A " Desperation " Measure ?

The timing could not have been worse.  On World Autism Awareness Day a story broke in the media about a ten year old Canberra boy being locked in a cage in his classroom as a control measure.  "Barbaric "was one of the words used to describe a two metre square cage made from fencing material and this public school's principal has been suspended as a result.

This was certainly an ill advised control attempt but to many people it may be regarded as a  "desperation measure ".   Kids with afflictions like autism are simply dumped into a classroom and it is left to the teaching staff to deal with their tantrums.  Autism ranges in severity, but at it's worst the child can be totally uncontrollable - and very disruptive, and yet the teacher is expected to progress the rest of his or her charges to an acceptable education level.

Children with Disabilities Australia released a report critical of control methods used in many schools.  It claims that troublesome children are often locked in "time out "rooms for extended periods, and sometimes are denied requests to go to a toilet.   There are certainly a range of measures in use to try and ease disruptions and they include what are termed "withdrawal spaces ",   "safe reading corners "and in extreme cases - having an assistant take the child for a walk in the school grounds.

The entire Australian school system has been subjected to a lengthy evaluation and this produced the "Gonski Report "in 2011.   David Gonski is a noted educationalist and his report laid out the blueprint for an improved education system that would integrate a common curriculum across state education systems.  Unfortunately, implementing it in it's entirety would involve a huge increase in the education budget - and come into conflict with state ego's.  At best, the more appealing aspects are being put into place - within budget restraints.

Perhaps this "cage in a classroom "incident should be seen as a call for help ?  We have a divided education system in Australia and the standards in schools varies wildly between suburbs in the same city.    A lot of people deliberately seek a home in an area noted for it's  "good " schools, while less affluent suburbs have schools with a bad reputation for both teaching standards and results achieved. The teaching profession is heavily unionised and any talk of pay incentives for excellence is anathema to it's thinking.   Most reform efforts founder on the issue of seniority.   The teaching  unions are relentless in promoting on the basis of time served rather than results achieved, and bright and promising teachers are denied progress up the promotional ladder.   There are no rewards for incentive thinking or progressive teaching methods.

Kids being disruptive because they have a medical condition is a daunting problem for any teacher, but in some schools a majority of the pupils come from homes where any form of discipline is entirely missing.   They have no respect for their teachers - and no interest in getting an education, and yet the school staff will be judged on the results they achieve.   No wonder we have schools that are near impossible to attract willing staff.

This Canberra cage incident will no doubt be blown out of all proportions.  Disciplinary measures will be heavy handed and it will be roundly condemned by a vast array of do-gooders and childhood experts, but little will be done to try and alleviate the conditions that caused this ill advised remedy to be put in place.

It is a sheer impossibility to throw together a mix of kids who want to learn and a sprinkling of others totally opposed to the learning progress - and expect to deliver a homogenised outcome.  When a few
 kids afflicted with autism are added to the mix - success becomes even more distant.

Even Gonski did not have an answer to that perplexing problem, but obviously the provision of specially trained staff to assist the teacher and relieve disruption must become part of the equation.  It simply requires the will - and the money - to achieve relief !