A fifth-grade teacher’s disciplining of a student by tying one end of a plastic rope around the student’s waist and the other to the legs of a desk has infuriated parents in Tali City (大里市), Taichung County.
While the teacher has said that it was a “creative method” of punishment, the student’s parents complained that it was out of line, asking: “Do you think our child is a dog?”
The elementary school student involved said that the teacher also had classmates escort him to the bathroom by leading him with the rope.
PHOTO: CHEN CHIEN-CHIH, TAIPEI TIMES
The student said that on the second day of being tied up in class, he called his parents for help.
When the student’s parents arrived and saw their child tethered to the desk, they took a picture as evidence and confronted the teacher.
In response, the teacher, surnamed Chen, argued that she did not think she had done anything wrong, saying that it was a “creative” way of disciplining students who do not pay attention in class. However, Chen told parents that if they did not like the method she would not use it again.
School staff said the teacher in question had taught for almost 20 years and since learning about the issue, they have held two investigations into the teacher’s methods. A third investigation will be held soon, the school said, after which a decision on the teacher’s future will be made.
Asked for comments, Wang Hsiu-yen (王秀燕), head of the Taichung County Social Affairs Department, said the teacher’s actions were in breach of the Children and Juveniles Welfare Law (兒童及少年福利法) and that the teacher could be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$150,000.
Chang Pi-hua (張碧華) of the Humanistic Education Foundation said: “The teacher’s actions were a serious breach of the student’s rights.”
Unless students cause danger to themselves or others, they should not be disciplined, she said, adding that telling students to stand in the corner is the most widely used punishment. This method alone makes students feel embarrassed and uncomfortable, she said.
However, a method that involves “walking a student around like a dog” in front of his fellow classmates not only causes embarrassment, but could also cause anxiety and fear and could have severe long-term physical and psychological effects on the student, she said.
Citing Article 13 of the Children and Juveniles Welfare Law, which stipulates that nobody can hurt or abuse a child, Chang said the teacher’s actions constituted severe physical and psychological abuse.
Teachers should handle their classes according to the needs of their students and not just use their authority to discipline students, she said, adding that teachers should strive to find out whether students understand class content and whether their learning needs are being satisfied, rather than using harsh methods to discipline them.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
RSS