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thedailywhat:

Kickass Dad of the Day: When Stuart Chaifetz learned that his 10-year-old son, Akian, was being violent and disruptive in class, he was puzzled. He knew Akian, who has autism, to be mild-mannered and sensitive, and had a hunch that something more was going on. But after several meetings with a team of school officials created to help special-needs students, nothing changed. So Chaifetz did what any concerned parent would do.

On the morning of Friday, February 17, 2012, I wired my son and sent him to school. That night, when I listened to the audio my life changed forever. I heard my son being bullied by his teacher and aide. The six and a half hours of audio I had proved that my son wasn’t hitting the teacher because there was something wrong with him — he was lashing out because he was being mocked, mistreated and humiliated. His outbursts were his way of expressing that he was being emotionally hurt at school.

The New Jersey father has since launched a website full of damning evidence and aFacebook page, and he is petitioning the state to change legislation so that teachers who bully children are immediately fired. The aide has been fired, but the rest of the staff have merely been relocated.

“I seek a full and public apology from all those adults who were in my son’s class for what they did to him,” Chaifetz says. “It is also far past time that these issues are allowed to be hidden from public view.”

[vvv]

ETA: This is disgusting. I can’t believe teachers would act this way. Its…. horrible and disgusting. And you know, to be fair, there are wonderful and qualified people who are DYING to become teachers for these kids and they can’t AFFORD THE CLASSES to do so? So what do you get? These jaded individuals who don’t actually care at ALL for these children. And then all we hear is that these kids are problems. They’re a disruption. I worked with a child with a learning disorder (I think it was Aspbergers. They did not divulge the information to me. THEY DID NOT TELL ME WHAT THAT CHILD’S DISORDER WAS SO THAT I COULD APPROPRIATELY TEACH HIM AND UNDERSTAND HIS NEEDS.) and he was treated as a problem student. I sat with him and learned that not only was he bright, but he was a wonderful child who loved reading and had problems with math. He needed help with that in a way he would understand and eventually, after the 3 months of working with him, we figured it out and he was doing better. I cannot believe people like THIS have a certification to TEACH. They should be ashamed of themselves.

Having grown up with someone who has autism and was accused of violence in school, this is especially resonant with me.  When someone who already has communication difficulties is pushed so far, they literally have no other way to defend themselves than to resort to violence.  This is absolutely unacceptable, and I commend this guy for getting proof of this abuse and publicizing it.  These abusers shouldn’t be allowed to go unpunished.

I don’t know anyone personally who has autism but this poor kid’s disgusting treatment reminds me of the same BS a good friend of mine had to put up with since elementary school because she is in a wheelchair due to cerebal palsy. She too had to put up with clueless or downright mean aids (she told me of one who refused to help her get on the toilet which was part of her job) and teachers who underestimated her simply because of her CP despite the fact she was a freaking honors student all through high school and an active volunteer in her community. She’s in college now, has a high GPA, and she still gets sh*t from some people who work in the school system for the same reasoning. My heart goes out to this little boy and glad he has a wonderful father to protect him (like my friend thankfully has her family and friends).

Damn right that is a kickass dad.

And I cannot believe that people like that are allowed to teach. Aside from the fact that you should treat people nicely—just to, you know, be a good human being—nobody who obviously doesn’t care about children should be a teacher. I mean, maybe for higher-level education like college it’s okay to be more interested in the subject than your students, but early education? Absolutely the most important aspect of being a teacher at that age is caring about the kids you teach. Kids are sensitive, and something hurtful at that age can stick with you for the rest of your life. (And just because adults are generally thicker-skinned does not mean that it’s okay to be an asshole if you aren’t around kids, FYI.)

(Source: thedailywhat)

coketalk:

Imagine you are part of a small group of women walking down the street in whatever town you call home. Suddenly, a half dozen men carrying guns swarm around you with a large net and hold you captive. Without provocation or warning, two of the men rush toward you and spray weaponized chemicals into your eyes and mouth that cause searing pain like you’ve never felt before in your life. You fall to the sidewalk shrieking in agony. No one is able to help you, because the men are all still holding you against your will.

In any other context, these men are criminals engaged in a conspiracy of false imprisonment and aggravated assault. Even in the context of the current Wall Street protests, they are little more than a brute squad. Personally, I don’t care that they’re wearing a badge. They may claim to be law enforcement, but they are enforcing no laws. They are doing what storm troopers have always done in the name of order, and they act without any fear of reprisal.

Thing is, cowards like that wouldn’t know legitimate civil unrest if it was shooting at them from the rooftops. Americans used to chase down unjust authority figures and tar and feather them in the streets. The least these non-violent protestors could do is document the badge numbers of the officers committing these acts of brutality. Give us their names.

They are just men, after all.

Fuck the police.


(video via cognitivedissonance)

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