A teacher who encouraged an autistic child to speak up more in class is beginning to question the wisdom of that directive, it has been reported.
Abeer Zaki, seven, was described as “quiet” in her last school report by teacher Eddie Albington, 46, who reportedly subscribes to the belief that any child who doesn’t jump at the chance to participate in a class discussion is some sort of freak.
According to Albington, Zaki has since taken the note to heart and has now committed to at least one TED Talk-worthy outburst every day.
Albington said: “I was reading this book to the class about a charming little pug who learns the true meaning of friendship through sharing his treats, but Abeer’s hand shot up to ask about the ethics of creating a dog whose face is so squashed it can’t safely fly in a cargo hold. I spent all of Parents’ Evening explaining to angry mums and dads why their kids came home asking about inbreeding.”
“Then there was the time I could barely get through a science lesson without hearing Abeer lament that we could send billionaires to space but not provide a universal basic income. I could barely teach astronomy over the sound of thirty children developing class consciousness.”
Zaki said: “I’m doing what Mr Albington asked, so why does he look so tired? It’s probably because the way we treat teachers in the UK is a disgrace.”
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