The Good, The Bad and the UGLY...

I am sorry peoples, but I am getting back up onto my soapbox today. To say it has been one hell of a day is a massive understatement, and the only way I can get through all this is to start with the hardest.

The Ugly:

This person is a supposed social commentator. Prue Macsween. Last Sunday, 11th July 2010, on the Channel Seven Sunrise programme this woman espoused her views on classroom integration. The topic was one of a teacher suing the education system for her loss of voice from yelling. The number of special needs children in this class was cited as one of the reasons for her yelling (always an effective tool when dealing with children with various disabilities, and yes my tone is dripping with sarcasm). This lead to our uneducated, ill-informed, big mouth no brain friend spouting some classics such as:

• Children with special needs should not be allowed to be in mainstream classes with “normal” kids - not quite sure what the definition of normal is;
• Children with special needs hold back children without special needs;
• Children with special needs should be "put somewhere and trained” and where they can be “properly administered to”;
• Children with special needs should be slowly re-introduced into a classroom once or if they are properly trained;
• Oh, and just for good measure she said all boys are retarded... I think somewhere in her little mind that was meant to be funny. Ha. Yeah, ha.

This incident has impacted so strongly to many parents and family and friends that there is a facebook page devoted to the topic. Go, if you feel as sickened by bigotry and segregation as I do, please join. In just 48 hours it is rapidly heading towards 900 members.

Now, I think the lovely people who started this group are more tolerant of this sort of thing than I am. If it were up to me I would take all the small-minded, self-obsessed, discriminatory idiots like this one, put them in a special training room, and keep them there utilising some archaic forms of teaching which I am positive are now outlawed. Unfortunately I am not allowed to do this, or to start a group to suggest it. At the very least she needs to be fired. But knowing the way the television industry works she'll probably be given her own show. Matty Johns anyone?

You know, you just get sick of beating your head against ignorance sometimes.

Ah screw it - this is such a big issue I am giving it a post all of its own. I'll blog the rest later.