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Posted by Susan Carney Jun 4, 2008 |
The parents of a Florida kindergartener have accused his teacher of mental abuse after she allegedly humiliated the child, who is in the process of being identified with Asperger’s Syndrome. When the boy exhibited behavioral problems, the teacher sent him to the office. Upon his return, he was allegedly verbally skewered by his classmates, who were urged by his teachers to tell him what they didn’t like about him, followed by a vote to determine if he should remain in the class. The mother claims that the teacher proudly admitted all of this to her, yet she told a different story to school officials and investigators.
With all the talk about how kids bully other kids, it’s hard to imagine a scenario where five year olds are prodded by an adult to hurt another child’s feelings. I’m all for productive feedback: I regularly teach my three year olds how to assert themselves using “I statements” when someone does something they don’t like. Right now we are working on responses like “I don’t like it when you snatch my toy. Don’t do it again!” But lining up a whole classroom of kids and encouraging them to systematically belittle a special needs kindergartener seems to be both cruel and abusive, not only to this one little boy, but to all of the kids in the classroom.
Adults who work with kids need to recognize the power their words have. The power to help and to comfort, but also the power to hurt and destroy. And before we can expect kids to treat each other with respect and dignity, we have to demonstrate that ourselves. For more about how to do this, check out Providing a Safe Space For Kids.