Apparently, having good manners will get you into trouble at one North Carolina elementary school.
Teaching children to say “sir” and “ma’am” to adults is deeply embedded in Southern culture. Saying “ma’am” or “sir” is considered by many Southern parents to be an essential component of proper child-rearing, a manners-based approach to demonstrate respect, just like saying “please” or “thank you.” Some people think that if anything isn’t said, it will be detrimental for both the child and the parents.
Teretha Wilson’s 10-year-old son Tamarion was raised with values, Teretha always makes sure that her son knows how to be respectful of his elders to show respect for police officers as well as other authority figures like teachers and the clergy. However, to Teretha’s surprise, someone just humiliated her little boy for being courteous, and to her horror, it was her son’s Teacher.
Teachers play an important role in a child’s development and future success so more likely they deserve respect. But Tamarion learned the hard way that not everyone likes the antiquated term “Ma’am,” even though he thought he was showing his teacher respect by addressing her as “Ma’am.”
Tamarion was not intending to be disrespectful by calling his teacher “ma’am” in class at Tarboro, North Carolina’s North East Carolina Preparatory School but it seems that his Teacher got disrespectful. Apparently, the teacher had already asked her students not to refer to her as “ma’am, but still, it was inappropriate to punish the child because he had used the respectful phrase “ma’am,” making him write the word “Ma’am” on the paper.
And as Tamarion came home from school, his mom noticed something wrong.
“So I asked him what happened. He told me he got in trouble for saying ‘yes ma’am’, Teretha said.
Tamarion pulled out a piece of paper where he was instructed to write the word “ma’am” four times each line on both sides after being confused by his response. The paper was sent home so the parent could sign it and return it to the teacher.
McArthur Bryant, Tamarion’s Dad said “He had a look on his face of disappointment, shame.”
Tamarion’s parents claimed that he had recently been admitted to the hospital due to hallucinations and memory problems, something that the Teacher did not know.
Nevertheless, they said it’s no excuse for how she handled the situation.
“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,” McArthur Bryant said.
Teretha discussed the issue during a meeting between the teacher and the principal, following the meeting she requested her son change classrooms, which the principal agreed to do.
The thing is, teaching your kids good manners is an important element of preparing them for life outside the home. The child shouldn’t be punished for using those gestures of respect, but rather commended; whether it’s using “ma’am” or “sir” or being taught to say “please” and “thank you,” it should be up to the parents to decide how.
It appears that the teacher needs some manners instruction of her own.
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Sources: Awm, Usatoday, Cbsnews