I guess I was snoozing in February because I am only hearing now about the blogging teacher who makes fun of her kids online (on work time, no less.) Aside from questioning her choice of profession, I am most disgusted by her use of a cartoon - she took it down, but here is the gist of it, in a quote from a local Patch...
A piece of clip art that accompanied the post particularly enraged disability advocates and school board members. It depicted a special-needs school bus and read, “I don’t care if you lick windows, take the special bus, or occasionally pee on yourself, you hang in there sunshine, you’re friggin’ special.”
She attempted to defend herself on her own blog, though it is interesting to note that the relatives with disabilities that she trots out to highlight her "sensitivity" on the subject have physical disabilities. As the mother of one who more apt to pee, along with other behaviors that go along with developmental disabilities, I can tell you that people don't view these disabilities all in the same light. If she had any sensitivity, she wouldn't have used the cartoon and comment in the first place. Or she would have issued a true apology to those who would be offended. I am even more floored that an educated mother of young children (she is the mother of a toddler and newborn, apparently) would have such vileness in her heart. The health of your children isn't promised. Jimmy was a healthy, normal newborn - that gift ended before he was a year old. In an instant, someone like Natalie Munroe could find herself in these shoes through the hand of fate.
I doubt anyone like that thinks that deeply before speaking (or blogging) so harshly. She might want to do so in the future.
Edit: So I found a copy of the offending page with comic on a British news site. It's small. Yeah, it's offensive, at least to me. "If You Can't Say Anything Nice..." Indeed.
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