" is not what's fair to everyone, but what's fair to the individual child.
I have a degree in education, and I've taken one course in Special Ed. I know it's not much, but the lesson I walked away with was this: kids with disabilities have MANY disadvantages. They are not equal to their peers in many ways and they know it. They will be reminded of it every moment of their life. It's only FAIR that they be treated somewhat differently and be given a chance to feel that they can function normally along side their peers. If you don't do this in school, you will CRUSH THEIR SPIRIT and they will never go on to believe they can contribute anything to society... and, as a result, they won't. And we all know they can...
Andre Chmielewski at 2:26PM on May 29th 2008
11. Strados - the teacher actually commented that this was true - also - when children are mainstreamed, they still are given special accomodations - they are not just left to fend for themselves. Also this is the original article http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/treasurecoast/sfl-flpkindergartner0525pnmay25,0,2574622.story where it states that the teacher was involved in developing an IEP so he was aware of his needs and problems - if she needed more help - she could have asked for it - he had an aide 3 times a week and that still was not enough - but the school did not do what was necessary to accomodate his needs - if he needed to be in an ESE class - the teacher could have requested that during the IEP sessons but didn't - they chose as a group to keep him in a mainstream class
momofautism at 2:29PM on May 29th 2008
12. First of all, according to the law any disabled child has a right to be in a mainstream classroom. It is the school's responsibility to make any neccessary modifications. Again this is according to the "No child left behind" law. Secondly, how would anyone with a non"disabled" child like if their peers were allowed to decide if they like them, and should be allowed to remain in the clasrroom. This is a sickening situation, which can not be justified under any circumstances. I don't care what the teacher's "side of the story" is. Perhaps we should allow the children's opinion to always be how we base decision making. Well children, it looks like Sally won't be allowed here anymore...you decided you didn't like her baldness after chemo...and Billy will be gone to, you see he can't participate in phis ed...because he has MD. Also, the Cafeteria will now only be serving cookies and ice cream for lunch.
Give me a break...lynch mob mentallity...indeed look again at the teacher who set the lynch mob class against their fellow five year old. I say sue away...sue her for every pencil in the building... Unless you know a child with AS you can not understand how sweet and needy and loveable they can be. Not to mention, this will stay with this poor boy forever.
irr at 2:48PM on May 29th 2008
13. My daughter tutors children with autism. She was extremely upset by this teacher's actions. So it seems that this "teacher" just taught a whole classroom of tender minds how to shun and exclude another child out of their society. To me that is the beginning of an elitist group of adults. My heart bleeds for this child and his parents for being ostracised and condemned. Everyone should look into a mirrow and try to feel just the way this poor little guy felt. Shame on the teacher.
Joan Castaldo at 2:58PM on May 29th 2008
14. That is so cruel.
Star P at 3:02PM on May 29th 2008
15. Write or call St.Lucie School District:
Superintendent Michael J. Lannon
772-429-3600
webmastr@st.lucie.k12.w
Becky at 3:06PM on May 29th 2008