I don't even know how to respond to this... http://tinyurl.com/4wsqka

I know that we have some teachers in the group, and would be very interested in getting their take on this as well. And I know that there are some parents of autistic children, I'd be interested in hearing their thoughts too. Should the teacher be fired? Sued? Placed in front of a firing squad? All of the above?

It's kindergarten not freakin' (Super-Mommas got me "watching my words"...) Survivor! Stop getting your educational ideas from tv!

Ok I'll say it , Who the fuck decided to give this fucker a teaching license? High holy days in Hell this ticks me off!

And the school sees nothing wrong with this?! I'd sue it I thought that it would put this on the national stage.

I was considering posting this as well, Super-Papa. Personally, I'd like to ring her little neck (how do I know it's litte? Because all it holds up is a teeny weeny peabrain). Many, many stories in the news disgust me, but this is really a topper.

Speaking as someone outside of the teaching profession, I would say she should be fired. I also think she ought to be made to sit with a bunch of parents of autistic children (TM, Ruth, and all the others here included) and be their punching bag. I know there is a great teaching opportunity here and I've no doubt that she could learn a lot by just spending some time with the kids themselves, but some sick part of me really wants to see her suffer.

MttM, thanks for adding the cursing for me!

Even if he wasn't in the process of diagnosis, public shaming is unacceptable. It's damaging to the child shamed and damaging to the other children who were encouraged or told to participate. It's small-minded, immature, and cruel. I realize that not every teacher is all sunshine and light and truly loves every student - some students are incredibly difficult to love. However, every good teacher I've ever known has treated every student with dignity and respect, even when disciplining them.

It's taking every thing I have not to unleash every curse I know, which is quite a few.

Ack! I split a compound word! Oh, it burns, it burns!

Seriously, that's a pet peeve of mine.

She should be fired. Period.

Having the other students "vote" to put another student out of the class is unacceptable.

Where are the parents of the other students? Are they happy that their 5- and 6-year-old kids were taught how to gang up on someone?

On one hand, sometimes things with teachers are misconstrued and blown out of proportion. The things that were reported didn't actually happen.

On the OTHER hand, it really does seem like this was pretty cut and dry don't you think? This sucks, I hope she was fired (if she didn't have tenure), and I am just so proud of the 2 students who voted NOT to throw him out. Classy at 5, that's nice.

The first comment on that page talks about how this could only happen in Florida:) I was at a teaching conference last year and there were many booths of "Teach in Florida! No experience required!" Yeah, that.

They suck.

I love how this answer just universally works.

Like bap, I have to wonder if there's more (or less) to the story than we know. however, if it's 80% true or higher, I can think of far more creative ways to make this a "teachable" moment. I'm appalled, disgusted and have zero faith in humanity at times like this.

Sadly, bullies come in all shapes, sizes, and ages. Being a teacher does not guarantee that person is not a bully. My son has autism and he's been victimized by adults. I've dealt with teachers who were wonderful adn I've dealt with some that were incompetent and/or difficult. This is by far one of the worst cases of emotional abuse I have heard of in a long time.

This is completely unacceptable and I hope that even if she does have tenure that she's fired -- certainly, this is a firing offense.

And yes, I agree... I too hope they the other parents were appalled that their children were required to participate in this clusterf***.

Horrifying.

My anti-spyware software won't let me view tinyurl links, but I imagine this is what I saw this morning on ABC. If it is, the teacher was over the line. However, I feel doubly sorry for the kid because his parents seemed like some real idiots, too.

If this had been my kid you would have all seen me on the news... "Local mom kicks the shit out of local teacher".

This is one of those moments that would made me take my earrings off.

JTC... http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/treasurecoast/sfl-flpkindergartner0525pnmay25,0,2574622.story

I really hope that we are missing part of the story. I keep losing a bit of my faith in people every day... This should never happen to any kid. My mother, who was a teacher and represented teachers in conflicts for years, would want to smack this person in the head. Teachers get treated badly enough and then to have someone to this... Why would the teacher give the other kids the idea they could "vote" someone out of their class? How would she have enforced that?

Okay, everyone cover the eyes of any babies reading this.
*deep breath*

That fucking cunt (not a word I like to use, but applicable here) should be drawn and quartered. If someone did that to my sweet baby Alex, I'd be in jail for assault. Happily. And I'm not kidding. I have a tendency to be very obnoxious when I think someone has maligned my Alex, so that would just send me over the edge. I hope she gets fired and can never find work again. Karma will get her. I have no doubt of it. What I find the most appalling is that she went around the room and let the other kids say what they didn't like about that poor boy.

Yeah, this has been bringing me down since I read it a few days ago. My son has been in his school for 3 years now (repeated K) and I guess I didn't realize how lucky he and I have been in terms of how completely accepting and wonderful all of the teachers and adults have been, and how much they've encouraged the kids to accept him for who he is (and believe me, he's VERY different, he stands out big time).

If this happened to my kid there would have been a pretty major scene, and I'd have a lawyer in a heartbeat, the teacher's head on a pike to boot.

This is truly horrifying. I hope there is more to the story but is hard to imagine anyway that this could be made better. It is wrong on every possible level. Those kids who voted to keep him should be held up at the next school assembly as examples of courage and decency.

Apparently she has been reassigned to the office while the incident is under review:
http://tinyurl.com/6yrc37

ohmygod. I can't understand why a person who has spent years studying child psychology, among other things, would think this would not hurt a young child. Autism or no, there is no reason to publicly humiliate a child just because you're upset with his behavior.

A teacher cannot "vote" a kid out of the class, there has to be several steps taken including meeetings with the principal, teacher and parent. Even when, in my job, I've taken extreme parental concerns (of which ALL of them demand their kid be moved to another teacher), they still take time to try to solve the issue without disrupting two terachers' classes.

I don't know if this tacher would be fired on the spot, but it would certainly be a black mark in their personnel file, and the teacher may not get tenure or have their contract renewed.

But how can it not be criminal child emotional abuse if the poor child is reliving the experience and is afraid of school?

I thought it might be this story, out of Indiana, but this boy is just disruptive without a medical reason. The teacher went over the line, but this kid's parents didn't seem like horses that were going to finish, if you know what I'm saying.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=4945581&page=1

this makes me absolutely nauseated. Bullying horrifies me, but from a TEACHER? She is human waste.

Wow! It totally amazes me what people think is acceptable discipline and/or behavior modification techniques when dealing with young children especially those with disabilities. Our oldest had a very similar experience in the first grade. He was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. The teacher would discipline him in front of the class (really humiliating and degrading too) and when the punishment was over and he was compliant again she would have the entire class say "Thank you _____, for stopping x behavior so we can now start our lesson again"!!! The teacher actually recorded the incident thinking I would agree that the boy was out of control and her approach of public humiliation and shaming would help change his behavior! I just about lost my shit.

I took my son out of the class and home schooled him until a special education class that would suit his needs was available. We later had him moved to a non public school that was even better for him. I wonder what went on when the tape recorder was not recording. If this is something she thought was ok to share, I wonder what was going on she did not share. She was an awful teacher. While I know that all the issues he has is not her fault, I can't help but be angry at the way she singled him out and made him the bad kid all the time...it certainly did not help him at all.

I have to just say that we are so freaked out by our brief interactions with the public school system that we have chosen to put the younger boys in private school. I am a very active participating parent...I usually catch things right away and go to the teacher with any questions or concerns but I just can't trust the public school system to provide a safe, or equitable, or healthy environment for my children. I know that not all teachers are bad..but this one really needs to be out of the classroom! I hope this little rant does not offend the teachers out there.

I really hope there's more to the story, but if it's true, that's highly inappropriate and unprofessional. For any kid in any classroom (and believe me, I've known loads of teenagers I'd like to vote out of the class), but especially for a kindergarten class. At the least, she needs to be severely disciplined and reassigned, if not outright fired. That sucks.

And if it had been my kid, her ass would be mine. I doubt I would resort to violence, but she'd be fired and the school district would be paying me *a lot* of money in damages.

There's a special place in hell for her.

And did all his classmates go home and take very hot showers to cleanse themselves of being bullied into the expereince as well? So Lord of the Flies. I feel the worst for the boy and his family, but agree w/ a few other posters that the rest of the kids in the class were victimized by this teacher as well, albeit to a far lesser extent.

Oh, and GOOD JOB for those two kids who voted not to remove the boy from class.

Ack. I made the mistake of reading more than the first page of comments. There are actually idiots on there DEFENDING her actions. I think I'm going to be ill....

THIS is how you treat a child, autistic or otherwise: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/16420031/detail.html

This scares the everyloving crap out of me guys.
My El Destructo is going to be in the FL school system one day... and this freakshow of a backwater town is about 45 minutes away. Too close for comfort.

She had already send the kid for behavior issues to the office and then continued the punishment when he got back? WTF. Anyhow just agreeing with all that state that she is a human ass hat.