A little bit of respect goes a long way — in the wrong direction for some students.
Tamarion Wilson, a 10-year-old student from North East Carolina Preparatory School, was punished recently for referring to his fifth-grade teacher as “ma’am,” according to WTVD-TV.
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Tamarion’s mother, Teretha, said she first noticed something wrong with her son when he got off the bus Tuesday. When she asked why he was upset, the young student told her he got in trouble for using the respectful title.
Confused by her son’s explanation, Tamarian then pulled out a sheet of lined paper, on which his teacher made him write the word “ma’am” four times on each line — front and back.
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
Tamarion’s father, McArthur Bryant, said his son had a “look of disappointment, shame” when he first saw him, noting he raised his son to use terms like “ma’am” and “sir” when referring to adults.
“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,” Bryant said.
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The student’s mother further noted the teacher’s behavior “wasn’t right” or “professional.”
Wilson’s parents met with the teacher, who also jokingly threatened to throw something at Tamarion if he continued calling her “ma’am,” and the school’s principal to discuss the matter. After the meeting, Tamarion’s mom asked for her son to be moved to a different classroom.
In a statement, the North Carolina school said the personnel matter was “handled appropriately.”