One - Ten

The situation that caused me the most anxiety revolved around a skit we aired this past week. One of my students has a show, or a segment, that airs every week. The segment is called "60 Seconds" and it is just sixty seconds of random stuff. I would refer to it as theater of the absurd. This past segment featured a bunch of students rocking in their chairs with crazy looks on their faces and counting to ten over and over and over. I watched the segment before it aired and told the student who produced it that I didn't get it. It was not funny to me. But, I am "old" and out of the loop. The student explained that it was a parody of a scene from the movie A Haunting in Connecticut. He went on to explain that all of the students who watched it found it hilarious. I gave it the go ahead, and it aired the next morning. The same morning it aired, I was in the front office attending to some paper work, and the head of our Special Education Department saw me and asked me to come into our principal's office. She explained that everyone in her department was deeply insulted by the skit - as it clearly portrayed and made fun of autism. I was shocked. As soon as she said "autism" I understood what she meant. I had not made the connection before, but could understand where she was coming from. Then the embarrassment set in. I listened to her and apologized over and over until she had calmed down a bit. After she left I stayed in the office with the principal as he reassured me that I was doing a good job and told me not to worry. I admitted that I was embarrassed and that I felt stupid for not recognizing an issue before the piece aired. He was supportive and reminded me that this is how we learn, by making honest mistakes. I relayed the message to my fourth block (the students who produce my show and the segment) and they went into shock. The student who produced the segment went to the Special Education Director and gave a long, heart felt apology. She accepted his apology. I feel as if the situation is behind us, but it has bothered me ever since. In the world of media, professionals are used to dealing with a viewing audience who are more socially aware and politically correct than ever. Impressing this point on high school students can be difficult, especially when their intentions are insult free and they are honestly trying to be funny. The producer of the show was crushed by this situation, and I've had to bolster him back up over the last week. I want the experiences of all of my students to be positive and if I can help it, I will never let a situation like this happen again.