In the Middle Ages, schoolteachers believed that negative emotions such as fear or shame were way more efficient for motivating students to acquire knowledge. Practices such as publicly shaming "negligent" students were quite common. However, it turns out that even today, some teachers are also prone to such tactics...
In fact, this outrageous story was first posted by the user Userinshock when her teenage son, returning from school, shared his class experience with his mother. The mother's first reaction was shock, her second was also shock, and then she decided to take it online to vent about it.
More info: Mumsnet
Sometimes, school teachers resort to really totalitarian practices to make students study better, and this creates a horrible atmosphere in the classroom
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
The author of the post is the mom of a teenager, and her son recently told her about an awful situation he'd witnessed
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
One of the teachers, a man in his twenties, made all the class stand up and chant, "Shame! Shame! Shame!" to a "negligent" student
Image credits: Max Fischer / Pexels (not the actual photo)
The victim was the teen's friend, but he had to stand up and chant as well, not willing to be the next victim himself
Image credits: RDNE Stock project / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Moreover, the author's son opened up about being publicly shamed by the class himself as well in the past
Image credits: vh-studio / Freepik (not the actual photo)
Turns out, there are at least two male teachers in the school who actively resort to such "teaching practices"
Image credits: freepik / Freepik (not the actual photo)
However, the teachers' victims are boys only, and they never attempt to shame the girls this way
Image credits: Userinshock
The mom was horrified by the son's story, and she decided to get social services or education authorities involved
The Original poster (OP) recounts how her son recently returned from school and reported that their teacher, wanting to punish an errant student, ordered the entire class to stand up, point their fingers at him, and loudly chant, "Shame! Shame! Shame!" The boy was also devastated by the fact that this time, his close friend was the victim of the class.
The author's son felt sorry for his friend, but he also gave in to the teacher and joined in the group bullying. Simply because, as he told his mom later, the teacher's wrath would've otherwise been directed at him. The student admitted that he, too, had once stood like this in the middle of the classroom, with all his classmates chanting, "Shame!"
The teen told his story, and his mother just couldn't believe it. It turns out that more than one teacher at the school resorted to this totalitarian practice. At least two teachers, both men in their twenties, actively used this "policy." However, the victims of their punishments were always boys, and the teachers never attempted to shame the girls.
The author says she wants to put an end to this outrageous practice, but is almost certain that there's no point in contacting the school board. The problem is that the academy where her son studies has a policy of hushing up any problems, and her outrage won't produce results. So she decided to ask netizens what she should do in this situation.
Image credits: Kindel Media / Pexels (not the actual photo)
In fact, bullying in schools has long been a serious problem, and it's usually the students themselves who initiate it. For example, a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that 22% of youth aged 12–18 reported being bullied, while 9.3% of schoolers said their bullies were peers, and only 1.5% said the bully was actually a teacher.
At the same time, in the situation described in our story, the teachers were essentially trying to create a "vicarious cycle" by encouraging students to shame their classmates themselves. Regardless, this practice is completely inappropriate, reminiscent of the sad days of Victorian schools, and requires immediate reporting from parents and, perhaps, the students themselves as well.
"Many young people feel they will never be believed if they bring a complaint against a teacher, but don't let this stop you," this dedicated post on the Bullies Out project website says. "Bullying by a teacher is unacceptable behavior, and no child should be subjected to it." In other words, the author is right to draw public attention to this case.
People in the comments also massively supported this mother, urging her to perhaps team up with other parents of publicly shamed children and bring the attention of social services or relevant education authorities. Regardless, this situation must 100% end, the responders are sure. So what do you, our dear readers, think about this story?
Commenters gave this mom their sincere support and sympathy, and suggested that she join forces with the parents of other kids, seeking justice
