The teacher involved in the revolting incident at a school in Prahova was suspended. She is accused of violently pulling the hair of a 9-year-old child on the grounds that he had folded the sheet with the subjects of a Math test. “Adevărul” reporters spoke with the school director, who explained the whole story in detail.
Ferdinand I College in Moeciu is the only college in the countryside
The incident took place on September 16, when a teacher of “Ferdinand I” College, who teaches the third grade, decided to give the students an assessment in Mathematics. At one point, the teacher, who was disturbed by the attitude of one of the students, decided to give him a correction: he pulled his hair, violently, with both hands, almost lifting the child from the chair. The scene took place in the classroom, under the eyes of the other children. Scared and humiliated, the abused child returned home and told everything to the parents who went to the school and asked the lady for an explanation. “Teacher, I want to have two minutes with you too. What, dear?” Did you come to show you how I pulled your son’s hair? He admitted not only in front of me, but also in front of Mr. Director” said the child’s mother.
Director: “I suggested to the lady to retire. He refused”
“On that day, the parents came to the school and complained to the teacher,” stated for “Adevărul” the director Constantin Pisău, professor of Physics at the college, who agreed to give us an interview.
“I spoke with them, I also spoke with the lady. It is teacher in our school since he finished the Pedagogical High School. She is a 64-year-old woman, she will retire next year, an appreciated teacher in our school, with excellent results in the classroom. She was never involved in any scandal or incident. The highlight is that the parents of that child, three years ago, when he entered the preparatory class, expressly wanted the boy to be their student. I really don’t understand what happened”continues the director.
“The child’s parents were also, in turn, the students of this teacher. And the parents of the other children in the class still want her in the department. It is very well seen by everyone. Including colleagues. The teachers who take over Va’s classes want to have students from her class”the Pisau director also said.
He admitted that he tried to smooth over the scandal, but failed. “I tried to mediate the situation, to avoid the escalation of the conflict, but, unfortunately, I did not succeed. On the same day, the parents filed a complaint with the Police. Then, for three days, until the suspension of the teacher, they did not leave their child in her presence. The student attended only physical education, religion and foreign language classes“.
The director confessed to us that in order to smooth out the scandal, he suggested the teacher retire early. “He could have retired on medical grounds. He initially agreed, then reversed his decision. I understand that he also hired a lawyer.”
“Rubbed a bit, a misunderstood expression”
The scandal in which the teacher is involved took an even greater scale after the statements that the director himself made in the press. “He didn’t really beat him, he ruffled him a bit, to put it in a more concise way..Constantin Pisău tried to explain the situation to a television station, practically adding more straw to the fire.
Soon, the first reactions appeared. “I have only one question for the director: if there was a parent who would have taken a teacher by the hair? It would have ruffled it a bit..what would have happened then?” asks Cătălin Nan, the president of the Federation of Parents, through the “Adevărul” newspaper. “We also have to put ourselves in each other’s shoes. What would have happened if the parents went to the school and grabbed the teacher by the hair, shook her like she did with the child? It would have been the same..come on sir, did she just ruffle it a little? This is what the director said about the student. That it was a little disheveled. So we end up messing each other up? Is this the education system we are bringing our children into? Shall they be ruffled?”the father revolted.
Contacted by “Adevărul” reporters, the director said that the statements he made in the public space, namely that the student was not beaten, but only a little rough, were misunderstood. “There were some quotes left out. I didn’t say it was a little disheveled. The lady said. I just quoted it”.
The bullied student, “an overly sensitive child”
Two investigations are ongoing in this case. “As the regulation provides in such situations, a Research Commission was convened at the school level, which includes teachers from the educational unit, representatives of DGASPC and of the union. According to the statute, the investigation can take up to 30 days. We investigate on the legislative side, the police investigate on the criminal side. All this time, the teacher comes to the school, but does not teach in the class”, director Pisau also declared.
It is not known when the commission’s report will be completed, but if she is found guilty, the teacher risks sanctions. “From reprimand to the termination of the employment contract. He probably had a worse day. But I don’t want to victimize the teacher now. The commission will decide”.
As for the abused child, he is receiving psychological counseling. “I don’t know him very well, but I know that he is a shy, withdrawn, very sensitive child. That’s what the colleagues who teach in the class told me..the teachers of physical education and religion. That he is a good child, but a bit too quiet, they say. I mean too sensitive”.
Cătălin Nan, president of the Federation of Parents. Source: archive
Parents’ representative: “School is not a correctional facility”
Cătălin Nan, the president of the Federation of Parents, believes that at this young age a student assaulted by a teacher is left with after-effects. “The children look at the teacher as a second mother. The emotional transfer is a very powerful one”. For this reason, educators and teachers, Cătălin Nan believes, must be extremely balanced. “Their responsibility is huge. Trust in the teacher is very high, and such a gesture of aggression marks the child”.
School should be a place where children come with pleasure, with joy, with confidence. A place where they can feel safe, not to be “ruffled” by teachers. “A place where only beautiful things should happen. You come to school to learn, you come to develop your skills, to develop including your capacity for self-regulation and self-discipline. But all these things are not done through fear of the stick. The school is not a house of correction,” continues the president of the Federation of parents.
We have reached this situation, the parents’ representative believes, because the salaries of beginners are very low, students are no longer flocking to enter education and are heading to other fields, there are many elderly teachers left in the system, on the verge of retirement, and some are not they are no longer motivated, they have lost their patience, they are no longer interested. It is the reason why the law should be regulated in such a way that teachers, from a certain age, go through a more rigorous psychological evaluation process. “From a certain age onwards, psychological tests should probably be more frequent, more in-depth. To focus more on the teacher’s ability to balance. Because, really, we’re all human, it’s only natural to lose your temper sometimes. But then you have nothing left to look for in the department”, the parent also stated.
Even so, outdated mindsets won’t change overnight. “It is a process that takes time. It is clear that fighting, generally speaking, is so grounded not only in school, but also at home, in the bosom of the family. There are parents who educate their children this way”. Then there are many who themselves encourage bullying in schools. “I go by the idea that we lived the same way and never died.”
What should happen to bullying teachers? “It’s simple. To stop practicing this profession. I mean, we teach children about bullying, how to avoid it, how not to practice it… and they are even bullied by teachers. We must have zero tolerance for bullying, both for teachers and children and parents.” Cătălin Nan also said.
“The lady has nothing left to look for in the system”
The case, taken up and uploaded on social networks by Iulian Cristache, the former president of the Federation of Parents, gathered online hundreds of reactions, comments and shares. “Some teachers, on my social media page, are upset and think it’s not a problem. But we are talking about primary education, where the foundations are formed, and children can leave with some major deficiencies if we behave violently towards them. Therefore, we should not be surprised that they no longer respond to class, are shy, withdrawn or even have an aversion to school. These abused and humiliated children will always live with the fear that if they make a mistake, they will be pulled by the hair or the ears by the teacher until, eventually, they will also be afraid”Iulian Cristache also completed the idea. He believes that the director should also be held accountable. “It is the night of the mind, and the school inspectorate should report this headmaster. It’s incredible! We are talking about a 9-year-old child. What did he do so badly, after all? Should primary school children sit with their heads down when they make mistakes instead of being encouraged? What is their fault that this lady is nervous? I don’t know if she’s nervous because she’s getting close to retirement or because she doesn’t have pedagogical training…but she clearly has nothing left to look for in the system, from my point of view“, Iulian Cristache also said.
“Everyone is pointing fingers at us. Why don’t we talk about the good things too?”
Director Constantin Pisău confessed to us that he is very disappointed and saddened. This scandal brought a shameful stain on the face of the college that will hardly be erased. “Everyone is talking bad about us now. But when I did good things, why didn’t anyone say anything? That we are the only College in Romania from the countryside. And we are very proud of our children. The pass percentage at baccalaureate last year it was 98%. On the technical education side, our children are part of the National Association of Furniture Manufacturers. I went to the furniture fair last year and this year. They received diplomas. Makes school desks. And last year the folklore ensemble of the high school won a mention at the Sanremo Folklore Festival and the first prize at the Prague Festival. In two weeks they will leave for Istanbul“. More than 850 students study at the Ferdinand I College in Moeciu.
