I read about 20+ sites a day - newspapers, blogs, etc. It's usually a variegated group that can change at any moment. The one that has remained a constant has been Rob. I know it's been well over six years of reading, because his daughter is 5 and I remember all the excited doings of baby expectation. I've followed along through cross-country moves and poopy diapers. A few hours after Rob was given the diagnosis for his daughter's silence, I was reading about too. It's where I, along with thousands of others learned all about Congenital Bilateral Perisylvian Syndrome and got the crash course in Special Education from the parent's perspective.
Now that you have the background... a week ago I read this post and was filled with shame. Shame regarding the actions of someone in a profession that I am not only employed but work very hard to maintain a high level of professionalism and positive efficacy. You see Rob's daughter (Schuyler) cannot speak. The CBPS affects the parts of her brain that manage speech and she will probably never gain the ability use vocal speech. She can use sign language but it limits who she can communicate with. How other 5 year olds do you know can sign? So, Schuyler uses an augmentative speech device, colloquially known as the "Big Box of Words" (BBoW). By pressing buttons and working her way through various menus, Schuyler can now say almost anything she wants. It's even been programed with a function so that Schuyler can play along with Dora the Explorer. You can watch a movie of Schuyler using the BBoW here.
But I digress, back to the scandalous act... Rob and his wife discovered that Schuyler's kindergarten teacher has refused to allow her to use the BBoW in class, as it is a distraction. The other children find the device fascinating and occasionally, Schuyler says things out of turn. Apparently, this is unusual in Texas. I have yet to see any classroom where students don't talk out of turn or get distracted by every minute thing in and around the room. But then again, I've never been the Texas... perhaps it is normal for 5 year olds to sit in total silence for an extended period in this part of the country. Perhaps there are no windows to look out of... It doesn't really sound like a place I'd want to send my children, but people in Texas are always insisting they are different from the rest of the country. This situation does beg the question as to what this teacher does with children who have full use of their vocal cords? Is there a roll of duct tape lurking in the desk to tape distracting mouths? And let's not even get into the prospect of other disabilities that would fall into the distracting category (wheelchairs, walkers, head gear, helmets, chest plates, braces, etc...) The fact that this teacher has chosen to do this, leads me to think that A. the only reason she hasn't done it to other students is because someone may walk by and see the tape and B. probably shouldn't be teaching and should have her certification checked. Does Texas not have a requirent that teachers take some sort of course in having students with IEP's in the classroom? Are they not required to read and follow such IEP's? It can be grounds for revocation of liscensure in WA.
I am utterly scandalized, shocked, dismayed and deeply ashamed. Sure, there are days when I wish I could turn off the speech function for many of my students... my favorite words are "stop talking" and "get to work." But would I ever do that? NO! What this teacher has done has taught Schuyler at the tender age of 5 is that there are people who are mean, petty and just plain suck as human beings. MaryBeth of Street Smarts had a great post talking along the same lines. As I read the entry, I could feel the disappointment sinking within me... and I immediately braced for the onslaught of comments about teachers "don't care, are only in it for the money, are lazy and will do anything to get out actually working... " We've all heard it before. It's teachers like this woman who keep that sterotype going going. Personally, I'd like to suggest a career change to something along the lines of data processing. No personal interaction required.
I wish I could say that this little episode had a happy conclusion. After this discriminatory action was brought to light, the teacher was reprimanded or at least some change was made. Alas, I cannot. After school the very next day, Rob asked his daughter what she would like for a snack. I imagine that she just looked at him with sad eyes... because the speech function had been turned off during the school day.
Now that you have the background... a week ago I read this post and was filled with shame. Shame regarding the actions of someone in a profession that I am not only employed but work very hard to maintain a high level of professionalism and positive efficacy. You see Rob's daughter (Schuyler) cannot speak. The CBPS affects the parts of her brain that manage speech and she will probably never gain the ability use vocal speech. She can use sign language but it limits who she can communicate with. How other 5 year olds do you know can sign? So, Schuyler uses an augmentative speech device, colloquially known as the "Big Box of Words" (BBoW). By pressing buttons and working her way through various menus, Schuyler can now say almost anything she wants. It's even been programed with a function so that Schuyler can play along with Dora the Explorer. You can watch a movie of Schuyler using the BBoW here.
But I digress, back to the scandalous act... Rob and his wife discovered that Schuyler's kindergarten teacher has refused to allow her to use the BBoW in class, as it is a distraction. The other children find the device fascinating and occasionally, Schuyler says things out of turn. Apparently, this is unusual in Texas. I have yet to see any classroom where students don't talk out of turn or get distracted by every minute thing in and around the room. But then again, I've never been the Texas... perhaps it is normal for 5 year olds to sit in total silence for an extended period in this part of the country. Perhaps there are no windows to look out of... It doesn't really sound like a place I'd want to send my children, but people in Texas are always insisting they are different from the rest of the country. This situation does beg the question as to what this teacher does with children who have full use of their vocal cords? Is there a roll of duct tape lurking in the desk to tape distracting mouths? And let's not even get into the prospect of other disabilities that would fall into the distracting category (wheelchairs, walkers, head gear, helmets, chest plates, braces, etc...) The fact that this teacher has chosen to do this, leads me to think that A. the only reason she hasn't done it to other students is because someone may walk by and see the tape and B. probably shouldn't be teaching and should have her certification checked. Does Texas not have a requirent that teachers take some sort of course in having students with IEP's in the classroom? Are they not required to read and follow such IEP's? It can be grounds for revocation of liscensure in WA.
I am utterly scandalized, shocked, dismayed and deeply ashamed. Sure, there are days when I wish I could turn off the speech function for many of my students... my favorite words are "stop talking" and "get to work." But would I ever do that? NO! What this teacher has done has taught Schuyler at the tender age of 5 is that there are people who are mean, petty and just plain suck as human beings. MaryBeth of Street Smarts had a great post talking along the same lines. As I read the entry, I could feel the disappointment sinking within me... and I immediately braced for the onslaught of comments about teachers "don't care, are only in it for the money, are lazy and will do anything to get out actually working... " We've all heard it before. It's teachers like this woman who keep that sterotype going going. Personally, I'd like to suggest a career change to something along the lines of data processing. No personal interaction required.
I wish I could say that this little episode had a happy conclusion. After this discriminatory action was brought to light, the teacher was reprimanded or at least some change was made. Alas, I cannot. After school the very next day, Rob asked his daughter what she would like for a snack. I imagine that she just looked at him with sad eyes... because the speech function had been turned off during the school day.
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