Is it ok for a teacher to make fun of a mentally challenged student?

Question

I don't know if his intentions were to make fun of, or to pretend to be like him to make him feel more comfortable talking to him, but I witnessed a history teacher / athletics coach talking and acting in the same way a student was when he was talking to him. It kind of surprised me, and I was shocked. If a teacher started talking and waving to mimic a mentally challenged person while talking to him, is this acceptable or not?

On a side note, I am guessing the person is mentally challenged by the way he acted, so if I am wrong about him, I apologize.

So what are your thoughts?

Answer 1

no, it's never acceptable to make fun of someone who can't help it.

Answer 2

Institutes should be full of these teachers......mental institutes

I mean!!!

Ciao...John-John.-

Answer 3

Teachers are humans too. Sometimes we forget that when we are at work, we need to act professional and not let our personal opinions come out.

It was wrong for him to act/talk like a disabled person - it's wrong for anyone to do this. If you witnessed this, you should have gone and told someone about his behavior. This way, he wouldn't have gotten a chance to act this way again.

Answer 4

Don't assume someone is mentally challenged. It could be cerebral palsy, which affects movement and speech, but there is nothing wrong with their intelligence.That said, it was a horrible thing for the teacher to do. It says "I don't hear you, I only hear your disability".

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Answer 5

The teachers should help him not make fun of him.  I  know 1 mentally challenged person and he is one of the most liked person in the school.  Every body is helping him.  What those teachers did was just mean.

Answer 6

Man! If that was my child, I would so introduce that teacher's face to the concrete. NO, that is never ever OK. Especially if the dissability was just a physical one and the child fully grasped that he was being made fun of. That guy should have lost his job.

Answer 7

It's not ok no matter what the intentions. the "making him feel more comfortable" argument has no merit. It's wrong any way you look at it!

Answer 8

Teaching is a kind of Divine act,for the teacher reveals the unknown to the students.Sharing jokes or good moments with students is commendable,but to make fun of,or to laugh at them is definitely a mar on the teaching profession.Teachers often forget that once they were also like ignorant kids,and the acquired knowledge does not give them licence to act as they often do.The teachers ought to read the poem "The Mongoloid Child".Bless you.See you at http://www.raja-ocean.blogspot.com http://www.raja-books.blogspot.com

Answer 9

It is never appropriate for a teacher to mock a student.  It is unprofessional, disrespectful; and it gives other students the message that it's OK to mock someone who's different.

Answer 10

That was very mean and very uncalled for! No teacher should ever do that!!  You should have reported it to the school.