special ed teacher gives autistic 11 year old "most annoying male" award

[Demovictory9]

Link to tweet

https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/rex-huppke/ct-met-autism-student-award-most-annoying-gary-huppke-20190605-story.html

Boy with autism cruelly given 'most annoying male' trophy. Here's a proper award.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-5cf91abd/turbine/ct-1559829179-c2wvz4omsp-snap-image/750/750x422


We have enough bad things happening in the world, so let’s take one of them and turn it into a good thing.

Akalis Castejon, an 11-year-old with autism, is a fifth grader at Bailly Preparatory Academy in Gary. He became part of a national news story this week after a special education teacher at a school award ceremony gave him a trophy labeled “MOST ANNOYING MALE.”

That is, objectively, horrible. And the Gary Community School Corp. seems to have responded appropriately by swiftly apologizing to the family and promising disciplinary action against the teacher.

I don’t know what that teacher was thinking, nor do I care.

What I care about is Akalis. So I spoke with the boy’s father, Rick Castejon, and learned a little more about the 11-year-old.

Castejon, a motorcycle mechanic, said Akalis is mechanically inclined and regularly watches him working on bikes, always the eager assistant. His son loves four-wheelers and go-karts, and has proven himself a skilled rider of both.

Akalis collects and plays with Thomas the Tank Engine toy trains and enjoys making videos of his trains and posting them on YouTube.

He craves chicken nuggets. And ice cream sandwiches.

His favorite movie is the 2005 computer-animated Disney film “Chicken Little.”

Akalis is nonverbal and can get upset when he has to perform certain tasks or when he has difficulty communicating. But Castejon is proud of the progress his son has made both in school and at home.

“He’s just a kid and he wants to have a good time,” Castejon said. “He just wants to be treated like everybody else.”

Akalis didn’t understand that the award he was given was a cruel joke. He was excited to get a trophy, like the other kids at the ceremony.

“I’m kind of glad that he didn’t understand,” Castejon said.

[roamer65]

1. The teacher should be fired.

This kind of crap needs to be dealt with harshly.

[rpannier]

2. And the guy is a special education teacher?

The story is upsetting enough on its own, but to have it come from a special ed teacher is galling

[Stargazer09]

3. What the hell is wrong with some people?

Just because the poor kid likely wouldn’t understand the cruelty behind that award doesn’t give the teacher had any right to do that.

I have a special needs kid. I know he’s difficult sometimes. But damn, it’s not that hard to find something positive to reward at the end of the school year. Even if it’s a trophy for being good at posting train videos on YouTube.

[AwakeAtLast]

4. My money is on "It's a Charter School'

And I'll bet this teacher is on an emergency or special license.

[JI7]

5. he may not understand now but i think he will realize what it was in a few years