Yesterday, on CNN, I caught this
video . The incident happened in Oakridge, Oregon. Apparently, a teacher used duct tape to tape a 9-year-old boy to his chair. The news story does not tell the teacher's side of the story. The mother, the child and the superintendent are interviewed. The teacher is on paid administrative leave, pending an investigation. The Seattle Times reports the incident
here and KMTR
here:
Nine-year-old Austin Faile admits he was bored, and says the teacher repeatedly told him to sit down.
[...]
[Becky]Faile says she immediately called an attorney, and the school.
--sigh--
The story resonates with me on a personal level, as I had a similar experience with my son when he was in kindergarten. His teacher not only taped him to his chair, she taped his mouth shut too -- on more than one occasion. Was I horrified or outraged? No. Why? Because I lived with my son and could fully understand that when a teacher has 20+ kids in a class, she doesn't have time to deal with one that is creating havoc.
As a concerned parent, I knew it was my responsibility to discover why my son was exhibiting behavior problems and by the time he was in first grade we had discovered he had dyslexia and a severe muscular coordination problem in his eyes. Once we started dealing with his physical impairments his behavior improved immensely.
The International Dyslexia Association estimates that 15%-20% of the population are afflicted with dyslexia.
I don't know that 9-year-old Austin from the news clip has a learning disability, but I do think that it is the parents responsibility to discover why their son is disruptive.
Should the teacher lose her job? Is taping a child to a chair child abuse?
