Strollerderby

Teacher Chops Kids Braid Off as Punishment

Posted by jeannesager on December 15th, 2009 at 10:26 am

braid cut off Teacher Chops Kids Braid Off as PunishmentA little girl was playing with her braids during class, so her teacher decided to chop the thing off as a punishment.

Think that’s bad? She got the girl to come up to her desk by telling first grader Lamya Clemmon she had some candy for her.

The Milwaukee girl’s family spoke with a Wisconsin TV station this week, showing off one braid that looks nothing like the others on her head – short and lacking the beads that the teacher apparently found annoying as they clanked together. The teacher told Clemmon’s mom she was sorry but she was “frustrated.”

The girl has been moved out of the tenured teacher’s classroom, the teacher given a $175 fine by police for disorderly conduct, but she’s still teaching kids at the elementary school.

I think most teachers will identify with the stress level, especially as budget cuts loom large in school district across the country. But when does it cross over the line from stupid to abuse? A big part of becoming a teacher is being aware that you’ll be walking into a classroom filled with unpredictable – often frustrating – kids.

A haircut is already a popular fight between parents and grandparents. Would a teacher pulling out the scissors on your kid earn her a visit from you?

Image: WISN

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12 Comments

She should be fired. That kind of behavior shouldn’t be tolerated.

Stephanie commented on Dec 15 09 at 11:26 am

How far does a teacher have to go to actually get fired these days? Disgusting.

Amanda commented on Dec 15 09 at 11:36 am

Hells yeah she would get a visit from me!

GP commented on Dec 15 09 at 1:14 pm

Yes, teacher would be getting a visit from me. And then she would be getting schooling of a different kind. She should be charged with assault.

Mistress_Scorpio commented on Dec 15 09 at 2:23 pm

Cutting hair is an assault now? It was highly inappropriate and unprofessional, but assault?

Lisa commented on Dec 15 09 at 8:01 pm

A teacher puts their hands unlawfully and with the intent of doing harm onto your child? That’s simply unprofessional and inappropriate?

Mistress_Scorpio commented on Dec 15 09 at 8:27 pm

Fired? You think someone who has years of experience, all of the appropriate training, and an otherwise clean record should be FIRED for cutting a child’s hair? She apologized and was disciplined. The hair will grow back. The end.

Halle commented on Dec 15 09 at 8:29 pm

Yes, she should absolutely be fired for cutting a child’s hair, and for lying to her students, especially when the child doesn’t seem to have been breaking any rules. It may be irritating to see a child play with her hair or nibble her fingernails or tap his pencil, but those are just annoying habits, not violation of school rules. Wouldn’t you expect a coworker to be fired if he or she snipped the hair of the person at the desk opposite them?

Never mind the humiliation aspect of a female child having her hair forcibly cut in front of her classmates. AND the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do aspect of blatantly lying to the students. Wrong person to be teaching small children, without a doubt.

jenny tries too hard commented on Dec 15 09 at 8:57 pm

I would love to hear that someone held this teacher down and gave her a reverse mohawk down the center of her head. Then people can argue about how the hair will grow back.

Mistress_Scorpio commented on Dec 16 09 at 9:53 am

If someone forcibly cut my hair I would call it assault, and press charges.

Marj commented on Dec 21 09 at 10:27 pm

It IS assault and technically with a deadly weapon, had the child moved to see what was going on she could have lost an eye…

She should be arrested, charged, convinced and her teaching credentials pulled!

To answer the direct question in the blog, Would such a thing cause a visit to the school from me? Perhaps I am the wrong person to ask, I broke a school nurses finger for touching my child in front of me after I had told her “Do not touch his bandage, I am here to change it” She was arrested, charged, convinced, and has no nursing license. Because she failed to have permission to make physical contact with my child. My defending him, wasn’t an issue to the police at all. My son has autism and does not like strangers to touch him. Would I do it over again? In a hot minute! ! !

Kay commented on Apr 29 11 at 11:48 pm

The child should not have been wearing beads in her hair. Those things are nothing but noisy and distracting for young children. Not to mention tacky.

Lynette commented on May 10 11 at 12:59 am

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