A blog about working with retarded kids.
That's a nice disclaimer..
In all seriousness, this site is not intended to mock the retarded, the mentally disabled, or the behaviorally challenged. The authors understand that these people have a difficult life, and sympathize with them. This site does nothing but catalog the funny happenings in a special ed classroom. If you think this mocks anyone, this is because you are bringing these prejudices to the site, they are not here to begin with."It's not as if we just seek out opportunities to make fun of retarded kids. I just report what I see them do. That is it. No cruel jokes, no embellishment, nothing. Well, maybe a few jokes, because it is funny, but nothing cruel. I love my tards."
I'm sure she is self congratulating herself on her wonderful sense of humour.. think about it this way.. would you still feel the same if any of those kids read the weblog? The "tard" blog.. there's a term they don't hear on daily basis from other cruel kids, right? Would the kids know this is supposed to be humorous?
"No, I didn't mean to be mean when I called you a retard.. the other kids calling you a retard are mean but I'm not". Doesn't work for me...
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I have to agree with your thoughts on this Kasia. While it is true that the reader will beings any prejudices he or she has to the site (one could argue we can't be free of our prejudices), in my mind that does not excuse the author for making light of others.
#Hmm. I'm not at all comfortable with this. And, thus, I sit uncomfortably upon the fence...
On the one hand, I feel that the privacy of the kids is being unfairly ignored in a forum where they and their advocates have no right of reply.
On the other, why should they be reviled for penning honest accounts of their working day?
Tricky one, that, and one for which I have no answer. Just that gentle feeling of unease...
#That and I think it may be a joke...
#You are 100% correct, Kasia. For those on the fence or think it's ok, substitute "gay" for "retarded, the mentally disabled, or the behaviorally challenged" and "fag" for "tard". Does it still sound neutral? Yeah. Doesn't sound neutral to me either.
#That website is funny as crap. You obviously cant understand good humor when its right in front of you
#Takes a special person to find crap funny, thank you, come again :)
#This person who works as the teacher for these children, if her stories are really true, which them claim to be, works on a day to day basis with the mentally disabled and im sure has many unobliged frustrations on her mind. If she truly does enjoy working with these kids then i do not think it is a horrible injustice in the world that she take out some frustrations upon the job on a harmless message board. You did also forget to post that she does spend day after day cleaning up their messes, including feces. Read the whole disclaimer AND FAQ.
#There are some things in life which we find amusing that we really should not. The Tard blog definitely falls into this category and I nearly wet myself from laughing after the first couple of tales. Does the fact that it's humourous mean that it is not offensive to the disabled/retarded/pea spitting part of the populus? I don't know. Perhaps if i had a retarded brother/sister/cousin I would think not. Then again, perhaps I would laugh even harded. In any case, congratualtions on a very funny site.
#I think that both the writers of the tardblog are fanstastic and exceptional teachers. The fact that they can find humor in all the disgusting and awful things that happen to them while working their job is amazing. They are doing their community a service that very few others are willing to do:
Tardbloggers - I commend you!
I laugh like a tard when I read the shit on Tardblog.
#People only get the tard blog if they are mature enough to recognize that laughing at what someone does isn't the same thing as demeaning the person that does it. It isn't, 'oh my gawd, can you believe how stupid this person is.', but 'holy cow, my students (all of which face nearly insurmountable physical/mental disabilities) did some hilarious thing.'
Knee jerk outrage is passe, some people are retarded, accept it. Ignoring their daily lives will do nothing to improve it. Looking at them in a light that can only endear you to their plight, is not, IMHO, offensive.
#I have a retarded daughter, and it is not so much that I am opposed to the blog, I feel that calling them "tards" is just not right. If someone called my daughter that, I would go crazy. She is wonderful, but she has physical and mental handicaps that were not her fault. The stories would be just as funny, and not rude, if they stopped using the word "tard", which is offensive
#when people get offended over a word, it is because they themselves hold prejecises pertaining to the situation they see that word encompassing, wether consious or not. Would you still find the tard blog offensive if the word "Student" replaced "tard"?
Be honest with yourself, if you find the tard blog offensive, its not becasue of words used, its because you're not emotionally mature enough to understand and accept the simple human need to share troubles encountered throughout life.
The only facet of this blog i have found offensive is the way in which some so called "parents" treat their children.
The authors involved have chosen an extremly difficult career path, and they are to be commended that they are able to still find positives (humour) in such heart wrenching situations.
U DINK DAT'S FUNNY LUK AD MIE SYTE
#If you all think these teachers are so demeaning, you haven't checked out the parts where she functions in their lives as a caring role model. The two boys with a jailed bigot for a father and a whacked out girlfriend watching them get back and forth to basketball practice and games solely because of her. She gets them involved in extracurricular activities, making them more well rounded. As for the little girl that gets singled out and embarrassed because she is 15 cents short for lunch money, she is the only one who stands up to the dastardly lunchlady. Not even one of the "normal kids'" teachers will do that. If I had teachers like that, I may be a better person than I am today because of it.
#I just finished reading the Blog, and I have to say, the first teacher "Riti Sped" when I read her blogs, I can feel that she actually does care about her students.
The new teacher "Sarah Hammock" (or whatever her last name is) however, does not seem as genuine, and sometimes her jokes are nasty.
Like the one about how: "What a fucked up supermarket, they even serve fresh tard" when she saw her student hiding in the freezer.
As a special education teacher, it is SO GREAT to read about the same experiences i have on a daily basis. Trust me, if she didn't truly love these kids, she would have quit on Day 2. Keep 'em coming!
#I noticed this...
"I will never quit my job because I love it." -Riti Sped quote from the FAQs section
"Riti quit teaching special ed at the end of the 2003 school year" -quote from the About the Authors section
Perhaps she didnt love it as much as she thought she did...
#She is the constant in their life. She cares for them, supports them in their endeavors, and is more of a parent than some of their parents are. Parents laugh at the things their children do, so why can't she? Besides, in that line of work, if you don't laugh, you'll cry. It's tough, so cut the girl some slack. Anyway, I don't know why your opinion would matter since you aren't out there doing her job. When you teach special education and deal with that shit(literally and figuratively), maybe then you would have a right to be offended.
#I took a look at the Tard Blog site. It sure looks like a hoax tome, definately not authored by a teacher.....not legitimate.
#