First thing I though of, too. To a brigadier General.
Posted on 08/24/2018 10:55:52 AM PDT by Simon Green
Parents of a fifth grader are concerned after their child was punished for referring to his teacher as "ma'am."
Teretha Wilson said she noticed something was wrong Tuesday when her 10-year old son Tamarion got off the school bus from North East Carolina Preparatory School.
"I asked him what happened. He said he got in trouble for saying 'yes ma'am'," explained Wilson.
Confused by his response, Tamarion pulled out a sheet of paper with the word "ma'am" written on it four times per line on both sides. He says his teacher told him to write the word on the sheet because he kept referring to her as "ma'am" despite her instruction not to. As part of his punishment, Tamarion had to have the paper signed by a parent.
"He had a look on his face of disappointment, shame," said his father, McArthur Bryant.
Wilson and Bryant said their children were taught to refer to elders as "ma'am" and "sir," and that Tamarion was not intending to be disrespectful.
"At the end of the day as a father, to feel kind of responsible for that...knowing that I have been raising him and doing the best that I can, it's not acceptable," said Bryant.
They added that Tamarion was hospitalized last month for a seizure-related activity, which included memory loss and hallucinations, something the teacher was unaware of.
Wilson said the punishment was completed in class. She was concerned that Tamarion was missing an opportunity to work during that time.
During the encounter, Wilson said the teacher also told Tamarion that "if she had something, she would have thrown it at him."
"It wasn't right. It wasn't professional. As a teacher, it wasn't appropriate. And I asked her why she thought it was okay to do that," said Wilson.
Wednesday, Wilson met with the teacher and principal to discuss the incident and punishment. During that meeting, Wilson said the teacher acknowledged saying that, but was not serious and believed Tamarion was aware of that.
When Wilson returned the signed punishment sheet, she also included a second sheet, which included Tamarion writing the definition of the word "ma'am."
Following the meeting, Wilson requested her son be moved to a different classroom, which the principal agreed to do.
While Wilson and Bryant are happy the school took action, they want to make sure a future incident doesn't happen again.
"If it happened to my son, I'm pretty sure if not a week, a day, a month, a year, it will occur to somebody else's child," said Bryant.
A family member posted a picture of Tamarion's sheet full of "ma'am" on Facebook Wednesday afternoon. It has since received more than 1,000 comments, and hundreds of shares and reactions.
This is Tamarion's second year at North East Carolina Preparatory School, and Wilson said the teacher has several years of experience.
An official with the school released a short statement regarding the handling of the incident:
"This is a personnel matter which has been handled appropriately by the K-7 principal."
>> Connie Wells?
No, Zenira Oden. You need to scroll down to get to the 5th grade teachers. She looks a little butch to me.
My husband’s grandchildren insist upon calling me by my first name. I have told them, in their mother’s presence, that they may call me, Grandma, Granny, Grandmother, GG, or even Mrs. -——. Went absolutely nowhere. This, after nearly 17 years. The oldest one’s 25, so it’s not like they haven’t had time to get to know me. And, honest, I’m not the wicked step-grandmother. My own grandchildren here expected to call my husband Grandpa, and they do. And if the ones who live far away, and don’t see us very often, forget, they are instantly reminded, and correct themselves. I’m not a formal person, but unless I give permission, grandchildren should address grandparents as such, IMHO.
I was raised in a military family, and we were required to address all adult females as Ma’am and all adult males as Sir.
And I still do to this day..
When I was a kid if my father was talking to me and required an answer, if I answered insolently with a simple yes or no, my father would lower his voice to a growl and say “Yes, WHAT?”
That’s hilarious! I was sending that link to my brothers and sisters!
I’m from the north, and that’s how I was taught. Granted, we were military family, but it wasn’t a northern or southern thing for us.
It was manners.
I have never, never understood the concept children calling their parents by their first names. It seem completely weird to me as a kid, and seems just this weird today.
This story is missing something.
It just doesn’t sound like we are hearing the whole story. Especially when it was added that the kid was having mental issues.
And it never indicated why the teacher found the term to be inappropriate.
"Yes, ma'am. I have received the paper you instructed by son to have signed, ma'am. And I'm pleased to report that I have rewarded him with extra allowance for his gentlemanly conduct, even if it was directed toward a female unworthy of it.
Ma'am."
First thing I though of, too. To a brigadier General.
I know what you mean. But I know at the special ed school where my son teaches, the kids are encouraged to call their teachers by their first names. I think it’s wrong, but I don’t own the school. It really seems disrespectful, to me.
North East Carolina Preparatory School
274 Husky Trail
Tarboro, NC 27886
Phone: (252) 641-0464
Fax: (252) 641-1816
Email: contactus@necprepschool.com
You can also write thru the school’s contact page:
https://www.necprepschool.com/contact
Hotlinks to these people’s emails are also at the contact page link:
https://www.necprepschool.com/contact
Executive Director: William Etheridge
K-7 Principal: Cynthia Dawes
I recommend the kid adopt "Teach" as an appropriate replacement for "Ma'am".
After all, like Senator Boxer, she's earned her title.
I’m really curious how the (hopefully former) teacher wanted to be addressed.
Well she did tell him not to call her Ma’am and he kept doing it, so?
I used to think that it was just people being unaware of what the public schools were doing to their kids and do the Republic. It has been going on too long now and the information has been too easily known. There is no excuse any more at all.
I read the entire web site. Looks to be about half white, half black, both kids and faculty/staff.
Thank you!!
before or after he warmed yer azz?
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