TARBORO, N.C. (WTVD) — 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.
Coming up at 4:30 and 6 on @ABC11_WTVD: Parents of a Tarboro 5th grader are upset after their son got in trouble for calling a teacher "ma'am" against her wishes. In response, they say the teacher made him write the word repeatedly on a sheet of paper pic.twitter.com/KJghF8rPQb
— Michael Perchick (@MichaelPerchick) August 23, 2018
“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.
https://abc11.com/education/tarboro-child-punished-for-calling-teacher-maam-/4041588/
Im sorry (not really), but I just couldnt pass this one up. So if I offend by calling the teacher ma’am, what then shall I do? Do I snap my fingers and go …hey, b–! Cause I sure aint gonna start calling them by these invented neologisms (ze, zer WTF?), but calling her ma’am is “offensive”?. Does this mean we get to call her an old crone? Or would that offend those with Crohn’s disease? You know what? I suspect they would prefer we just stop talking, but can’t really say it like that…..so instead make it near impossible to have a convo due to the ever changing “neologisms” daily, they’re hoping we just give up and stop talking on our own. Never
Gonna
Happen
Kender, Good one!
“…….knowing that I have been raising him and doing the best that I can…….”
Sorry Dad, but if your kid is enrolled in the public school system you’re willingly exposing him to psychological abuse, gender disorientation, and communist indoctrination. You’re unfit to be a parent because you knowingly subject your child to this abuse.
“don’t call me ma’am!”
“Ok asshole!”
Shoulda called her what she REALLY is… you know, the C word… the one that women REALLY hate?
Write THAT one on a sheet of paper 100 times.
THEN SHOVE IT DOWN THAT OLD COMMIE C***’S THROAT!!!!!