An autistic person teaching grade school...Is it impossible?

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After years of being laid off over and over again, having my job out-sourced, fruitless searching for jobs that pay more than minimum wage in spite of having a degree......and a nervous breakdown, I've decided to give up on Corporate America and become a teacher. I've had it with corporate jobs that treat workers like they're disposable and think aspies are incompetent despite them having more education and smarts than most of the NTs they hire. Educational environments tend to be more accepting of people's differences so teaching will probably fair better for me. Plus in this town where most good jobs are disappearing, the only ones that are left are in the educational field.

Yeah, I know. Me? An autistic person teaching a classroom full of rambuncious inner-city street-smart kids how to become productive members of society? And I'm sitting here wondering why my coworkers burst out laughing when I told them I was going back to school to get a teacher's license? Surely no good can come of that.

I'm scared out of my mind, of course. I'm good with children as long as they're under a certain age and aren't at the point where they're cruel to someone because of the color of their shoes let alone their disability. And this is why I refuse to teach beyond 3rd grade. But I worry I may not be able to control my classroom because of my quiet nature. My psychologist warned me, "Never let them see you sweat." Oh great. That's good advice for someone who's spent their whole life in a perpetual state of terror during social interaction.

Are the kids going to pounce on me the very second they find out I'm different from others? I know I have no trouble with teaching the material itself, that's not the problem. Whether they'll let me teach them is what bothers me. People have always suggested I go into education and I've avoided it for years because I was afraid to make a mistake. However, after years of falling flat on my face not getting anywhere, I think I'm ready to take any risk.

I say that you should go ahead and get your accreditation. One thing you may also want to look into as well is look into getting certification for special needs students. --There was a person who frequented these forums in Nov- Dec 2k5 who was a teacher for special needs students in Los Angeles. This person also had an ASD as well.

I don't know what happened to you to make you think corporate america hates aspies. I have gone all my life not even knowing why I was different. If I had it to do over, I would change only THREE things:

1. Work BELOW my ability. I won't work from 6am-8pm again when 8-5 or 9-5 is the norm, will NOT LAUGH at the idea of industry standards of 5 lines per day while putting out over 2000(even if assembly).
2. I wouldn't have stayed at my first computer job as long.(I WAS paid over average income, but a lot less than I should have been.)
3. MY life would take precedence.

If you ask me, 1st to 3rd grade SHOULD be relatively easy. Just try to be understanding, and do your job, and you should be fine. They should be about as nervous as you, and less destructive and demanding than teens.

BTW They EXPECT adults to be different.

Steve

I think you should go for it.

Be careful ! ! I have two friends who both teach sixth grade, and the kids can turn on you like rabid wolves ! !

On the other hand, you'll be nice to the kids who are different.

If it is what you want to do then go for it!

I actually spent some time teaching myself (Primary, Secondary and University levels). While I had some challenges as can be expected for Aspies in highly socially strenuous situations the part that involved actually working with the children was a pleasure and something I excelled at.

A caveat. This will not be easy. Teaching is a highly stressful occupation at the best of times and the social environment can be draining. Apart from the kids, the staffroom politics tend to be on the opposite end of the spectrum in term of Aspie-friendlyness. That is, teaches act a lot like cheerleaders at times. But before I start getting all cynical I can think of plenty of examples of people with Asperger's who have managed to find their niche and are brilliant teachers.

Good luck!

Only you know whether you will be able to cope teaching a classroom of children. Have you been able to try a little teaching to see how you manage in the classroom?

Many years ago I earnt a little money giving one-to-one tutoring of maths to teenagers. I found it so satisfying I decided to train as a teacher (6th grade and above). This is in the UK. I did qualify, but I found the experience incredibly stressful. The challenge was managing a classroom of children/teenagers, not the teaching, as you indicate is similar for you. I would recommend you try teaching before making too much commitment. I left the profession before I gave myself a stomach ulcer.

All the best
Steve

No, but parents will pounce on you no matter what you do. They will treat you like dirt and blame you for all their kids problems. And you'll get paid considerably less than you deserve. But at least you'll be one of the good teachers.

When I was a teenager one of my aims was to be a teacher, despite every teacher that taught me not fully recommending it - others saying I was mad.

One thing is for certain, there is a definite personality that can capture the attention of children, one that will make them feel wanted and good for themselves from a teacher who is firm but fair and won't be stamped upon - they know who to tell who's the boss. A good teacher isn't one who is necessarily popular, but one that gets the best out of all school children.

If you think you have these abilities, then by all means go for it, such teachers are few and far between.

Oh and right now I've no plans for teaching, but I have friends who are in the profession.

Are you teaching an NT class or a Special Education classroom? You may be better off teaching in a higher-functioning SPED room (A room full of Aspies and kids with ADD/ADHD) than a room full of NT kids.

I'n fairness to me, given the cynical responses you got from others, etc... There IS a reason why I specified 1-3. people in first grade, at least in the US tend to be about 6. That is about when they start to be somewhat serious. You WILL feel a bit more like a babysitter, but 5 and below ARE worse. in the third grade, in the US, they tend to be 8. That is before the teenager stuff, etc... (Which can start by 9, and definitely by 10-12)

What ever you do, TRY to treat them with a bit of respect, and be nice, while teaching them. If you can do that, you can avoid MUCH of the garbage Alex is talking about. Parents are probably most upset if they see trouble down the road, little improvement, and their kid complains. The more of those you get rid of, the more likely they are to thank you and give you gifts as opposed to wanting to get you fired.

I had a spanish teacher in the 11th/12th grade(16 to 17 year olds) that bragged about a new trick she learned at a seminar. That seminar was run by IDIOTS! Let me tell you something! The invasion of personal space is NOT something only AS people hate. NT people hate it also, ESPECIALLY if it is on purpose to annoy. That teacher found it out. Her car was perhaps the only car in the entire school to get vandalized, and the vandalism was common and frequent. She actually had the principle come up and talk to us. WHAT A LAUGH! I had nothing to do with the vandalism, but knew why it happened. All the teacher did was stand right next to people she wanted to annoy. She openly admitted this to the class!

BTW In the US you ARE paid a relative pittance. You DO have to deal with parents, but that is usually on YOUR terms! You can have trouble with kids, a GIVEN. I just think 6-8 is a good range. College students may be nice, but that is hard to get into. I think most have to start in lower grades.

Steve

BTW teaching a bunch of SPED students sounds nice, but a LOT of them may be MORE trouble. ALSO, you have little ability to control the makeup of the class.

i'm a grad student for a science degree and i've had to teach (still am teaching) both college classes and elementary classes for my stipend... and i do (have done) well at both imo!

and i must say... that i much prefer teaching the small kids... although there is definite good in both!

i think the lil kids are stressful cause they're always doing something... and keeping up with the class is similar to cooking with all your burners on and there's just so much to make sure doesn't over cook! multitasking to the highest degree! i was lucky, in that i had many helpers to physically be there and help out with crowd control. it's also pretty stressful on your senses if you have trouble with that... yay fluoresent lights and all the millions of things in classrooms to make sounds with... and tear up.

but i think that my simple sense of humor (at times) helped me connect with the kids... i caould easily tell what things in my lessons would make them laugh... and just go with it! if you seem interested.... they will. that simple.

one thing i noticed with the kids though, is that i think one reason they like me was because i was not their everyday teacher... i was a special guest. so that my factor in for you when you teach the kids... not sure whether you'll be there on a weekly (special) schedule... or there for the thick and thin!

i think my experience in the elementary schools really prepared me for teaching at the college level... in learning how to deal with large groups of people... cause hey, if you can shrug off 30 screaming-sniveling-coughing-6/7/8-year-olds that are phsyically climbing all over you at once.... 30 college students seem like docile cattle being lead off to slaughter (yay bio lab courses!)

i like teaching college cause a) i don't have to censor my thoughts (and thus mouth) as much and b) you're allowed to be "truthier" about things you teach (see "a" again)... especially with teaching science in elementary schools of a very pious region... that was hard. i hate having to reinvent wordings to make explanations simpler than they actually are (or making up an explanation cause you're not allowed to teach the real one in school)... that was hard for me while teaching kids...

teaching college is also easier cause it's more predictable. it's more about giving a monologue and taking questions... i forget sometimes that there are people in the room and i just talk.... working with kids is hard... you are so involved in every facet and you max out your social skills ALL DAY... that is hard.

but other than that... i found the elemntary schools to be so much more rewarding than teaching college... my fridge has never been so decorated before

I want to be a teacher, when I graduate college and high school.
I used to be afraid that I would never be able to control the students, because of Aspergers, but in Girl Scouts I get to be a consular at camp, and teach workshops to kids as well. To my surprise I learned that I am great with kids I was the only one of the other "teachers" who could clam down the homesick girl and get her to stop crying I was also great at calming downs kids having tantrums I think I was good at this, because I knew what to do, because I have meltdowns. I also got to teach an electricity lesson to 5th graders for my physics class. It was great.

I've taught on and off for about 10 years (K-12, adults, etc.) and in my experience, I got along considerably better with the students than I did the faculty, administrators and parents (I HATED Parent/Teacher conferences). I think due the Asperger's I was perceived as the students as being "different" from the other faculty, which ironically was a plus with "streetwise" students. Additionally, my God-awful childhood experiences as a student in school made me more empathetic to the students than I may have otherwise been. I imagine things would be somewhat similar for you.

You said that you are in the "Dirty South". Tennesse, Virginia, Texas, Louisiana, et al. have fellowships that will pay for your Master's and help you with your certification (here in New York, they'll even help you buy a house . . .). Since you've worked in the corporate world, you already know that the grass "ain't" greener in the world of business, and I would encourage you to pursue your desire.
Even if teaching elementary doesn't work out (don't quit until you're tenured!), you can take your teaching certification and use it in various other fields (e.g. teaching Adult GED, Corporate Training, etc.)

You may want to look at www.teachers-teachers.com for upcoming job fairs, job-hunting advice, etc. (I received several offers from schools using that site, which I subsequently turned down). If you want to "test the waters" you may want to try working at a private school (teaching certification not always requried) or as a teacher's aide in a public school. . . but for God's sake, DON"T SUBSTIUTE TEACH or START TEACHING MID-YEAR! (Having your own class where you set the rules from the beginning will make things considerably smoother).

Best of luck to you,
DaPurd

The money is crap, but the fringe benefits of teaching special ed children deserve serious consideration. If you're already on the spectrum you'll have a special understanding and connection with the children [as above] The classes are smaller too. Burn out in teaching , let alone spec ed is drastic. We need all the help we can get from dedicated professionals. Many of my pals have quit the 'rat race' to start a second career in teaching. The more the merrier as far as I'm concerned.
Best wishes
http://whitterer-autism.blogspot.com

Hi there,

I can't comment on the specific issues of having AS and being an elementary teacher, but did want to agree with several of the other posters about the need for teachers who work with the special education population. If this is something you would consider, you would never have a problem getting a job (at least where I am in Southern California, they are desperate for spec. ed. teachers). I believe the pay is higher as well due to the specialization.

One thing I wanted to mention (I have researched getting a credential myself and then other areas working with children) is the possibility of getting a speech therapy degree. This requires a masters, rather than a credential, but there are so many possibilities with this degree.

You can work in a school district - making roughly double what a teacher would earn and you work one on one with the children who are pulled out of class for their therapy. Another option is to go into private practice. My five year old daughter with AS goes once a week for an hour to work on pragmatics (social speech). This therapist, as well as most that specialize in working with children on the spectrum, has a waiting list. She does not accept insurance and charges $120 an hour.

Finally, my daughter's social skills group is run by a speech therapist. There are six girls in the group (all AS) and they practice how to have back and forth conversation, how to be a good sport, how to join in others on the playground, how to deal with bullying, etc. This therapist has many different groups - mostly meeting after school. Again, she cannot keep up with demand for her services and there is an extensive wait list.

Just wanted to mention these options to you as there are many ways to work with children where you do not necessarily have to deal with the stress of a large classroom, and teacher politics, etc. Best of luck to you in your decision!