On 10 July, it was reported that a pre-school teacher at Zoo-phonics School’s Serangoon Central branch, identified as “Ms Theresa”, has been suspended after a parent lodged a public complaint regarding the teacher’s behaviour her son.
The teacher had allegedly asked her son to stand in front of the class for sporting long hair, and then putting a “girl hair clip” on the boy, resulting in laughter from the other kids in the class.
Zoo-phonics director Vincent Teoh reportedly told The Straits Times through an email statement that the teacher has been “temporarily suspended” while the investigations are going on and that they are currently gathering feedback from other parents.
The parent had also mentioned in his Facebook post that the other parents have complained of inappropriate punishments by Ms Theresa.
Mr Teoh reportedly added that once the investigation is complete, the school will arrange a meeting between the teacher and the family.
He added that the school “does not condone any form of ridiculing a child in front of the class as a form of punishment”, and that teachers found to have done so will be counselled and reprimanded.
He said that the suspended teacher has allegedly received several letters of commendation from parents since joining the school in 2011. The “majority of the parents” want her to stay on despite the incident, he added.
You can read the Facebook post below:
“This is a case of regrettable teacher’s action on my child from Ms Theresa of Zoo-phonics Serangoon branch.
Incident happened on 5th July 2016 during class, Ms Theresa singled out my son to stand in front of the class for sporting “long hair” which is NOT a school regulation that boys are not allowed to have long hair. Subsequently, she used a girl’s hair clip and clipped my boy’s hair up as if he was a girl, much to the amusement of all the other kids. Then she threatened that she will to do the same action to him if he did not cut his hair by the next school day. This very act of clipping my boy’s hair subjected him to the laughter of the entire class.
This incident was narrated to me, by the next teacher who taught him for 4 years, Chinese teacher Ms Peng. She noticed his abnormal and despondent behaviour and asked him and the class what happened. My son did not answer; the other classmates filled her up with what happened.
My son later revealed to me after we had left the school compounds, that during the extent of time he was being humiliated, he was too scared and traumatised to cry out or even react. He feared more punishment and humiliation if he were to be seen as defiant. Only after Ms Theresa had left the class did he start to weep at his seat.
I brought my son home, settled him down and tried to reassure him. His response to me on what happened, in a very firm tone, was that “he wants to die”. He said he felt like dying when entire class laughed at him.
These are behaviours and events I could not accept as an early childhood development teacher.
First, I would like to seek clarification on what ground or standard this teacher defined my son’s hair as long, or was it just from her own interpretation. If there is no such rule established in the school, her way of things is no difference than a thug at knifepoint.
Second, is the act of humiliating my son in front of all the others at his tender K2 stage inline with your school’s teaching and ECDA? I wish to bring your utmost attention to the amount of psychological damage done to my son and the resulting fear that his return to the school might turn chronic. How can anyone imagine what he had been subjected to, when your 5 year old told you he felt like dying?
More of her post on the next page…
Third, a school is supposed to be a place where learning is fun, encouraging and engaging. I suppose this is entirely the opposite from why I enrolled my son into your school, where kids are subjected to the whims and fancies of whatever disciplinary rules and actions conjuring up to the named party.
Lastly, while I sincerely believe fair punishments are necessary to maintain discipline in class. A simple verbal warning or even standing for a period of time is acceptable. But to humiliate a kid, making him wear a classmate’s hair clip in front of the class, is totally unnecessary and intolerable in a school environment.
What happened to my son today is just one of the many, I would have to say improper conducts, for an early childhood teacher to be exhibiting. A few other parents have also gave their feedbacks that Ms Theresa would use markers or pens that she is holding to poke on our children’s foreheads when they answered her questions wrongly. She will use a water spray and spray into the kid’s mouth if they were ever seen yawning in her class. She had also in a few situations, tied up the kid’s legs together if they swung their legs in class.
Just last week, my boy’s classmate vomited in class and she had the decency to make the kid clean up the vomit by herself, even though she was unwell.
I will like to seek answers as to why such a teacher is allowed to be a subject of fear for our kids in school. Is someone that is without a sense of morality, responsibility and patience suitable for teaching kids?
We have since emailed the school in regards to the matter and arranged a meet-up with the directors and principal of the school. During the meeting, we were interviewed and statements were taken for investigation. We also requested to review the CCTV footage of the incident for that day. While the principal played the video on a laptop, I took out my phone and tried to record the footage as evidence. I was immediately stopped by one of the directors insisting that I can’t do any recording or they will not show the footage. I’m left with no choice but to not record as I need to see what actually happened. After watching the video I completely understand why I wasn’t allowed to video it. The look on my son’s face and how much the teacher seems to be enjoying herself will simply blow any parents’ head off the roof. Completely broken hearted, we left right after the video ended.
Today, 8 July 2016, I heard from some other parents that the school is asking for parents of the children attending her class to vote if she should stay. With cold hard evidence of more than 4 cases of abuse I don’t see a point of this voting system. Many children are just too afraid to voice out what happened in class and most parents were kept in the dark. We truly do not wish for a similar case to happen to any other child.
Such teachers should never be allowed in the education industry, especially in regards to pre-school as we strongly believe that at this age it’s important as it will nurture a child’s character.
* In 2015, there’s a case of alleged child abuse from Zoo-phonics Bt.Timah branch from one of their experienced teachers and a year later this incident happened. I can’t help but wonder if Zoo-phonics has ensured that all their teachers truly practice their school’s protocol.”
If you have any thoughts on this incident, do share them with us.
Source: The Straits Times