My situation with Hans warrants, I think, a second post. It has brought up a number of issues that seem blog-worthy.
Since I spoke with his counselor, our classroom relationship is much better. I know now how to turn him off. It requires a certain abruptness of discourse that I can't help but think is rude, but I have to remember that Hans can't perceive it as rude, and in fact he needs me to be rude. He has stopped his in-class drama, probably because (I fear) he is doing poorly, and, smart guy that he is, knows he has to stop playing games and get down to business. He remains, however, ever distractable.
I no longer view Hans as a huge pain in my ass. I can see a big, goofy sweetheart in there. I am happy now; I feel like a real shit when I dislike a student.
My remaining issues are two. First, two comments were left on the original post by parents of kids with Asperger's. What parents need to know is that instructors at the university level are nothing like teachers in elementary and secondary school. Almost none of us have any formal teacher training. We are thrown in front of a classroom and expected to teach sometimes hundreds of kids at a time, never having learned anything about classroom management and different teaching methods. In particular, we have no training for and usually no experience at all with handling kids like Hans. And with over a hundred students, kids like Hans will be left out in the cold, no question about it. A parent myself, I can see how this would break any parent's heart.
Second, I was speaking to someone who works in the Disability Office, and to my horror I learned that there are faculty who, in fact, ignore or deny the Disability Office's requests for assistance for their students. My father, a university professor of the very old school variety, when first confronted with requests like these back in the 1980s, moaned and bitched and wrote letters to Dean, Provost and President, but even he did as he was asked. Who would deny these requests, and on what basis? While I'm sure some kids are gaming the system, I would rather let them slide so that the kids who really need help can still get it.
What I'm getting at, I suppose, is that if you are the parent of a kid with special needs, please think twice about sending him or her to LSU or any other large university. Even those of us who are reasonably good-hearted don't know our asses from a hole in the ground.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
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9 comments:
I was one of the parents who commented in the original post, and I think you are doing a good job. It is our job as parents to prepare our children for what they will face when they get to the university level. There is much they can learn if we start early (there are social skills groups where they can learn appropriate behaviors, although it is still challenging). Hopefully, by the time my son is in college, he will just appear a little eccentric, but not a problem. And I agree, these kids really should be in a smaller learning environment.
Keep doing what you're doing . . .
I agree with the sentiment that you don't send kids with problems like this to AnonymousU. We, also, have a disability office at BigU and when they get involved the outcome is mostly favorable. But as you point out, those of us doing the teaching usually lack either the insight or training about these matters found in most K12 teachers.
An acquaintance has a son with a "learning disability." This guy went to a small school, not particularly high on the academic totem pole, but where he would get the needed attention from faculty.
I just got an invitation to this fellow's law school graduation.
Mr. Bonzo
For students like Hans I think a small liberal arts school is better than a state school.
Parents of kids like Hans should check out the book "Colleges That Change Lives". The webpage for the book is here:
http://www.ctcl.com/
I'm sorry, but you might consider not sending a person like this to college at all. Nothing wrong with his intelligence, but his strengths might lie in the path of a skilled trade. Those jobs can't be outsourced, and may be a source of more concrete (pun intended) satisfaction in the long haul.
William,
what's happening is that the skilled trades are being insourced or subcontracted to unskilled labor(look at truckers being imported from india, electricians and plumbers can't be far behind).
Two comments:
You're completely right in that most of us (professors) don't have any formal training in teaching, let alone dealing with students with special needs. At my college, we're starting to get there, as far as including the Disabilities Services office in our new faculty orientations, with a presentation about what DS is about and how they can help the faculty.
Second - holy flying frogs, Batman - I would be scared to death of a lawsuit if I ignored the Disabilities Services letters for accomodation. I've never yet seen a request for accomodation that was onerous. While I've seen my share of curmudgeons on campus, I can't see any of them refusing a request for accomodation. Wow.
I am one of the parents that left a comment on our first comment.
And I have to say....I think you are a great professor, and a great person. That you found a way to deal with this kid, is so fantastic.
My daughter goes to a big state university. We learned right away that we couldn't trust the disability dept, because they really didn't understand Asperger's either. The big difference between high school and college as far as accommodations go is that the kids have to ask for help, and that usually is part of the disability for kids with Asperger's. I get the feeling they are they just to protect the university, not to really help the kids.
My daughter has a life coach, which has helped tremendously. We talk every day, I go to visit her if she is overwhelmed by something new and needs to walk through it. My daughter has never had a bad experience with a professor, but she would never think to argue and be as confrontational as Hans. It just isn't in her nature. She also is an anthro major, I don't know if that helps because people are used to thinking about why people would act weird.
My daughter now does things I never thought she would do. She lives on her own. She manages personal things on her own. She has a job. She is going to grad school (she has a 3.7 cum GPA). She is even active at school, helped start a club, tried out for plays....totally amazing. I can see her living a real life, instead of living with us forever.
Anyway, I am totally off-track. I am so impressed that you took the time to find out more about this kid, how to communicate with him. That is the sign of an awesome teacher. That is very awesome.
My dad owns rental property, and he speaks very highly of a small-time contractor with Asperger's. The guy is absolutely brilliant at tile work (he redid a bathroom in one of the apartments) and has an attention to detail that is almost unheard of among contractors. And he charges fair prices, too, never trying to rip people off.
All three of the supposedly LD students in my department (graduate school) are gaming the system, and fairly open about it, at least with other students.
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