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."
Using the school website, there are only four Fifth-grade teachers: Debra Lowe, Zenira Oden, Margie Williams, and Darlene Rice. The first two have pictures on the website, the last two do not.
Public Schools, destroying children daily
Military people always address female civilians as “Ma’am.” Should they be punished too?
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It’s not only military people. Many people use that term. And when a child is ostracized for using it, it is disgusting and flat out wrong.
If I was the parent I would only refer to the ‘teacher’ as ma’am in my follow up meeting Every sentence. Probably twice per.
Most of them are overweight.
That’s kinda like when you hold the door for a feminazi and she slams it in your face.
"This is a personnel matter which has been handled appropriately by the K-7 principal."
That's how much school administrators want your input.
My (then ) 3rd grade daughter ran into this when we moved from Alabama to Northern Virginia. She went form a school where she would get in trouble for NOT saying ma’am/sir, to one where it was seen as disrespectful.
She’s 18 now, and with her many faults, she still says ma’am/sir.
BRIG. GEN. MICHAEL WALSH: Ma'am, at the LACPR ...
SEN. BARBARA BOXER (D-CA): You know, do me a favor, could you say "senator" instead of "ma'am"?
I suppose sh*t head is gender inclusive
Much as I despise Boxer for her policies and behavior, I don’t find preferring to be called senator an unreasonable request.
Apparently, the desired - or at least appropriate - term to address the teacher is “yes, bitch,” “no, bitch.”
Recall barbara boxer’s scolding of a Marine general who referred to her as ma’am.
Well did he ask what she’d like to be called? I could have thought of a couple of names he could have tried.
The article never really gave the reason why the teacher was offended?
Another lesson on why NEVER to allow your kids into public schools.
If this mother actually gave a dam about the education and socialization of her child she would not have allowed him inside a public school. He is young enough that the malignancy of public school “education” was fully apparent when the child started school. Her problem was that the teacher mistreated her child. Education of the child is not one of her concerns.
Public schools ARE child abuse!
This happened to both of our children when we moved from Florida to Maryland (6th and 9th grades). They really did not understand - and neither did we.
I got sent to the Principal’s Office on the 1st day of 3rd Grade for saying “Yeah” when the Teacher asked Me a question.
We had just moved to Houston, TX from Old Bridge, NJ. I was still in shock from the Temperature and Humidity change.
The Principal was understanding and explained things to Me and I learned from it.
They did.
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