AMPLIFY.UPWORTHY.COM / NEWS

Principal had powerful response when teacher forced student to sit at a desk behind cabinets and allowed bullying

The student was being disrespected deliberately and as soon as the parents learned about it, they informed the principal.

BY ANGELINA DSOUZA

PUBLISHED JAN 27, 2025

(L)Teacher scolding student in front of class. (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels| Photo by RDNE Stock Project), (R) Dejected student sitting alone at the back of class. (Representative Cover Image Source: Pexels| Photo by RDNE Stock Project)

In a profession like teaching, educators play a prominent role in supporting and looking after children, especially in schools. It is a teacher’s responsibility to be understanding. If a child faces an issue in their class, they should always approach to help and not add to the distress. A man, who goes by u/MLDKF on Reddit, shared how his teacher bullied him when he was 11 years old and persisted in demeaning him in front of the whole classroom. The teacher had a careless attitude and disregard for students and the boy’s parents and his principal refused to put up with the same.

Stern teacher explaining lesson in classroom. (Representative Image Source: Pixabay| Photo by Jerry Kimbrell10)

The man mentioned that the teacher had an unruly habit. “Every single class that had her every single year, she'd single out one student. And in my class, that student was me,” he wrote. The student who was “singled out” would be forced to sit at the back desk. “This desk was in the corner, behind some filing cabinets. The student was not allowed to turn around except to leave and wasn't even allowed to talk unless called on. This includes asking for something if they didn't get it, like a paper containing vocabulary words for like the next two weeks or so,” the post explained.

Teacher demeaning student in front of entire class. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by RDNE Stock Project)

The teacher was bullying the student and creating grounds to encourage bullying. “She would also encourage other students to bully the student that got singled out,” the man said. Eventually, with everything that was going on, the boy started battling depression and his grades deteriorated. When he absent-mindedly left his bag on his desk, his parents came along and were baffled at seeing the secluded spot the teacher made him sit at. “When they asked why it was there, I told them, ‘That's where I sit,’” he recalled. He explained the entire situation to his parents and they refused to let it go.

Depressed student sitting alone, secluded in corner, away from classroom. (Representative Image Source: Pexels| Photo by Mikhail Nilov)

The agitated parents went to the principal's office and informed him about the problem. “The principal came down to my class and looked around, asking the teacher where I sat since he couldn't see me. She took the bait and showed me where I was sitting and the principal took me up to his office to explain what was going on,” the man wrote. After learning the harsh truth and witnessing the cruel attitude towards the student, the principal took bold action. “They couldn't completely fire her because she had a form of tenure (I think) but they forced her into an early retirement that was like firing her. She could still work as a substitute. But since subs don't make as much as full-time teachers and didn't get benefits, she was screwed in terms of income,” the post read.

The teacher was finally stopped from ruining another child's future and the boy got his well-deserved treatment in school. People were shocked at the way the teacher bullied the student and many like him. u/gnilimit wrote, “Some people just should never work with children.” u/QueenEtherea said, “I'll never understand why someone would want to teach kids if they're going to treat them horribly. I'm sorry you had to go through that.” u/DarkNymphetamine added, “Your parents and principal came through on that. Very happy that they did.”