I've been out of the classroom for a couple of weeks due to a bad case of strep throat but last week I ventured back into the classroom. It was interesting because there is an autistic boy in the classroom. I understand the whole movement to incorporate handicapped students into a regular classroom but I can't understand this. He's autistic and isn't capable of anything that the other students can do. It may sound mean or cruel but he shouldn't be in the classroom with other students. He runs the length of the classroom screaming and yelling. That's not fair to the students that are trying to get their work done.
He does have an aide but she's at a complete lost as of what to do. He cannot complete the work with the other students and he's always given some alternate assignment to complete. An example, the day I was there they had folded up pieces of newspaper and he was attempting to cut them into strips so that they could be coated in paper-mache and made into a mask. The other students had completed this assignment almost a month ago. The autistic student won't even start, it's something that the teacher knows and so does his aide. Don't get me wrong, he's very nice and I don't mind him in the classroom but I can't help but feel bad for the students that are trying to get their work done. The times when he runs up and down the class they have to jump out of his way because he will run them over, he doesn't bother to navigate through the students.
I really love going to this class and the teacher I have was actually my teacher eight years ago. He's asked me to bring in my old portfolio so I can help with his advanced students and show them my work. I will also be helping him this week at the Arts festival.
I know the autistic student will be there and he'll be doing what he always does, which I'm used to by now but I can't help but wonder, who is it really hurting and helping by him being in the classroom?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment