Saying the Pledge of Allegiance

Thank you for your concern. I promise to weigh it carefully.

 

As a nanny and as a former camp counselor, I'd just like to point out that there is a HUGE difference between kids liking you at camps or while babysitting, and kids benefiting from you as a teacher. There's a major difference in the way you interact with children, and there's a major difference in the setting. Beyond that, as nice as it is that you can make friends with kids, being a teacher isn't about being a friend.

 

My biggest concern for you is that your plan for communicating and interacting with parents is to draw on your previous acting experience and "go into character". That is going to require a LOT of effort on your part, in addition to the tremendous strain and effort that comes with the everyday duties of being a teacher.

Ask any teacher and they will tell you that, by November, the strain of the job is taking it's toll on even the happiest and most well-prepared teacher.

If you aren't being genuine in your actions, attitudes and behavior, that toll is going to be even greater as you try to maintain the character facade each day.

 

My biggest concern is how the teachers, the parents, and the school are being perceived as adversarial to the OP. We are all interdependent colleagues.

 

So you go from 0 to 60 in seconds. That might not work too well in a classroom
with children who enjoy pushing your buttons. How have you prepared for that scenario?

 

This is an excellent question. I am wondering the same thing.

 

I generally see children as less threatening, therefore there hasn't been much I have had to go 0-60 with dealing with them. I've had some kids in mentoring groups make very vulgar and offensive remarks you don't even hear some adults say, and pretty much asked them to stop or ask if they wanted to repeat what they just said to our program coordinator. My tolerance level for children is much higher.

 

This is a relevant issue. Interesting how it was handled at this school... Community sounds off after school punishes boy for refusing to stand for pledge

 

It's really meant to be aspirational, you know -- not a statement of fact.

 

If it means anything, I was diagnosed as autistic today. It was a feedback session so I didn't have time to get into anything about what happened here, even though I printed out some of my comments, but I will ask about some of my hostility issues.

 

I'm sure you have something you want us to gain from stating you were diagnosed with autism today. I am not sure what that is supposed to be. Please elaborate what else this should mean for us and our interpretation of your comments in this thread.

While a diagnosis will signify that some traits are present, the severity and the deficits vary from one person who has autism to another. As the quote goes, "If you have seen one person with autism, you have seen one person with autism."

Some people with autism will do fine teaching, others will be horribly challenged by their deficits with various tasks of the job.

 

But you also have to work with adults. You have to collaborate with teachers. You have to meet with parents and communicate with parents. You have to work FOR administrators who will at times tell you that you are wrong and challenge you.

While you tolerance of children may be higher, that is only one part of the job.

 

From the article:

And she wants to prove how free we are by forcing a child to say words she prefers...

I think the school is acting immorally here, and most likely illegally.* I'm a little surprised they did anything, but if he'd wanted to make it harder for them he should have stood for the Texas pledge but NOT the US pledge, and seen them wrestle with that (as far as I can tell, his stated reasons appear to be related to the federal government).


* "most likely" because, though students have a protected right not to say the pledge under W. Virginia v. Barnette (1943), there is a peculiar law I've heard of in Florida that I'm not sure has been tested. I'm not sure if TX has a similar law.

 

Interesting that you like to continue to bully someone with a cognitive disability. It must feel good.

 

I really wanted to know why you needed to post that you were diagnosed with autism. I'm wondering your motivation. That's all it was. There have been successful teachers who have autism and unsuccessful ones. So, I am wondering the motivation in pointing out the diagnosis since you have been rather thorough explaining areas you struggle.