The past two weeks I have had my nose down writing reports and planning for parent teacher sessions. So Pauline, when I did emerge from all that I discovered that you had said some truly insulting and ill-informed statements!

Your simple thinking gave simple solutions to a complex  situation, that you greatly underestimate.

The first thing that you misunderstood was naming something simply as autism; it’s called Autism Spectrum Disorder; there’s a range.

I have taught children who fit into that range, and I am richer as a human being and as a teacher for it! I do not feel it is a strain , I lean into that; I want to help each child achieve success in their day! Having a child who is part of the spectrum in my class has made for greater knowledge for all of us, for greater kindness and understanding.

Pauline, school isn’t just about the 3rs anymore,  it’s also about social and emotional learning. We are teaching the whole child to value diversity and helping them to grow into kind and thoughtful adults; who value lots of ways of experiencing the world.

I do not believe that any child in any of my classes has ever been held back by the strain of an autistic child being a classmate. There are many challenges in teaching and they are not just special needs, it is my job to plan for all students.

I have taught many children: there are children that I have taught who have required large print because they are legally blind, there are those who have been non verbal, there are those who are wheel chair bound and there are those that have suffered  trauma. It is through sharing daily routines with other children that all students awareness and empathy grows ; they totally benefit from being exposed to other ways of thinking.

Taking these children that you deem different and putting them in a room somewhere else?  It sounds like segregation to me. Please don’t insult a teacher’s professional abilities and choices. If you put children with autism in another room you will alienate all children from diversity and that peer learning that is so valuable.

Where are you planning to stop Pauline?  Will you put children of a different religion or culture in another room too?

Trust teachers Pauline, (certainly give us more funding that would be welcome; for all kids in public schools), but don’t separate us from diversity!

Best moments

• When an autistic child was laughing at the same joke as every child in the class
• working in a group, regardless of disability because they were wanted

I have never forgotten a child straining to learn Pauline, just  because I am spending time with a child with extra needs. I start at 8 and leave at 4 or after each day,  planning adjustments for all my little people. I want this so that they can go ahead in leaps and bounds! Just like every other teacher in the world!

Segregation is not the answer, provision and  inclusion is!