#Survival Guide - Classroom Nightmares
Classrooms can be Nightmares on a daily basis! If it's not your classmates kicking off every five minutes or telling jokes in biology then it might be a teacher that has just had enough!
Whatever the situation for a Aspie girl, High school can be problematic and traumatic so I have decided once and for all to tackle the issues of problematic classmates and teachers as well as surviving lessons that could be a major problem for Aspergers Girls from my own experiences of High School.
High school for me was not a good period in my life. From day one I hated it and if it wasn't the corridors or the other factors of being in a massive building it was the actual lessons themselves. As I grew older and moved up I hated it more and more.
There were many problems I faced along the way and some were just the fact that I had Teachers who were on the verge if not having a mental health breakdown from too much stress and Classmates that just didn't want to be in school so would just cause disruption repeatedly.
In the case of my teachers, the problems and situations I faced would seem extreme to an outsider reading this blog but it did happen. And the impact of these situations has had a lasting negative impact on my life in the form of Anxiety and Depression as well as trust issues.
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| Abbie Lee : Is terrifying when Angry but trust me she's a pussycat compared to the teachers I faced on a daily basis! |
Here is the most terrifying encounter I had to face:
I was 15 years old at the time and suffering with severe anxiety attacks that could cause me to black out and even cause paralysis of all my muscles in my body and was also taking Beta Blockers (Feel free to roll your eyes in disgust!) to suppress the physical effects of the anxiety attack .
I was in maths at the time and was just trying to learn and get a good grade like the good, respectful pupil I was, not knowing that my teacher (who I will not name!) would just loss it in a matter of moments.
All I can remember from this event was someone in my class arguing with my teacher and then my teacher just lost it!
And I MEAN LOST IT!
He got so wound up that I thought that he would actually physically not harm only himself but the rest of us. He began to scream so loudly at said pupil and swore violently at us. I remember some of the words he used:
"Worthless, Pathetic little Bleeps."
He became so erratic that he then turned and punched a heater in the classroom and by that point it goes blank from my memory.
A friend of mine said I went white as a ghost and then began to hyperventilate and when he tried to move me or get a response from me I would not look or answer him. I will always remember my friend for his next action. Whilst my teacher was still having a breakdown in front of us and growing more and more distressed and violent , my friend gathered all my stuff and placed it in my bag before checking to see if I was alright - which by this point I had began to go blue. He placed my bag over his arm and then gently lifted me up onto my feet and walked me out into the corridor and placed me by the head of years office. He then ran from our classroom to the other building and got my head of year to come down and sort the situation out before it was too late. I was gradually coming back and remember my head of year running into the classroom absolutely enraged and shouting at the teacher and pointing at me. My friend was stood next to me squeezing my hand and checking if I was alright.
After my severe panic attack, my head of year did not contact my parents, he waited until I had calmed down and instead of sending me to hospital he sent me home ON THE BUS!!!!!
I couldn't even walk properly let alone pay a bus driver and then WALK HOME!!
I didn't tell anyone about what went on until I left high school. I learnt later that the teacher had an alcohol problem and was fired from the school as his behaviour was becoming increasingly worse.
Looking back at that now, I am disgusted and also it still causes me to have mild panic attacks and want to cry knowing what my 15 year old self went through that day. It was the end of the line for me and after that I decided to leave High School.
At the time I should have done these things:
If Diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome:
If you feel threatened or have had a teacher behaving strangely or increasingly erratic then tell your parents!I know it seems to be babyish but your parents can then go into school and complain on your behalf. Hopefully the school should listen but I wouldn't count on any action! In that case to parents go straight to OFSTEAD and make a formal complaint!
Undiagnosed but under investigation with Aspergers Syndrome:
If Undiagnosed with Aspergers the problem is not going to be solved as easily. Depending on the kind of behaviour displayed in lesson and although it might seem difficult to do but if it occurs more than once then I would advise that you:- Keep a log of all the times that the teachers behaviour has become more threatening and erratic.
2. Tell your Parents!
Don't do a me and bottle up all your fears and emotions as you'll find you're making yourself more ill than you want to be at this point in time.
I would sit down with the parent you trust and then tell them and show them your log of all the distressing behaviour. Your parents can then on your behalf make a complaint with evidence of the events that have unfolded.
3. If you feel confident - Record the events on your phone as a audio file:
This is only if you feel like you are able to and might seem a little bit to extreme but if you feel like you can and have your phone on your person although schools don't allow mobile phones in the class rooms so you'll have to be sneaky! Select the recording app. On I-phone it's the Voice Memos app and just press record.
After you have recorded the event, email it directly to yourself, I'll explain why below!
Anything that is said that can be classed as violent or threatening behaviour can be used as evidence when your parents make a complaint. Once at home do the step above and play the recording to your parents before opening your email and downloading the file to your desktop. With this I would also give a copy to your parents on a memory stick and keep it safe!
If it's not the teachers then it might be your lovely classmates that are being disruptive and causing some issues in lesson.
Every teenager has a temper - I know I did when I was that age and some like to be more vocal than others. But when does it go from a harmless messing around in class to a difficult and sometimes disruptive behaviour?
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| We've all had a Chandler Moment! |
Normally we all have the Class Clown who finds it hilarious to make stupid jokes and make everything an innuendo at any opportunity, which can be frightfully annoying and make you want to just scream SHUT UP at the top of your lungs!
But normally if this happens your lovely and hopefully calm teacher will tell them to be quiet or pipe down and hopefully then things will go back to a normal reality in the classroom where pupils listens as teachers do their thing!
The Problem arises when a classmate just can't seem to agree with anything that the teacher is saying and begins to answer back and argue before their temper flares to boiling point and finally kicks off!
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| Perfect classroom scenario! |
Although they might not want to learn, you do and everyone has the right to education but if the situation is becoming dangerous or your anxiety has begun to kick in at full speed knowing that it might end with a outburst when things fly across the classroom cannot be good.
Knowing what can be classed as disruptive behaviour and understanding when it becomes a problem on a regular basis is not you're job- it's your school's!
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| I hated Maths as well! |
But if the behaviour of said pupil becomes more and more disruptive to you then you have a major problem as at the end of the day you'll begin to struggle with that subject!
Again if it's a certain person in the class, just make a note like before on all the events that have been constantly disruptive or you are becoming more and more anxious let your parents know when you get home so they can make a complaint or talk to your school about it.
Don't be frightened about telling your parents about it - as long as the school have any common sense they won't tell the pupil who is has been constantly disruptive that you've told on them!
Usually the school have already made a note of the certain pupils behaviour and have begun to put in proceedures to make sure that they and you get the best education you can have. Also your teachers might have already talked to their department heads and the problem might just sort itself out.
Knowing where to sit can also be a headache as with Aspergers we have little plans that aid us when we feel scared or vulnerable. Unfortunately for us the layout of the classroom and where you decide to sit is not in your control.
Don't be alarmed, as whether you have a diagnosis or not there are some ways for you to combat this problem.
Before my Aspergers diagnosis, I was diagnosed with Dyslexia and therefore had problems reading the board amongst other things.
So in this case, my teachers would move me to the middle or front of the classroom.
Which for someone with Aspergers is not the best place. As if we
can't see people behind us we feel like we are going to be attacked.
can't see people behind us we feel like we are going to be attacked.
In this case I was a little bit annoyed and even though they moved me there I choose to sit on the end of the table so I was near an escape route.
If you have been diagnosed with Aspergers, sitting either in the centre or the back of the room can be the bet option as you can observe all the other people around you and also to the end of the table. It seems like a lot of hard work for one lesson but in the long term you'll concentrate more on the subject being taught to you rather than worrying what your classmates are doing behind your back!
Problems can arise in certain lessons that require you to use sharp or hot objects that can injure you and then there is the dreaded lesson of P.E!
We've all gone through D&T and thought, WHY AM I DOING THIS?
Unless you want to work with wood, metals and plastic or go into graphic design. D&T is pointless!
Sorry to any teachers reading this but honestly I learn't nothing apart from when your hand is near a vice beware of getting a blood blister!
I am accident prone and have dyspraxia so I know if I'm asked to create something using wood or plastic and have found myself numerous times being stood near the first aid kit and my name being written down in the accident book.
At the time, I did often wonder why a group of adults allowed children to use pen knifes and heated glue guns whilst supervised to make something that normally would be thrown into the bin?
But what do I know?
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| It's a spirit level Rachel! How it works I have No IDEA! |
Over the years I have collected little tricks to get through the most difficult of D&T lessons and hopefully can help you guys through it!
Tips:
1. Take your Time!
No matter what you are doing whether it be making a simple keyring or cooking a Spag Bol, when using sharp objects such as knifes take extra care. Anxiety for what ever reason can affect your body in different ways and if you are like me and lose complete control of your motor skills, then pausing and taking a break is the best way forward. Wait until your hands have stopped shaking and then carry on!
2. What if I hurt myself?
Report it to your teacher straight away! And don't let them fob you off! If you have burnt, scolded or cut yourself and need medical attention then ask to be taken to a school nurse/first aider and your parents notified!
3. What if I feel threatened?
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| something went wrong and I don't know what? |
The "Please Can I Go To The Toilet?" plan works every time as no one questions why you want to go to the toilet. I would say only use this if you desperately need to get out of the room or in fact are desperate for the loo itself and it feels you're bladder is going to blow up in about 5 seconds.
We've all been there!
If you need to calm down or take a break do it and just lock yourself away in the cubical and collect all your thoughts and focus on your breathing and don't end up like our friend on the right!
4. WHAT IF I HATE THE LESSON?
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| I know Dougie.. My mind goes blank to xx |
You'll find you'll feel a little bit calmer and if you're at Dougie thinking about Unicorns!
If you have a diagnosis see if special needs can help you with finding an alternative to the lesson, it might mean doing homework instead!
And finally how to cope with the worst one of all P.E!!!!
Before you all start shivering with fear and disgust at being made to run around in the freezing cold and rain when it all seems like torture. I have found ways to cope so that even when you feel like it's not worth going to P.E you'll always have a way to get around it!
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| The St Trinians Hockey Team! |
I hated P.E and really got mad when the words Cross Country or track and field were spoken.
I found Netball boring and I was a danger to others when playing hockey.
If the sport required someone to fall over I would play it and feel in love with Rugby! BEST GAME EVER!!!
But when it comes to P.E and the thought of being in a kit that consists of thin ugly shorts and a even thinner t-shirt running in the bitter wind and rain was not my idea of fun.
Yes you'll be fit and have muscles but running around with next to nothing on with sore muscles and a weak immune system can now be classed as child abuse!
The other major fear for any Aspergers girl is to interact with other people your age and actually participate in a game where you have to rely on other people and actually tolerate them constantly.
God I forgot how much I detested that!
I found Netball boring and I was a danger to others when playing hockey.
If the sport required someone to fall over I would play it and feel in love with Rugby! BEST GAME EVER!!!
But when it comes to P.E and the thought of being in a kit that consists of thin ugly shorts and a even thinner t-shirt running in the bitter wind and rain was not my idea of fun.
Yes you'll be fit and have muscles but running around with next to nothing on with sore muscles and a weak immune system can now be classed as child abuse!
The other major fear for any Aspergers girl is to interact with other people your age and actually participate in a game where you have to rely on other people and actually tolerate them constantly.
God I forgot how much I detested that!
Anyway moving from going to much down memory lane, I have come up with some helpful tips to actually cope with the thing they call P.E!
1. Find at what things you are good at in Sport!
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| When sport can not be fun! |
I did find that I fell in love with a sport and played it constantly. Mine was rugby which is normally classed as a boys sport rather than a girls one due to the fact there is a lot of falling over and tackling people. But within that I learnt how to participate in a team and trust other people and know what my role was within that! But if you like another sport then just go with it and enjoy it. It might become a hobby and provide you with another outlet to your numerous and amazing long list of talents!
2. Look after your physical health!
It might seem stupid but if you can't manage long distance running or feel like you're about to die from exhaustion then it is time to stop! If you're running and you're legs are burning and you're getting a dry mouth and out of breath just slow your pace right down from a run to a walk. Also always have a bottle of water near by as it'll help you to rehydrate yourself and cure that dry mouth problem!!!!
3. What if my teacher shouts at me because I have stopped?
They shouldn't shout at you if you have stopped or walking rather than running.
This has happened to me and I got told off for not running and taking a break! Little did I know that I had kidney stones at the time as well to add insult to injury!
Your health comes first and whether the teacher likes it or not your health is more important. Just tell them you feel unwell and you need to take a break!
Further Information:
Ofstead:
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted
NSPCC:
http://www.nspcc.org.uk/
Nation Autistic Society:
http://www.autism.org.uk/
Nation Autistic Society:
http://www.autism.org.uk/
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