To be honest, giving the craziest nicknames to your friends adds more fun to the friendship. Owing to my unruly curly hair, my friends used to call me Poodle, and as stupid as it sounds, the names I gave them were more stupid. But what if you get teased with a horrible nickname by your teacher?
This mom speaks about it as her friend who teaches her kid gave him a nickname that he hates, and she teases him even after he protests. As if this is not enough, she even hugs him in the corridors while he tries to wriggle away!
More info: Mumsnet
It’s fun being nicknamed by friends, but it can turn bitter real quick when it’s someone you don’t like
The poster has a 5-year-old son and her friend works as a teacher at his school, where she gave the kid a nickname based on a personality trait
Image credits: thesurreymum
Even though the kid keeps protesting, she is not ready to stop and keeps teasing and even troubling him constantly
Image credits: thesurreymum
The poster has told her to stop it multiple times, but she just won’t listen to her and even laughed it off
Image credits: thesurreymum
The poster also found out from a mom that the teacher also did the same thing to another child, so she sought advice online
In today’s story, we enter the world of a concerned mom and her 5-year-old son who is getting bullied by none other than his teacher. The mom says that the teacher is her friend and that after she joined the same school and started teaching her son, she gave him a nickname based on a personality trait and started teasing him.
“Names are signs, and have a power of their own. The power hierarchy between a teacher and student is too significant for the former to offer a nickname for the latter. Such names stick, and shape the way other students and staff view the child, which can be a scarring experience,” explained Maryam Shaikh—a teacher and education researcher for the past 6 years—in an interview for Bored Panda.
She added that it strips away the voice and identity of the student, especially at such a young age when the child is still negotiating their own identity. According to her, the child may be conflicted about their self-image and frustrated about not having enough power to establish their own identity.
When the teasing got too much and the kid clearly stated that he didn’t like it, his mom spoke about it to her friend, but it all fell on deaf ears. In fact, her “friend” literally laughed it off and kept at it.
She also jokes around that she is coming on family trips, just to scare the kid who doesn’t like her at all. Well, the mother felt it would all go away after he got a different class teacher, but the woman was not ready to give it up. Now, she tries to hug the kid if he sees him in the corridor, while he tries to wriggle away from her.
Maryam explained that this may either lead to frustration, mistrust, and rebellion, or it may lead to numbing out the student’s voice altogether, resulting in long-term trauma responses.
“It may also result in the child not understanding boundaries, not understanding how no means no, and offering the same behavior to those younger than him/her, such as friends and siblings. Instead of teaching useful skills, such behavior from a teacher can lead to an adverse impact on a child,” she added.
The surprising bit is that the poster spoke to another mom and found out that the teacher has done the same thing to her kid: use a nickname to make their life hell. What is it with this teacher who terrorizes kids with nicknames? Folks were horrified when the poster vented online and they said that this was a clear case of bullying and she needed to get the teacher fired.
Maryam emphasized that self-harm; unhappiness; anxiety, at a personal level and a social level; anti-social behavior; isolation; or bullying are the effects the teacher’s actions might have on the children. She added that the child would need a very strong support system among family and friends to be able to raise his or her voice and assert their own identity.
It definitely does not sound good; no wonder netizens were in an uproar over it. Many of them said that she needed to make it stop and go and lodge a complaint against the teacher in the school. Even we think that might be reasonable looking at how the kid nearly ends up in tears because of the teacher.
When we spoke to Maryam about the impact it might have when a student starts hating a teacher, she said, “A teacher’s role is a very powerful one. They can shape the future of students without realizing it. On a day-to-day basis, however, teachers hardly realize the powerful position they have.”
“Teachers need to realize that their words and actions can lead to students forming long-term behaviors and habits, career decisions, and personal ethics. If teachers are negligent about their impact on students, it may result in irresponsible behavior and statements in the classroom, that students will acquire multifold,” she added.
Maryam also stressed that a bad experience with a teacher can result in students hating not just the teacher, but also their subject, their school, and the very concept of education or schooling. She feels that this may alter their educational qualifications and performance in curricular and co-curricular activities, and have a long-term impact on their career.
She also advised that it’s very important for teachers to be mindful whenever they engage with students, and never take their position for granted. We totally agree with our expert. What about you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Folks were horrified by the teacher and said it was clearly bullying; some even advised the mom to get the woman fired
