When it comes to their children, parents will do anything to make sure they aren’t being harmed in any way. Parents have no choice but to trust that their child is being treated fairly at school. When that trust is broken, some parents can get really violent. Here, people share the time their parents went over and beyond to defend them from their teacher.
All stories have been edited for clarity.
Corporal Punishment
“Back in 1973, I was just ten years old and starting my first day of 5th grade in Houston, Texas. We had just moved from the west coast and were shell-shocked by the South. All the kids said ‘Yes, ma’am’, and ‘yes, sir.’ Corporal punishment was allowed in schools at the time as well.
One day my brother asked, ‘Hey, Mom? Should I say ‘yes ma’am’ to you too?’
‘No. ‘Ma’am’ is the short version of ‘madam’ and the only time I ever heard the word ‘madam’ was about a ‘house of ill-repute’,’ my Mom said.
I had to ask my brother to explain what Mom meant. To which he replied, ‘She means a tramp!’ I knew a tramp was a very bad name. I just didn’t know how bad.
The next day at school, the gym teacher asked me a question.
I replied ‘Yeah.’
‘What?’ the teacher barked.
‘Yes!’ I said again.
‘Yes, what?’ the teacher asked, getting aggravated.
‘Yes, I can do that.’ I thought my answer was sufficient. But obviously, the teacher didn’t.
‘You say ‘yes, ma’am!” the teacher hollered.
I remember looking at her startled. Then in pure innocence, I asked, ‘You mean like a tramp?’
That’s when I found out what corporal punishment was. I got the biggest slap across my face. It even left welts. The teacher grabbed me by the arm and marched me down the hall and said, ‘We’re calling your mother!’
Later that afternoon, there was a shouting match between my mom and the gym teacher behind the principal’s door.
‘It was a misunderstanding’ my Mom exclaimed. ‘Why did you smack my child?!’
‘Well, she just better get used to saying ‘yes ma’am” the teacher retorted. ‘She’s in the South now!’
When my Mom left the principal’s office she was fuming. She looked down at me with a giant red handprint going across my cheek and simply said:
‘I want you to call her a ‘ma’am’ from now on. Do you understand?’
And I did.”
No Regrets
“My brother loved history. He had a passion for it because of my grandfather’s extensive knowledge of WW2 and his utter obsession with Tudor England. My brother wanted to take an advanced history class, but he is also dyslexic and his writing and spelling aren’t that great. After my brother told the history teacher he wanted to take his class next semester, the teacher told him that if he took it he would fail him. My brother, feeling understandably dejected, came home and told our father.
Coincidentally, it was parents’ evening that night. My dad marched straight into the school with my brother and me in tow. At first, my teacher approached my dad.
‘I’m sorry,’ my dad said patiently. ‘I probably won’t be able to have any form of conversation right now.’ He then walked right over to the history teacher and punched him square in the face in front of everyone.
While he was at it, my dad verbally shredded the teacher who accused me of plagiarism just a week before because I wrote an original short story and the teacher thought I was ‘stupid’.
My dad was promptly banned from school grounds for life with no regrets.”
Shove It
“I had an issue with a high school guidance counselor.
I’ll admit I was no angel or star student. During a PTA meeting, the counselor loudly proclaimed to my mother that I was a terrible student.
‘There is not a college in the country that would accept your daughter as a student.’ The counselor said.
As expected, we felt humiliated and enraged by the counselor’s insensitive comment. Years later, my mom went back to the school with a surprise for the counselor. My mother strolled into the counselor’s office with a scroll with to a pre-graduation parent gathering. She confronted that same counselor and held up the tightly wrapped scroll. My mom proclaimed, ‘This is my oldest daughter’s Master’s degree. Shove it up your ass.’
Make The Call
“I defended my oldest son from his 5th-grade teacher.
One morning, my ex-wife told me my son got sick every morning before school. The next time I saw him, I asked him about it. Seeing how uncomfortable he was, I had seen enough to know.
I immediately called the school and asked to speak with the Principal. I was a business owner in our small town and pretty much everyone knew who I was. The Principal recognized the sound of my voice and was thrilled.
‘What can we do for you, sir?!’
I replied, ‘Your teacher is abusing my child and it will stop.’
This left the Principal stunned for a moment. She then said, ‘Did you want to schedule a conference?’
‘No, ma’am. That’s all I have to say’ I responded. ‘Your teacher is abusing my child and it will stop.’
‘Can I call you back in a bit?’ the Principal said with a sense of urgency.
‘Yes,’ I said.
In about thirty-five minutes, she called me and asked if my son could stay in his present room until the semester break because it would cause less confusion.
‘If he was okay with that then fine. But if she upsets him one more time my attorney will be making the next call,’ I announced.
My son never got sick in the mornings after that.
NO ONE MESSES WITH MY CHILDREN.”
