With a mild form of autism, Caleb often had trouble dealing with crowds, and Amanda was optimistic and worried about what might happen. Unfortunately, the performance did not go as planned, and it was not Caleb, but the school teacher who interrupted the play instead.
Caleb had waited throughout the play, had patiently done as he was asked, and played his turkey role. Towards the end of the play, Caleb steps forward and approaches the microphone, clearly eager to share his moment in the spotlight.
Just as Caleb grabbed the microphone, the professor came forward and snatched it away, startling and humiliating the little boy.
“Oh no!” Caleb screamed as the teacher made sure he wouldn’t have the opportunity to be what she considered a nuisance.
Poor Caleb was left standing on stage in a turkey costume, crying in plain sight, while trying to deal with his disgrace and disappointment at the moment.
While we understand that no teacher wants the play to be interrupted by a student unexpectedly speaking into a microphone, the teacher’s handling of the event is criticized by both Amanda and others who have watched the viral crash report video for The Sun.
Amanda says watching what happened to her baby boy broke her heart. She explained that Caleb just wanted another chance to say “devour, devour, devour” and thinks the school was being unfair in rudely snatching the microphone from him.
This upset mum has the support of so many others, with online commenters chiming in to say it wouldn’t hurt to let him provide an extra line.
Nutter Fort Primary School is responding by assuring everyone that their teachers and those working within the system truly care about every child. However, for Amanda, these words are not applied well enough in everyday life.
