Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 As a child, I also went through constant bullying, and even getting physically beat up by groups, often in front of teachers, who would not interfere. Actually, they'd be smiling quite a bit. Their response to my requests for help was " Well, it's time you learned. " Time I learned what? " How to be around people. " I even had a teacher slap me. This was in the 70's and early 80's. On the other hand, as a certified teacher now myself, I can tell you that this is NO LONGER ALLOWED. Bullying is no longer an accepted interaction between students. Counselors spend time going into classrooms for formal anti-bullying lessons, teachers are directed to immediately step in if bullying is observed, and students who do bully are disciplined; the last crowd to bully my son got 9 days suspension! (They had a bit of a " rap sheet " with the front office already.) There are still some teachers who are way, way, way " behind the times " in this and other issues, but the numbers of people who are like that are diminishing through the trainings we get, and through retirement. There are still plenty of NT teachers who have the " not one of us " rejection for students outside the norm, but they have learned to " be professional " about it and most like that conceal it well except from staff like me... special ed teachers get a really clear picture of their real colleagues' perceptions, pretty quick. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > Even NTs at the top of the heap with no fear of ever approaching the bottom, > NTs who proudly *admit* that they bully us " non-empathetic " folks (and > who have no problem with calling it bullying because they see bullying > as A Very Good Thing: " the HUMAN thing to do, " as one teacher told me) > ... > > (Based on past experiences, I feel morally certain that, if I walked > into a room which had some NTs bullying one of their number — say, a > highly " bully-able " blind, homosexual midget NT in a wheelchair — as > soon as I walked into the room, the other NTs would let the previous > victim alone and turn on me instead: a much better victim, obviously > " naturally suited for the purpose of being the ideal victim that > provides the perfect release " as my fifth-grade art-teacher very > carefully explained because she wanted to " help " me to " accept this " > as my " natural place in society " which I needed to fill because it > would do everyone else so much good: I had no right to object to > giving my classmates the perfect opportunity to " express and develop > this aspect of the human personality. " As the art-teacher saw it, > trying to stop others from expressing their " natural and healthy > instincts and drives in this direction " made as little sense (and > suggested as much cruelty in my nature) as forbidding paper and canvas > to a gifted young artist who had a wonderful set of paints and the > will to try them out. How *dared* I object, when my mere objection (to > serving as an object for their use and delight) might thwart their > free expression, their full development, and (of course) their > self-esteem?!?!?! > > > ***What?? How dare she?! How long ago was this? What if some people's > natural instinct is to steal? Should that be supported and encouraged also? > How about rape? Murder?? > > > D. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 10, 2008 Report Share Posted January 10, 2008 ----- Original Message ----- As a child, I also went through constant bullying, and even getting physically beat up by groups, often in front of teachers, who would not interfere. Actually, they'd be smiling quite a bit. **I can relate to that. Teachers who actually thought getting picked on or physically abused was a good thing and would 'teach me'. Their response to my requests for help was " Well, it's time you learned. " Time I learned what? " How to be around people. " **Like that's going to change how you are? I even had a teacher slap me. This was in the 70's and early 80's. **I remember getting slapped, too. Same time frame. I had teachers who clearly disliked me and made no secret about it. On the other hand, as a certified teacher now myself, I can tell you that this is NO LONGER ALLOWED. **Good! Bullying is no longer an accepted interaction between students. Counselors spend time going into classrooms for formal anti-bullying lessons, teachers are directed to immediately step in if bullying is observed, and students who do bully are disciplined; the last crowd to bully my son got 9 days suspension! (They had a bit of a " rap sheet " with the front office already.) **My son got bullied terribly in Middle School and nothing was really done about it. That was in the '90s. There are still some teachers who are way, way, way " behind the times " in this and other issues, but the numbers of people who are like that are diminishing through the trainings we get, and through retirement. **Maybe if there are a few more " Columbines " . I think that made a big difference in the awareness. I can see how people can get mad enough to do something horrific as what those two guys did; sometimes you hear about something like that happening at a work place. There are still plenty of NT teachers who have the " not one of us " rejection for students outside the norm, but they have learned to " be professional " about it and most like that conceal it well except from staff like me... special ed teachers get a really clear picture of their real colleagues' perceptions, pretty quick. **I don't think people like that should be teachers at all. Especially the 'not one of us' students need guidance and understanding, not more grief from the teacher. D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 > So, we paid for her to go on the bus. It was last minute, but I feel good about trying to save the environment (personally I think it's too late) even though I had to give up some visiting time with my daughter. It's never too late to reduce your own impact and encourage others similarly. Just because a lot of damage has happened is no reason to abandon trying to improve things, or slow down the problem. Every choice that we make like that counts, down to whether we buy recycled toilet paper or switch off lights we're not using. Genyin -- " I know the answer! The answer lies within the heart of all mankind! The answer is twelve? I think I'm in the wrong building. " M. Schultz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.