What do you think of a nursery teacher hitting the palm of a 4 y/o kid?

Question

I left my 4y/o kid in the school, when i went back to fetch him , he was crying so hard, knowing him i knew he cried longer i don't know how long though. Then i was asking him what happened, in between sobs he says my teacher hit me, i asked the teacher she denied it. But my kid showed where the teacher hit him when he was already calm in our house. Do i need to be alarmed with the action of the teacher. Its my kid's first time to go to school, im afraid that he will be hesitant to go to his classroom and see his teacher again.

Answer 1

yes, poor lil fellow will prolly be hesitant to go back, and if at all possible, i wouldnt send him back!! i'd let the teacher know that there are laws and punishments for abuse, and that you will not take this sort of thing litely, or let it go.

Answer 2

Yes, you should be alarmed. Report the teacher to the Department of Children's Services. Also, call the director of the school and schedule an appointment with her and the teacher. Let your son know that you believe him but try not to rant and rave about the school in front of him because you do need him to know that generally you will support the teacher if he misbehaves. Tell him that you are going to talk to the teacher and get things straightened out. Try to be non-threatening with the teacher. Make sure that she knows that you have reported the abuse and that this kind of behavior is just not acceptable.

Next, consider the slight chance that your son may have been exaggerating because he was upset. Were you yelling at the teacher? Maybe she felt threatened. Many times a problem occurs because both parties think that they are telling the truth. Their viewpoints may just be different. That is why it is so important to talk to the teacher and let her know what your son felt happened and that what she did was not acceptable. Above all, do not yell or raise you voice when meeting with the teacher and supervisor. Talk calmly and show that you have good self control because nothing will hurt your credibility at a school more than screaming, yelling, swearing and acting obnoxious. Keep in mind that teachers sometimes get reported for things that they do not do and that their entire careers can be ruined. Therefore, some children's and family services organizations try to be extremely careful when dealing with these situations. You may want to talk to both the teacher and principal and even the superintendent before reporting any incident so that you can hear the full story. If you are not totally satisfied after talking to the administration, she should be reported.

Answer 3

I think that most places that offer child care, as well as some elementary schools (at least in Texas) always ask a parent to fill out a card that asks you if you want your child to be corporally punished, how you would like your child to be disciplined based on several offenses, and wether or not you'd like to be contacted before any of it, etc. If you weren't asked about any of this, then the teacher or any of the staf has no right to hit your child, no matter how mild or severe it was. Only your child and the teacher know what really went down and obviously their stories don't match up. Maybe she feels guilty and is denying it or she's just plain lying. Perhaps your son was scolded and had his feelings hurt; he wanted you to know his frustration in a way you'd empathize by adding physical pain into it... who knows. But if YOU, as a mother, feel that you had no choice or say in this situation: get with the teacher and the principal or head of the nursery and discuss the matter. Don't get accusatory!!! Just bring up the fact that the incident made you aware of how you wish the institution to deal with disciplining or punishing your child, and that you want your specifications to be respected, followed, and in writing so that it's clear to both parties (in case it should happen again). Also, talk to your son about what happened and make sure that you let him know about the discipline situatin. However, also let him in on the fact that you spoke to the teacher and she is now aware of what you wish to happen if he misbehaves. Then, assure him that the incident may have been a mistake or that the teacher overreacted... whatever is specific to your conversations with the staff... Good Luck!!!

Answer 4

I would do some research before I assumed the situation is as bad as it sounds. Talk to your son again and get the full story "in his words". Then call the school and schedule an appointment to talk to the school's director and the teacher together. Let them know your child's side of the story and get the teacher's explanation for what happened. Find out the school's policies on discipline and make sure the teacher and director know your feelings about the situation. It could be that the teacher didn't see anything wrong with striking a child on the hand. I personally don't have a problem with that either, but if your child is unaccustomed to that kind of discipline he was probably startled more than he was hurt. And if you have a problem with it you need to let them know. Try not to overreact. This is the kind of situation that easily spirals out of control, and your child needs to know that he will be disciplined at school without Mom questioning the teacher's actions. If the situation turns out to be as bad as it sounds then yes, get him out of that school, find out the official process for filing a complaint, and report it to the Better Business Bureau. Good luck!

Answer 5

I have had 2 daughters, and four grands go to their first day of school. Four year olds are so happy to go to school, that there is no way they would lie about a teacher hitting them. Four year minds, think school is so cool. For that teacher to even scream at her class, not alone hit one of the students on the FIRST DAY is appalling. The teacher should be reported to social services, the principal of the school, and anyone else that you can find to listen to you. I would advise NOT to go to the teacher first. Let the proper authoritative personell know and then take it from there.

DO NOT send them back to that school. Preschool should be an enjoyable experience. If the teacher can't handle her temper on the first day, it will be a long year for her and the students. Being a preschool teacher requires a lot of patients. I do hope that this experience has not adversly affected your child, for wanting to go to school, but four year olds WILL be afraid of strange new teachers for a while after a bad experience. Poor thing just wanted to go to school, not go to jail and be punished for being four years old.

Good luck and get that teacher out of preschool for your child and everyone elses children.

Answer 6

I put lots of jokes on here, but this isn't funny in the least.

Don't take the child back there but DO go back to the school.

It may also be a good idea to do a little research, and what I mean by that is discussing the matter with other parents who utilize that nursery school. See if their children made similar complaints. It may be a little awkward to do this, but it may give you a sense of whether this was a product of your child's being upset at being left at school, or indeed an abuse that needs reporting to authorities. I wish you the best.

Answer 7

Under no circumstance what-so-ever would I let someone hit my child! If I we're you I wouldn't take him back and I would definetly look into the matter. Maybe call a city official or an organization involved in daycare. Maybe even find out who employs the teachers of the daycare and what sort of back ground checks are done prior to hiring. I hope your little boy will be okay!

Answer 8

I think it's perfectly fine to swat a child on the hand, but the teacher should be honest about it. It would be a problem if the teacher was overly threatening to a four year old.
If your child was disobedient, then a smack on the palm is a pretty good measure of showing the child was wrong.
I highly recommend you discuss in depth what/ he did wrong, if anything. She needs to be honest.
Hopefully, you know your own son and whether something went on or this is a wild fancy of his imagination.

Answer 9

i think of each and every person have there places and household projects. As mothers and fathers have been practice our infants an nurture them. each and every baby is distinctive and the lecturers have a great sort of infants in college to handle. yet there is no excuse for hitting, pushing, shoveling or any ingredient verbal that's no longer appropriate. in case you practice a baby (who's a sponge at a youthful age who's searching for a thank you to be while they boost up)to no longer hit,push are shovel at domicile and that they are getting it in college from the government that's sending blend thoughts on your baby or infants. mothers and fathers and instructor must be on the comparable accord. If there's a topic its the instructor duty to tell the mothers and fathers and parent it out. instructors is primary with of in the process the fluctuate ant levels of psychology instructions it do no longer take all that and what to do approximately distinctive concern. in addition they comprehend formerly it get to the factor that they ought to place their palms on somebody else baby the instructor needs a trip and checklist the concern to the numerous.

Answer 10

Report it. If some teacher had hit my kid I'd prolly do a lot more than report him/her. That is illegal. You don't want your kid in a school where the teachers are abusing the students. No telling how many other kids it has been done to. Or how violent it could get next time.

Answer 11

You need to talk with the teacher and the director of the facility. If she did hit him and denied it, the director needs to be aware of that. If she didn't hit him, you have to realize kids are not always honest, you still need to find out why he was so upset. I wouldn't jump to any conclusions before you find out what happened. I taught preschool for several years and one day we had hoola hoops out to play with. I was using one of the hoops and bumped into one of my students by accident. He went home and told his mother I hit him in the head with a hoola hoop. He wasn't saying it to accuse me of hitting, but he didn't have the vocabulary to say I bumped into him while we were all playing with the hoops together. Luckily the mom and I knew each other pretty well and she casually asked about what happened for her own peace of mind. You need to get more info from the school and then decide what actions you want to take. Good luck.