What will you do if your child came home one day with an award presented by the teacher? Here is the story, a mom of an 8 year old child complained to the school principal about the "Catastrophe Award" that her daughter received from the class room. An award was given for apparently having the most excuses for not having homework.
The colorful paper award signed by the teacher, dated - May 18, 2012, even included a smiley face, contained the following message: "You're Tops! Catastrophe Award. Awarded to Cassandra Garcia. For Most Excuses for Not Having Homework."
The teacher announced the award in front of the entire class, and the other students laughed at the child. The mother freaked out, believing that her daughter was humiliated by her teacher. She contacted the school to complain, but the principal said "it was a joke that was played and that the teachers joke around with the children."
The mother did not find any of it funny.
"I think it's cruel and no child should be given an award like this. It's disturbing," she said, adding that she was not aware her daughter had a problem with homework, and that the girl had been enrolled in an after-school homework assistance program.
The colorful paper award signed by the teacher, dated - May 18, 2012, even included a smiley face, contained the following message: "You're Tops! Catastrophe Award. Awarded to Cassandra Garcia. For Most Excuses for Not Having Homework."
The teacher announced the award in front of the entire class, and the other students laughed at the child. The mother freaked out, believing that her daughter was humiliated by her teacher. She contacted the school to complain, but the principal said "it was a joke that was played and that the teachers joke around with the children."
The mother did not find any of it funny.
"I think it's cruel and no child should be given an award like this. It's disturbing," she said, adding that she was not aware her daughter had a problem with homework, and that the girl had been enrolled in an after-school homework assistance program.
Well, what can I say? Mom should be the one to blame here. She don't know what is happening to her daughter in school and not even bother to check her homework. Now that the kid got an award she took action on it, funny pitty mom.
"she was not aware her daughter had a problem with homework", tsk tsk tsk hindi sila close ng anak nya mommy, kung ako nga nandito na sa Qatar I have to call them to ask kung may mga assignments sila tsk tsk tsk
ReplyDeleteoo nga ,walang pakialam sa anak at sa nangyayari sa school.
Deletewake up call sa nanay!
ReplyDeleteoo nga,ngayon hindi lang sa klase, pati tuloy sa media at internet nalaman how irresponsible she is.
DeleteShame on the mom!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! The mom should be responsible enough to know what's happening to her daughter. Grabe naman. Pero nakakaawa din ang student. :(
ReplyDeleteI agree a mom should be aware of what her child is happening at school but giving also an award like that will make the child traumatize too, the teacher should write to the parent instead or invited in the school
ReplyDeleteI do agree. The mom should have been aware. This was also good since the mother of the child knew about her child's problem.
ReplyDeleteI think the teacher was wrong. That award labeled the child as a "catastrophe" and we all know that when a child gets a negative label in school (more so from a teacher) is open to teasing, bullying etc. This child is now an open target and the teacher just declared open season for her. What should have been done after a series of no homeworks was to call for a parent conference. The teacher should have made extra effort to contact the parent. If she had the initiative to think of such an award and even had time to prepare it, then she should have made time to check why the child is not performing as she should. Instead she made the child the object of a practical joke. Can you imagine if that happened to your kid or any other kid who has a problem in school? The mother was right to complain.
ReplyDeleteI had the lamest excuse as a four year old before when the teacher asked my why I am not doing my task for the day and my excuse was, My pencil is tired na... I was that creative at making excuses already when I was four years old. The mom should have taken more initiative in checking on the home work of the kid but who knows the kid may be a crafty blogger someday with his catastrophic stories.
ReplyDeleteNakakahiya nmn >< She should know every move or whatnot of her daughter! @@
ReplyDeleteThere should be a better approach to handle this. Too bad, they don't realized it sooner.
ReplyDeleteI heard this story from my husband last night. I was just wondering how did the news about her child's award spread like wildfire. Instead of protecting the child from further embarrassment now more people know that the child has a problem in school.
ReplyDeleteit was the mother who spread this award by going to media, she was interviewed I think in the ABC news.
DeleteShame on all of you for blaming the mother, it was wrong for the teacher to do that to the child. Poor girl, I agree with that other comment, she declared open season on the child.
ReplyDeleteMy son should have received this award! I ask, "do you have any homework tonight?" His response "nope, I got it all done in class."
ReplyDeleteNow as a parent who works all day and then comes home and takes care of the home and children, how my supposed to know that he is lying to me? Honestly we don't sit in the classroom with the children, we have to take to work for things. We need to exercise personal responsibility and allowing the children to accept personal responsibility. You cannot blame the parents in this situation.
I think BOTH the teacher & the mother were wrong. The mother should be more on top of her child's education and not just leave it up to teachers & programs. Also, the teacher was wrong for giving out the award embarrassing the child. She should've contacted the parents for a conference.
ReplyDeleteregardless, even if it was the mother's fault, does that mean the child have to be punished? no. this is an inappropriate way to address the concern. This is a great example of how bullying and downhill spiral starts due to a negative experience. thanks to the teacher for giving this child a horrible future to face. This was an immature way of handling this matter. shame on the teacher!
ReplyDeleteThis really backfired on her. First, for embarrassing her child on a larger scale. and for not being on top of her child's schooling... tsk tsk this doesn't look good for her
ReplyDeleteThis is so embarrassing for her, this is a wake up call for the mom, but of course school should not do that, they should talk to the mom instead.
ReplyDeleteYes, i agree, may pagkukulang yung mom sa daughter nya..but then the teacher should have done something different, not thru humilition. Kasi may "impact" pa rin sa minds ng mga youngsters ang ganitong uri ng pagdidisiplina!
ReplyDeleteBoth the teacher and the mom are the ones to blame. The mom should have known her daughter's condition, problems and other important things. Same with the teahcer, she should have not done what she did. It could have affected the child.
ReplyDeleteWe all learn something about the situation for the child for not doing her homework; for the mom who doesn't care about her child's welfare and for the teacher for taking the wrong action to get the parent's attention perhaps. Bottom line is we should all be responsible with our actions.
ReplyDeleteI would have to agree that both mom and teacher are the ones to be blamed. The mom, for not being able to look over her child. The teacher, for humiliating the child. I dont think that it was the right thing to do - it could scar the child's self-esteem. She should've just contacted the mother to talk about the issue.
ReplyDeleteShoot! The its not just the mom who should be blamed. I guess mom should exert more effort in making sure her child gets his/her homework done.
ReplyDeleteI have read the other comments, and begging pardon if I am redundant with my opinion!
ReplyDeleteThe sad victim in this story is the child. I don't think it was wise of the teacher to "joke" about something that is important - homeworks are there to improve on the knowledge children acquire at school. What kind of role model is she if she will "joke" about something important that children has to learn from her: responsibility.
This brings us to the mother; it's so sad that she had to bring this to the attention of the media! What ever for?! It's upsetting, and I wonder what happens to the child in the end, who gets to talk to the child about all of this when attention of the school and the mother are obviously elsewhere.
I think both the mother and the teacher has the problem here. One thing for sure, the child is being humiliated and the effects are greater.
ReplyDeletegrabeee; :) haha
ReplyDeletehaha, siya ang disturbing. hindi ang award. the "award" won't be there in the first place if it weren't for the mother.
ReplyDeletewhat the teacher did was wrong, somehow, pero it should've just rang a bell to the mother. she didn't need to show the entire world how irresponsible she was by telling the world about the award her daughter received, with all thanks to her.
such a lame excuse for the mom.. it's her fault in the first place and the teacher as well..
ReplyDeleteI think both should be blamed. they should both be aware of their actions.
ReplyDeleteBoth sides have failures :(
ReplyDeleteindeed true! i guess mom shud blame for this for not knowing and not being involved to any of the kids school activities is such a shame thing. xx
ReplyDeleteall the comments are relevant and I agree, the mother should not have gone to media. But then, perhaps the school system did nothing to address her complaint about the "joke" the teacher made on her son. Take note that "She contacted the school to complain, but the principal said "it was a joke that was played and that the teachers joke around with the children." So what can an aggrieved parent do. here is a teacher who played a cruel joke on an 8 year old, making her the laughing stock of her class. What kind of teacher does that? And the mother did something about her child's problem. She had her child enrolled in an after-school homework assistance program and there has been no negative feedback given to her. There is something very wrong with this school. I hope the mother transfers her child to a more compassionate, pro-active school where her child can learn diligence without this kind of harassment and humiliation.
ReplyDeletethe mother may be irresponsible for not guiding her child in her studies but still the teacher shouldn't give a child such award. it's so humiliating that may affect the child psychologically. poor child. :(
ReplyDelete