Ma’am, You Owe Tamarion Wilson An Apology
You have to be a Southerner to appreciate how outrageous this story is. And to think it happened in North Carolina!:
Parents of a fifth grader are concerned after their child was punished for referring to his teacher as “ma’am.”
Teretha Wilson said she noticed something was wrong Tuesday when her 10-year old son Tamarion got off the school bus from North East Carolina Preparatory School.
“I asked him what happened. He said he got in trouble for saying ‘yes ma’am’,” explained Wilson.
Confused by his response, Tamarion pulled out a sheet of paper with the word “ma’am” written on it four times per line on both sides. He says his teacher told him to write the word on the sheet because he kept referring to her as “ma’am” despite her instruction not to. As part of his punishment, Tamarion had to have the paper signed by a parent.
“He had a look on his face of disappointment, shame,” said his father, McArthur Bryant.
Wilson and Bryant said their children were taught to refer to elders as “ma’am” and “sir,” and that Tamarion was not intending to be disrespectful.
Where on earth was this teacher from? Teaching children to say “sir” and “ma’am” to adults is deeply embedded in Southern culture. It chaps my backside that she humiliated that little boy for being courteous. If she doesn’t want to be called “ma’am,” she should go teach Yankees.
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
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