Teacher With Asperger's Syndrome Faces Firing After Teasing Overweight Student

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People with Asperger's syndrome can often come across as socially inept. This makes them ideally suited for careers as high school math teachers or journalists.

Robert Wollkind chose to be a math teacher. He blames the condition for the trouble he's in after asking a fat kid if he ate his homework. The student had apparently been teased for his weight before.

Now Wolkkind, who teaches at Brookfield High School in Connecticut, is fighting for his job. The Hartford Courant reports he has been on administrative leave since November and faces a termination hearing next week.

School district officials tell the paper this is not the first time the math teacher has been running his mouth with his brain in neutral. They claim he has made a string of demeaning remarks over his 32-year career. He even told a student he hated him.

Wollkind claims he has Asperger's syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, which makes it difficult for him to read other people's emotions and respond appropriately.

The Hartford Courant reports more than 1,000 parents and students have signed a petition defending him.

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