To....

 To Principals….

 

You have a job that involves leadership and discipline, but some children with autism and other conditions have behaviors that need to either be helped or excused since they cannot be helped. It would have infuriated me if my best friend was sent to the principal’s office and punished for "skipping class." There are behaviors that aren’t acceptable and need a consequence, but it is also the principal’s job to meet the student where they are. I believe everyone secretly has an IEP when they enter the principal’s office. Case in point: we have student A and student B. The one link they have is that they both have anger issues. Student A has the classic anger issues that are not destructive and harmful, but student A just rants, and the most harmful thing he does is small pouting, but student B is a whole new ballgame. Student B is destructive and is not afraid to knock Mamma out. He also has an IEP for emotional behavior. Are we really going to scream at him to stop his anger at that moment? Principals I know that there are tasks that are required in your job and that it is not possible to be the student’s best friend, but in my opinion, principals do not take the time to know the basics of a student.

To APs….

I feel that APs have the same job as the principal, but as I said earlier, Principals, I know that there are tasks that are required in your job, and it is not possible to be the student’s best friend." If they are at work, the APs should step in and be the enforcers. When the principal does not have time, I believe it is your turn. I believe that when an AP becomes an AP, it is a priority to take some students under their wing, but it should not always be "the perfect student." There is a population in the institution that feels worthless, and they are desperate for anyone to speak to. One can argue that the student might feel safer if it is AP. Be sure to also do your job and look to see if they are in the wrong. Most of the time, it is the student, but every once in a while, it can be the teacher. When it is the teacher, where is the AP defending them because of something society does not understand?

To Central Office Administrators...

Believe it or not, Central Office Administrators are the best at getting to know their students, but they only do it if the administrator has a connection to that person or if they go to the office for punishment. Why are office administrators not taking a break from the desk and walking around the school to talk to the students? To me, this shows that Central Office Administrators are the most aware of their abilities, but are they accepting? I can answer that one because, right now, if I asked a Central Office administrator, they would say yes, but they do not. There is more to accepting us than speaking to us like we are humans, but I will give credit where credit is due because that is a start. Since you are at a start, let me help you increase it. The way to increase what you are doing is to speak to us like human beings, but do it more and keep your office open from the start to the end of the school day. A Central Office Administrator can be the reason we are calm.

To Educators… 

Pay Attention! The way you are teaching other students might go out the window if you have someone with autism or a condition. As Tiffany Haddish from Night School said, "Teaching the conventional way just isn't going to get it done for Teddy, so we're going to mix it up." Teachers mix it up by using our special interests to their advantage. For example, one of my special interests is professional wrestling, and I had to pass geometry, which I was good at but, let’s just say, I was not. If they had used a wrestling ring in a word problem that made me use some math, I would have been more interested in learning geometry. Just like everyone else in this essay, it is your responsibility to know a student. As my mother states, "This is not a job where someone can clock in and clock out." It is important to look after your student 24/7, and one aspect of looking after a student with autism is getting to know what they love.