Thread: North Carolina mom in 'disbelief' after son, 10, punished for calling teacher 'ma'am'

North Carolina mom in 'disbelief' after son, 10, punished for calling teacher 'ma'am'

By Madeline Farber
1 hour ago

The piece of paper on which Tamarion, 10, was told to write the word "ma'am" as a form of punishment.

The piece of paper on which Tamarion, 10, was told to write the word "ma'am" as a form of punishment. (Teretha Wilson)

The mother of a 10-year-old boy in North Carolina is outraged that her son was recently punished for calling his fifth grade teacher "ma’am.”

“I was in disbelief,” Teretha Wilson, the boy’s mother, told Fox News on Saturday.

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Wilson noticed her son, Tamarion, was not himself when she picked him up from the bus stop earlier this week.

“I asked him what was wrong, and he told me he got in trouble for saying "ma’am" to a teacher. I was confused,” she said.

Inquiring further, Wilson asked her son to give more detail about the incident. That’s when the fifth-grader at North East Carolina Preparatory School in Tarboro, North Carolina, pulled out a piece of lined paper with the word ma’am written dozens of times.

Wilson was shocked, especially when Tamarion told her that his teacher, who has not been formally identified, told him that he was required to return the piece of paper with a parent’s signature.

The young boy also claimed that the teacher threatened to throw something at him during the incident, his mother said.

“He was disappointed because he felt like he had done something wrong,” she said.

The next afternoon, Wilson went to the school to meet with Tamarion’s teacher and the school's principal. With her she brought a separate piece of paper on which her son had written the definition of ma’am. (According to the Oxford Dictionaries, ma’am is defined as “a term of respectful or polite address used for a woman”).

Wilson claims Tamarion’s teacher told her that her son “was getting on her nerve when he called her ma’am" but “couldn’t give me a reason of why that was bad.” The teacher also claimed Tamarion knew that she wasn’t serious when she allegedly threatened to throw something at him, Wilson said.

Tamarion has been placed in a different teacher’s class since the incident occured.

In a statement to ABC 11, an official with the school called the situation a “personnel matter,” which “has been handled appropriately by the K-7 principal.”

Still, Wilson said she plans to call the school board on Monday to see “if they’re really going to handle it,” though she did not elaborate on what this would entail.

“This is about my child being respectful, then threatened to be hit with something. This isn’t about racism, as some people have made it out to be,” Wilson said, referring to some of the comments on a family member’s Facebook post where she detailed the incident.

Moving forward, Wilson said she has encouraged her son to “always be respectful to [his] elders even if they don’t want to be called ma’am," she said.

“Is this what happens from raising your child in a good way?” she asked.

A spokesperson for North East Carolina Preparatory School did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

Madeline Farber is a Reporter for Fox News. You can follow her on Twitter @MaddieFarberUDK.
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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/25...cher-maam.html

Just when you think you'd heard it all.

Being reprimanded for showing respect and manners. Ridiculous.

Originally Posted by GeorgiaPeach

Being reprimanded for showing respect and manners. Ridiculous.

Are we actually sure that's what happened? Sounds like we're only getting one side of the story. Sounds a little strange to me that a teacher would have a child write ma'am as a form of punishment for using the word frequently. Perhaps the story being told by the 10 year old is far from what actually happen. It's possible the child was being disrespectful to the teacher and using the world in sarcasm or that the child referred to the teacher in a derogatory manner when she should have said yes ma'm. Who really knows since we're only getting one side of the story.

Originally Posted by MW

Are we actually sure that's what happened? Sounds like we're only getting one side of the story.

Wow! I would have never thought of that. Why are we only getting one side of the story? Maybe because:

A spokesperson for North East Carolina Preparatory School did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

In a statement to ABC 11, an official with the school called the situation a “personnel matter,” which “has been handled appropriately by the K-7 principal.”

Tamarion has been placed in a different teacher’s class since the incident occurred.

FYI.

Originally Posted by Judy

FYI.In a statement to ABC 11, an official with the school called the situation a “personnel matter,” which “has been handled appropriately by the K-7 principal.”

An unnamed "official" said the situation was handled "appropriately", whatever that was. That could mean no action was taken on the teacher, the teacher got a raise, who knows what?

amarion has been placed in a different teacher’s class since the incident occurred.

So other students in the teacher's class may be exposed to the same punishment in the future.

It shouldn't be national news, but sometimes it takes national exposure to get local administrators to take it seriously.

Originally Posted by jtdc

Wow! I would have never thought of that. Why are we only getting one side of the story? Maybe because:
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Sarcastic response not necessary. Perhaps the school has a policy of not discussing school matters concerning children with the news media.

Honestly, I still tend to believe the 10 year old child and mother is exaggerating the situation because the punishment the mother said was given to the child doesn't match the accusation. IMO, I still think it is very possible the child was being disrespectful to the teacher. Not hard to believe such a thing would happen in a classroom these days. Overall, children today seem to be a lot more disrespectful of teachers than they did when I was a child. Of course when I was a child the paddle was frequently the disciplinary tool used.

Originally Posted by jtdc

An unnamed "official" said the situation was handled "appropriately", whatever that was. That could mean no action was taken on the teacher, the teacher got a raise, who knows what?

So other students in the teacher's class may be exposed to the same punishment in the future.

It shouldn't be national news, but sometimes it takes national exposure to get local administrators to take it seriously.

You're going under the assumption the 10 year old child told her mother the truth. It's understandable that the mother would like to believe her child, but there is no evidence provided to substantiate the child or mother's story.

Maybe the child was moved to another class because she was disrespectful and disruptive in the class she was in. Perhaps it was a move designed to separate her from the friends she may have been showing off for.

Personally, I think some folks on this thread are jumping the gun in believing the worst of the teacher without any actual evidence.

Originally Posted by MW

Are we actually sure that's what happened? Sounds like we're only getting one side of the story. Sounds a little strange to me that a teacher would have a child write ma'am as a form of punishment for using the word frequently. Perhaps the story being told by the 10 year old is far from what actually happen. It's possible the child was being disrespectful to the teacher and using the world in sarcasm or that the child referred to the teacher in a derogatory manner when she should have said yes ma'm. Who really knows since we're only getting one side of the story.

I don't know MW. I had not thought of that. People can alter a situation to protect their group, themselves, family and friends.

The named school does not want further attention no matter the truth. The teacher may or may not have received some type of notice.

Knowing the truth can at times be difficult. People accuse, get accused, and things are not always as seen or told.