Male Teacher tried to hug 7th grader in class!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He apologized. It's over. Your daughter won't become a heretic from experiencing one moment of secular human kindness.
In this country 7th grade children aren't considered marriage material, so this isn't adultery.

Secular human kindness? WTF? Give me a break. I've seen too many sick people praying on elementary school kids in this country. Your condescending tone is disgusting. A male teacher hugging a 7th grade female student is inappropriate. I wonder if you would see this as a secular human kindness if it happened to your daughter.

[Anonymous]

I work in a central office in another school system.

During the return to school, in the reopenings from the pandemic, the superintendent sent us out to monitor the classrooms while teachers taught the class remotely online. Keep in mind that I have no classroom experience, training or background.

I was kind of gung ho and when a kid was resting his head on the table after lunchtime, I snuck up to him and slapped him on the back on told him to get his head off the table.

On the drive home, I reflected and realized that I don't recall a single instance while growing up of a teacher coming into contact with a student. And spent the next several weeks paranoid that I was going to get called up to the superintendent's office. But I guess nothing came of it.

Long story short, teachers should NEVER be in physical contact with students. Especially at the middle school level. At the very least due to liability issues from their side.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I raises my daughter very religious, alert and respectful. So this Male Teacher tried to wrap my daughter around but my baby refused and moved away. He then apologised and said sorry to her because other students allow him to hug them etc. my daughter told him no! my question is dont these teachers get training on how to be professional and respectful? Well not everyone allows these kind behaviour?Or Is it normal for a male teacher to hug female students? Well this kind of behaviour is wrong to us and is not accepted to us and to our religion Islam but why can’t the school train their staff? To be respectful?
P.S; This is our first time in public school from private where teachers are very respectful there and we have never experienced this.
Your opinion, thoughts and comments will all be appreciated. Thank you.

This teacher sounds like they do not have sufficient training about Islamic culture, as you suggest. Ask the principal to hold such a training.

This has nothing to do with Islam. OP, if you are not a troll and you want a solution, don't ever mention Islam in your correspondence. I say this as a secular person. There are too many racist people who would try to divert the issue to something else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He apologized. It's over. Your daughter won't become a heretic from experiencing one moment of secular human kindness.
In this country 7th grade children aren't considered marriage material, so this isn't adultery.

Secular human kindness? WTF? Give me a break. I've seen too many sick people praying on elementary school kids in this country. Your condescending tone is disgusting. A male teacher hugging a 7th grade female student is inappropriate. I wonder if you would see this as a secular human kindness if it happened to your daughter.

If it was in the appropriate context, my daughter wouldn't bat an eye. It's our culture.

[Anonymous]

It’s not normal. The guy is creep and shouldn’t do that to his students…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He apologized. It's over. Your daughter won't become a heretic from experiencing one moment of secular human kindness.
In this country 7th grade children aren't considered marriage material, so this isn't adultery.

Secular human kindness? WTF? Give me a break. I've seen too many sick people praying on elementary school kids in this country. Your condescending tone is disgusting. A male teacher hugging a 7th grade female student is inappropriate. I wonder if you would see this as a secular human kindness if it happened to your daughter.

If it was in the appropriate context, my daughter wouldn't bat an eye. It's our culture.

You can't expect a 7th grader's brain and life experience to judge the appropriate context. Intertwining culture into this incidence is insincere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I raises my daughter very religious, alert and respectful. So this Male Teacher tried to wrap my daughter around but my baby refused and moved away. He then apologised and said sorry to her because other students allow him to hug them etc. my daughter told him no! my question is dont these teachers get training on how to be professional and respectful? Well not everyone allows these kind behaviour?Or Is it normal for a male teacher to hug female students? Well this kind of behaviour is wrong to us and is not accepted to us and to our religion Islam but why can’t the school train their staff? To be respectful?
P.S; This is our first time in public school from private where teachers are very respectful there and we have never experienced this.
Your opinion, thoughts and comments will all be appreciated. Thank you.

Report this to Child Protective Services.
Ignore the responses on this forum.
The teachers action was a violation of the MCPS Code of Conduct and he knows it.
There is no exception for other students submitting to this.
Read up on the recent case of MCPS teacher John Vigna and his “hugging.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No wonder teachers are quitting in droves.

I hear you, but at the same time I can’t imagine a middle school teacher at our school initiating a hug with a student, especially a male teacher with a female student.

That just seems really inappropriate, and most teachers would know to avoid that.

I agree and it made your daughter uncomfortable. I would report it to the Principal in writing. If it's innocent, the teacher needs retraining. If it's not innocent, then you will be even more glad you reported it. Report and let the school handle it.

[Anonymous]

My husband is a teacher and yes training is not to make any unnecessary physical contact. He has had kids distraught, and when the instinct to hug to comfort comes up - still a nope. He will ask if they want their friend to come out in the hall to give a hug and be with them to help settle them.

[Anonymous]

Wow, so many people being Islamophobic.
This is not appropriate, and it's not a cultural norm in this country for a male teacher to randomly go in for a hug...this is strange, and if OP wouldn't have mentioned Islam everyone would have agreed. I remember a male teacher when I was in school stroking and making a comment about my hair and making me feel extremely uncomfortable. Good for your daughter OP for speaking up!

[Anonymous]

Its creepy and inappropriate. When I was in MS my art teacher used to poke me in the belly to make me laugh and tickle my chin. It made me feel uneasy but I never reported it.

Three years later he was in jail for doing much worse to a different 13 yr old in his class.

[Anonymous]

BTW the teacher never hugged student. Still wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I work in a central office in another school system.

During the return to school, in the reopenings from the pandemic, the superintendent sent us out to monitor the classrooms while teachers taught the class remotely online. Keep in mind that I have no classroom experience, training or background.

I was kind of gung ho and when a kid was resting his head on the table after lunchtime, I snuck up to him and slapped him on the back on told him to get his head off the table.

On the drive home, I reflected and realized that I don't recall a single instance while growing up of a teacher coming into contact with a student. And spent the next several weeks paranoid that I was going to get called up to the superintendent's office. But I guess nothing came of it.

Long story short, teachers should NEVER be in physical contact with students. Especially at the middle school level. At the very least due to liability issues from their side.

If a student falls in class, the teacher should not extend her hand to the student?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I raises my daughter very religious, alert and respectful. So this Male Teacher tried to wrap my daughter around but my baby refused and moved away. He then apologised and said sorry to her because other students allow him to hug them etc. my daughter told him no! my question is dont these teachers get training on how to be professional and respectful? Well not everyone allows these kind behaviour?Or Is it normal for a male teacher to hug female students? Well this kind of behaviour is wrong to us and is not accepted to us and to our religion Islam but why can’t the school train their staff? To be respectful?
P.S; This is our first time in public school from private where teachers are very respectful there and we have never experienced this.
Your opinion, thoughts and comments will all be appreciated. Thank you.

What does "wrap my daughter around" mean?

[Anonymous]

I remember being hugged/touched by male teachers at elementary/junior high and never felt comfortable. I’m from those countries where hugging/touching are accepted as “culture”. I don’t want my children feel pressured to accept these behaviors from teachers.