ASD and teachers

[Ihaveaspergers]

Just as a tip, I wouldnt put too much faith into what Quora says.

Dont look for answers to things like that on the internet. Call it a bit of advice from someone who has been on the net since it started existing.

That being said, quite a bit of that actually seems to support what I said above.

Note, this isnt whatsoever about whether someone will be GOOD at it or not. Skill was never what I was getting at. This is about the emotional/stress/mental aspect of it. Even I could go in front of 100 people on a freaking stage and rant easily about one of my interests, as an example. I know said interest right down to the smallest details, after all. However, that does not mean it wouldnt mentally/emotionally wreck me to do so. As it indeed would, even if the performance was "successful".

Then you and I are different.
Aspies are not always the same.
Two aspies can be very different from eachother.

 

[Ihaveaspergers]

I was hesitant to say something here because I trained as a teacher as a mature-aged student because there was a push to bring in experienced older people into the profession. Really awful idea. I received no support as a teacher with ASD. Senior teachers were openly hostile to me & students with High-Functioning Autism. Non-verbal autistic kids have special classes, some schools are better than others. Eventually, I was so traumatized I had a nervous breakdown. The bullying by kids, their parents, other teachers, & the system in general left me no where to go. It took a couple of years of therapy to stop harming myself & as I accepted it was not my fault I felt resigned to the view that parents with ASD must be very engaged with their children's education. The system will let them down. I did relief teaching for a couple of years until I decided enough suffering was enough. My own childhood schooling was not too cheerful, although I had a very engaging art teacher who had faith in me. She said, 'I was the only student who would do things, others would say they had ideas, but I actually made stuff & brought it in.' I stumbled as a lonely isolated abused child & left school early as my parents failed at parenting. Eventually I entered the education system as a mature student & did well as I have an obsessive nature, even won some academic awards. I think it just takes longer for us with autism, certainly the evidence suggests that.

I tried a "strange" course at a University. It was a Latin class. Focus was on learning grammar instead of speaking the language. School sucks! Why don't they let you speak the language instead of focusing on the grammar?! Don't try to learn a language at school unless you can do so by being obsessed with grammar. School is often not about reality!

 

[Misery]

Then you and I are different.
Aspies are not always the same.
Two aspies can be very different from eachother.

Aye, but... I never said otherwise, so...

I rather suspect something has gone awry in translation here.

 

[artful_aspie]

Nothing unusual in that on a forum dedicated to people on the Autism Spectrum. It shows we will all interpret things said in a singular way I get things wrong or confused all the time. Nevertheless, I think we can all agree autistic students & autistic teachers get a terrible deal in the education system. What amazes me though is bucket loads of money are thrown at education but nothing really gets better. It has taken the lockdowns of the Coronavirus to get a more useful evaluation of student's progress in Australia, moving away from purely academic assessment to overall evaluation of a student's involvement. Kids that would have gotten a lousy score now have something that could take them to a better standing in applying for colleges, universities, or workplaces.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Teachers are just people who got a college degree. They're not experts. I've met a few who shocked me with their trashy lifestyles outside of the classroom.

 

[Ihaveaspergers]

Nothing unusual in that on a forum dedicated to people on the Autism Spectrum. It shows we will all interpret things said in a singular way

please explain. I don't really understand.

Teachers are just people who got a college degree. They're not experts. I've met a few who shocked me with their trashy lifestyles outside of the classroom.

If they have a degree don't they know their subject(s)?
Or are you saying that they know their subject(s) but can't teach?

I recall speaking to an opera singer who said that most singing teachers don't focus on helping students with the fundamentals, eg breathing. Many teachers expect you to be good at the fundamentals.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

please explain. I don't really understand.



If they have a degree don't they know their subject(s)?
Or are you saying that they know their subject(s) but can't teach?

I recall speaking to an opera singer who said that most singing teachers don't focus on helping students with the fundamentals, eg breathing. Many teachers expect you to be good at the fundamentals.

It just means they went to school, and got at least a "C" average, so that they could graduate.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Interesting thread. I am a 53 yr old Aspie,...late diagnosis,...went through public schools, universities, professional career,...and am teaching theory and labs, both at the hospital and for a local college (adjunct professor). I've been through and am living both sides of this conversation. As a young person in the public school system, it was about (1) conformity and (2) learning how to take a test. I could learn how to take a test,...but as a youngster who was generally awkward at conformity,...it was an awful experience. When I was a kid,...and as a young adult,...there was no such thing as the "autism spectrum". You were either severely debilitated,...or you had "behavior issues" to be punished,...or you were "odd, weird, awkward, etc." and were teased and bullied by your classmates, and adults didn't understand you and the way you saw the world. Now,...I am a mentor and a teacher,...and finally have some understanding of what all the "autism spectrum" means to myself and when interacting with others. When I first do my introductions, I tell them right up front I have Asperger's and what that might mean to them when interacting with me,...that they may be sensing that something is "off" about me,...and I am totally cool with that, but do not hesitate to pull me aside if you have questions and concerns. I have also had students that were autistic (diagnosed and undiagnosed),...obvious to me,...I will discretely pull them aside,...basically let them know I will support them any way they need and not to shy away. As far as teaching at the college/university level,...student testing can vary in terms of how it is performed. Generally speaking, any student that has has been accepted into a "program" such as nursing, engineering, respiratory care, dentistry, medical school, law school, etc.,...those programs will have specific instructional needs, and standardized testing will be put forth by national accrediting boards. Which means that priorities are shifted towards students learning how to take and pass the national professional board exams,...conformity, once again. The trick with anyone on the autism spectrum is for them to find a field of study and career that is consistent with their specific aptitudes,...but with some understanding that even within a specific job description, there may be some aspects of it that may be difficult and may need some employer accommodations. For me, it was specializing in a narrow aspect of my field and becoming a valued expert in neonatal medicine. I never took to adult care,...as adults like to converse,...and adults expect to be spoken to,...and they often come in with 20, 30, 40+ years of emotional baggage, etc,...and I do not deal well with that. Many of the top doctors in any field are disproportionately autistic,...for example, brilliant surgeons,...with horrible bedside manner. We have an opthamologist (eye doctor),...brilliant,...but needs to be lead around, often by the arm, by his private nurse,...he is very autistic. All I can say, as a word of advice, is to recognize that neurotypicals value conformity and standardization,...and often that is what holds them back. In my experience,..."Those that are the best do it differently than the rest." With that comes some risk, but it must be done to move the world forward. Embrace your autism in the sense that if you have certain gifts, exploit them,...make yourself stand out from the rest. Conform when it comes to the classroom, but with some narcissistic level of understanding that you are doing what you need to do to pass your courses. You are better than that. Sometimes you just need to jump through hoops for the sake of conformity,...it may seem stupid at the time,...it may seem irrelevant,...but then get yourself on to better things.

 

[LadyS]

Just my two cents. I see it both ways from the aspect of a student and a teacher. Imagine if the situation was reversed and someone who wasn't a NT had to teach education and skills to a wide variety of people with different personalities, neurologies, backgrounds and upbringing, etc. I would assume it would be equally difficult. The point is that we are ALL (not just Aspies) made and think differently and I personally think that's an inconvenient truth in the matter of teaching. A single teacher simply cannot cater to each individual's style of learning and still maintain quality and time for the whole class which is why others say it's more about conformity. Sure you can find some special teachers who are wonderful at their jobs but expecting all teachers to have these abilities and actually get decent pay and respect for it might be a tad unrealistic, a pot-meet-kettle sorta situation. Eventually we all have to conform somewhat in order to coexist but still can maintain our unique abilities as we get older and have more choices. I understand the frustration though.

 

[artful_aspie]

It is the 'politics' in the staff room which got me. Neurodiverse teachers just cannot get a decent place in the pecking order. This topic is upsetting me, bringing back bad memories. I am out of here.

 

[VictorR]

I was hesitant to say something here because I trained as a teacher as a mature-aged student because there was a push to bring in experienced older people into the profession. Really awful idea. I received no support as a teacher with ASD. Senior teachers were openly hostile to me & students with High-Functioning Autism. Non-verbal autistic kids have special classes, some schools are better than others. Eventually, I was so traumatized I had a nervous breakdown. The bullying by kids, their parents, other teachers, & the system in general left me no where to go. It took a couple of years of therapy to stop harming myself & as I accepted it was not my fault I felt resigned to the view that parents with ASD must be very engaged with their children's education. The system will let them down. I did relief teaching for a couple of years until I decided enough suffering was enough. My own childhood schooling was not too cheerful, although I had a very engaging art teacher who had faith in me. She said, 'I was the only student who would do things, others would say they had ideas, but I actually made stuff & brought it in.' I stumbled as a lonely isolated abused child & left school early as my parents failed at parenting. Eventually I entered the education system as a mature student & did well as I have an obsessive nature, even won some academic awards. I think it just takes longer for us with autism, certainly the evidence suggests that.

Have you had a chance to read Dr. Liane Holliday Willey's memoir Pretending to be Normal? She mentions among other jobs, having been an elementary school teacher, and just not fitting in, as with your experience.