From CNN: Milwaukee school leaders are looking into why teacher cut child’s hair as punishment. WISN’s Nick Bohr has the story. The teacher was apparently frustrated because the 7 year old kept playing in her hair.
Have you heard of anything like this before? If this was your child what would you have done? What should happen to the teacher?
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The teacher needs to be FIRED. To cut a child’s hair without reason – and the teacher’s frustration is NOT a reason – is unconscionable.
Give the child a detention, call her parents, etc. But do NOT cut the child’s hair! Simply ridiculous and definately grounds for FIRING.
Lady Di it’s hard for me to even imagine one of my daughters coming home and saying, “the teacher cut my braid off”.
Lamar´s last blog ..Milwaukee Teacher Cuts Off 7 Year Old Student’s Braid
Apparently this teacher has anger management issues and is in the WRONG profession!!! She should be fired and ordered to never work with kids again as a teacher. She needs a warehouse job where she can be alone. Her patience is terrible and it’s apparent that dealing with children is not working for her.
Can you say we are suing the school so quick! Mental anguish and all.
I have daughters who wore braids when little, thank God, I raised them to respect their elders. If a teacher had cut one of their braids, I would’ve wanted to cut that teacher’s ass…
Many children are a regular distraction in class, so teachers need to be well equipped and have the resources available to handle disruptive students.
Even if this little girl was a student who regularly disobeyed the teacher, she didn’t deserve to get her braid cut. I also feel that a parent needs to do whatever it takes to make sure his or her child is not one of the trouble makers in class.
Adults should have more control over their emotions, but I don’t think that this teacher should be fired. I hope she gets some counseling to help her deal with overly stressful situations, which come with the territory in our educational system
I hope this is a wakeup call to parents, to see to it that their child is behaving in school and to have an idea of what kind of classroom environment the teacher is trying to teach in. Teachers are only human and can be stressed to the max…especially when dealing with unruly children on daily basis.
I agree, Chocolaht. Even if a child is a constant troublemaker, she is still a CHILD.
I’m surprised the teacher still has a job. I don’t care how stressed you get, you have to find a different outlet. There were plenty of other choices besides cutting off the child’s braid.
Harriet´s last blog ..Working…Dreaming…Working…Dreaming
The teacher should have received a “time out” /suspension. Even though the other kids were laughing I am sure they were also shocked and wondering what the teacher will do to them in the future. Had this happened to my child, yes I would want my child removed from her class but I could not just stop there. Teachers are role models and none of these kids should be subjected to her misconduct. I would have her job. I don’t get a yearly checkup without a female nurse in the room. Parents need to volunteer as class parents. I did when my kids were little. You can’t expect one person to be able to control a classroom full of kid. Some kids have short attention spans due to not eating breakfast or plain old not being disaplined at home.
Please read my post as I am inspiring people to write to the
Milwaukee School District. I believe it is time we took our power
back as parents, and people who care about our children and the
actions of this teacher are not acceptable. Please email me back my
letter will be in the mail tomorrow.
Here is my post in case it too much to look for it, but get others
too to write. That is where the power is in the pen because one
letter is like a 100 phone calls. Thank you for standing up for this
child!
I believe that there is a time for “action” and I believe this is one
of them. It is not just us writing our thoughts here on the blog, but
turning those thoughts into letters, then those letters sent to the
school and then the school board of Milwaukee and next to the courts.
You see this little girl might suffer something that we are all not
even seeing right now. To have this done to her and made as example
sends what message? I do not know of anytime in history I have heard
of little girls getting their hair cut off by a teacher white or
black. (Maybe we can site this if you go to jail or a bad kids school
and you have to have your hair short), but never in this way. No one
has ever cut off a blond lock of hair. Now to say that is to say what
is the value of her hair? What is the value of our hair? Her beads are
of course, in relationship to her customs of her ancestry and her
braids are too. So, in her heart she was a beautiful little girl sent
to school by her mother with the best of intentions that she would
look her best. What was it like when you were sent to school and felt
you looked nice or for that matter when you grew up and went to school
or work and thought you looked nice? My point is that is about the
little girl’s thoughts about herself and the action a teacher, not
even her parent, took against her. We are taught in the Bible that
the women’s hair is crown and glory. Women all over the world black
and white and all races spend time and money on their hair. When some
of it comes out that we did not intend to fall off, break off, or
even get cut off from our over zealous hairstylist we are very upset
and it takes a while for us to recover. So, how do you think this
beautiful African American little girl felt about her hair that her
precious mother took the time to not only braid, but wrap up in
finery with beautiful beads to have a teacher who seemed to be having
a hard time doing her job because she was twirling it? Sometimes
adults pull on, twirl, or mess with their hair when they are writing;
thinking hard about something and this does not mean she was
distracted. It could mean this is how she thinks intently on
something or even pays attention to listen harder. Sometimes it is a
point of concentration for a person. Yet, if a teacher could not seem
to find her focus to continue to teach her class and felt the best way
to deal with the problem was to embarrass, degrade, and use her
authority to disfigure this little child, then she is not to be in
her position. This could affect this little girl’s thoughts about her
self for the rest of her life. Just being made to come up front and
have your hair cut off to be made an “example” of is unacceptable for
any teacher to do to any child. This teacher owes this little girl an
apology and she should be made to stand up before the entire school
and apologize and tell all the students and the other teachers why
her actions, against this little girl were wrong. We just can’t get
mad or frustrated and take negative actions against someone, let alone
a child because we get frustrated! What else do they call it?
Mutilating? Even though the hair will grow back one side is longer
than the other. I believe that all bloggers who have committed on
this story should get the information for the school and board and
write in as a ‘Class Action Group’ of concerned parents! You
don’t have to be African American to know this is wrong, you just
have to be a mom, a human being and of course someone who cares. If
you want to do what we should do when something like this happens, by
letting our voice be heard then grab a pen and write (one letter is
like a hundred phone calls) and Essence too, should do a story and
put all of the letters in it. This is about “love” and loving that
child enough rather she came out of your womb or not to do something
about it and the right thing to do is to “stand up” for her, because
on that day when she was taken advantage of by her ‘teacher’ whom she
and her mom trusted, no one was there to stop it. Yet, we can stop it
and make sure it never happens to another little girl or child,
white, black, red, brown or yellow. That is the heart of God and the
goodness of Christ Jesus! All in favor, let’s get to writing! Let’s
get the information and make sure we all have it and commit to write
our letters. I guess mine is already written! Email at
“standup4child@yahoo.com to be a part of this ‘class action
group’ of concerned parents and people. Tell your friends too. If
you get the information for the school and address post it on this
blog too. Thank you.
Milwaukee Public Schools Administration Building (Central Services)
5225 W. Vlient Street, Milwaukee, WI 53208
Mikaeli you said it all. I have already written to the school district and am glad to see that others are doing the same.
Yes the teacher was wrong to cut the little girls hair, but here we go again defending bad behavior! That was a lot noise and it was probably distracting! I have a ideal lady HOW ABOUT TEACHING YOUR CHILD TO BEHAVE & LISTENING TO HER TEACHERS & ELDERS!!!
I would have lost my mind! Just the thought of it makes me feel so faint. I’m more worried about how it would affect my daughter’s self esteem. It’s disgusting..this world is so cruel.
The teacher needs to be fired, if it was my child, I would still be on her a– whipping it now.
That noise from the braid could be annoyedd to anybody, what is halubalu of cutting a braid from annoying child, the teacher apologized. If she is my child hey I will not react because it takes parents, teachers, to raise a child. We need to be tough on our kids, They cannot just be doing what they like in the name of freedom
I am in support with you all. Though my feelings tells me that this teacher needs to be assaulted my passion for life tells me to write the scho0ol and voice my feelings and hope the school fires this teacher. Point blank this was an unlawful touch upon a child which in the U.S. courts is called an ASSAULT. The teacher should be fired and proscuted.
I saw this on YouTube and I was too through!! So, if the child were playing w/ her arm, would she have cut that off as well?
I can’t even try to say that I don’t understand how frustrating children can be at times, but the fact that this woman actually went through with the act of putting scissors to that little girl’s head, means she needs to be removed from that environment, pronto! That is a call for help if I’ve ever seen one.
Execumama´s last blog ..WWBD Wednesday: Who you callin’ a snoop?
Completely unacceptable. If someone cut my child’s hair I would go through every channel necessary to get that teacher to pay for his or her actions. Teachers never have the right to touch a child or remove hair, NEVER
At first I said the teacher shouldn’t be fired, but I slept on it and talked to my sister in law who is a teacher in a NC elementary school. She was furious, when I told her about this story. She said if this took place in her school, she’d want the teacher to be fired. The bottom line is -a teacher should NEVER put their hand on student.
All of you have valid comments and I hope that justice is served for this little girl.
I’d probably want to find the teacher out somewhere and cut her damn hair…I realize how upset I would be on a daily basis to see my baby’s hair with one braid half gone. I would also remind my child that from now on, when the teacher says stop doing something they better listen-the first time.
to Michael i don’t agree on what you said because there are ways to deal with it specially if you are teacher , she could have talk to the little girl , she could have put her in time out just for playing with her hair and not paying attention in class but to cut off her hair it makes me believe the type of person she is at home and with her kids, i have a 3 year old girl and it’s my responsibility to teach my child how to behave., kids are kids i have rules in my house and when i need to be strict i am but the teacher was out of line and she needs to be out of a job and give the opportunity to a real teacher that loves and guides kids the correct way, they are a lot of people that needs a job right now and they are qualified professional people out there why not offer the job to them .
African American children are at risk in more ways than one. This teacher is a bully .
.She not be allowed to teach “‘ Why is the teacher still there. What next a teacher shooting a child because their frustrated. We need action sorry is not enough this child will carry this mental scar for the rest of her life.
I am thankful for the responses and letters you all have started write to the address I listed below in my previous post yesterday. “Class action” of concerned parents and people are doing just that, we are taking action to make sure our children in schools and other places are kept safe and we are “standing up” for your young children like Layma who cannot stand up for herself and we come alongside her mother to say you are not alone. We will express ourselves in writing for your daughter, too. Together we can make a difference in this little girl’s life and the lives of other children who will not be disrepected nor taken advantage of by teachers or anyone else claming to be doing their job in the life of a child.
One of our concerned parents or people who responded to the call has in addition to the address I gave, given a fax no# to send your letter directly to the Superintendant. The information is below as well as the number for the DA office to make a complaint because should the teacher be charged with “assault?” You decide how much you will invest in this child with your letter and phone call. Thank you all so much for caring and writing concerning this situation.
Fax number is 414-475-8585 and the Superintendant’s name is Will
am reposting my earlier post from yesterday. I have heard from some
of you regarding “standing up” for this child. I have been given some
new information which will help and make sending your letters to the
appropriate people easier thanks to one of bloggers who responded.
Here is the added information. Please make our voices heard for this
child as a group “class action” concerned parents and people. Thank
you for taking the time to help make a difference for this child
life. Help us to keep it this from happening again to any other
child.
I just called and got the fax # for the superintendent’s office. The
fax # for folks to send the letter to. The fax # is 414-475-8585.
The Superintendent’s name is William G. Andrekopoulos. Also tell them
to call the DA’s office where a lady is writing down all complaints
called in. Her # is 414-278-4585. I told her the teacher should be
charged with assault because she touched the child in a harmful way
without the mother’s permission. (This concerned parent is an
attorney)
Please read my post as I am inspiring people to write to the
Milwaukee School District. I believe it is time we took our power
back as parents, and people who care about our children and the
actions of this teacher are not acceptable. Please email me back my
letter will be in the mail tomorrow.
Here is my post in case it too much to look for it, but get others
too to write. That is where the power is in the pen because one
letter is like a 100 phone calls. Thank you for standing up for this
child!
I believe that there is a time for “action” and I believe this is one
of them. It is not just us writing our thoughts here on the blog, but
turning those thoughts into letters, then those letters sent to the
school and then the school board of Milwaukee and next to the courts.
You see this little girl might suffer something that we are all not
even seeing right now. To have this done to her and made as example
sends what message? I do not know of anytime in history I have heard
of little girls getting their hair cut off by a teacher white or
black. (Maybe we can site this if you go to jail or a bad kids school
and you have to have your hair short), but never in this way. No one
has ever cut off a blond lock of hair. Now to say that is to say what
is the value of her hair? What is the value of our hair? Her beads
are
of course, in relationship to her customs of her ancestry and her
braids are too. So, in her heart she was a beautiful little girl sent
to school by her mother with the best of intentions that she would
look her best. What was it like when you were sent to school and felt
you looked nice or for that matter when you grew up and went to
school
or work and thought you looked nice? My point is that is about the
little girl’s thoughts about herself and the action a teacher, not
even her parent, took against her. We are taught in the Bible that
the women’s hair is crown and glory. Women all over the world black
and white and all races spend time and money on their hair. When some
of it comes out that we did not intend to fall off, break off, or
even get cut off from our over zealous hairstylist we are very upset
and it takes a while for us to recover. So, how do you think this
beautiful African American little girl felt about her hair that her
precious mother took the time to not only braid, but wrap up in
finery with beautiful beads to have a teacher who seemed to be having
a hard time doing her job because she was twirling it? Sometimes
adults pull on, twirl, or mess with their hair when they are writing;
thinking hard about something and this does not mean she was
distracted. It could mean this is how she thinks intently on
something or even pays attention to listen harder. Sometimes it is a
point of concentration for a person. Yet, if a teacher could not seem
to find her focus to continue to teach her class and felt the best
way
to deal with the problem was to embarrass, degrade, and use her
authority to disfigure this little child, then she is not to be in
her position. This could affect this little girl’s thoughts about her
self for the rest of her life. Just being made to come up front and
have your hair cut off to be made an “example” of is unacceptable for
any teacher to do to any child. This teacher owes this little girl an
apology and she should be made to stand up before the entire school
and apologize and tell all the students and the other teachers why
her actions, against this little girl were wrong. We just can’t get
mad or frustrated and take negative actions against someone, let
alone
a child because we get frustrated! What else do they call it?
Mutilating? Even though the hair will grow back one side is longer
than the other. I believe that all bloggers who have committed on
this story should get the information for the school and board and
write in as a ‘Class Action Group’ of concerned parents! You
don’t have to be African American to know this is wrong, you just
have to be a mom, a human being and of course someone who cares. If
you want to do what we should do when something like this happens, by
letting our voice be heard then grab a pen and write (one letter is
like a hundred phone calls) and Essence too, should do a story and
put all of the letters in it. This is about “love” and loving that
child enough rather she came out of your womb or not to do something
about it and the right thing to do is to “stand up” for her, because
on that day when she was taken advantage of by her ‘teacher’ whom she
and her mom trusted, no one was there to stop it. Yet, we can stop it
and make sure it never happens to another little girl or child,
white, black, red, brown or yellow. That is the heart of God and the
goodness of Christ Jesus! All in favor, let’s get to writing! Let’s
get the information and make sure we all have it and commit to write
our letters. I guess mine is already written! Email at
“standup4child@yahoo.com to be a part of this ‘class action
group’ of concerned parents and people. Tell your friends too. If
you get the information for the school and address post it on this
blog too. Thank you.
Milwaukee Public Schools Administration Building (Central Services)
5225 W. Vlient Street, Milwaukee, WI 53208
this is another glaring situation, showing what’s wrong with MPS. This teacher has got to be fired! I don’t really think it will happen though, because of the Union and it’s unfortunate because Unions weren’t meant to protect employees when they do foolishness like this. Teachers have way too much power and little to no accountability, which makes for a poor mix of a failing educational system and under educated children. Teachers know going in it’s not a job were there is a high salary. They know that it’s a job that requires incredible patients. Being a teacher is almost a spiritual thing, those who handle it and handle it well are truly Saints. This women is a monster, a time-bomb waiting to explode…and she did and it blew up in a litlle angels face, all because she was playing with her braids. I’m curious, if she has children of her own, I wonder what disciplinary actions does she utilize at her home…wow, I bet that’s scary!!!
I was in disbelief about the story and thought maybe this is a hoax. This teacher need sto find a new occupation. How does a child playing with her beaded braids cause that much a disruption? This teacher obviously had a bad day and picked this child as her target. As a parent I would have hit the roof and immediately asked the principal to impose a suspension of some sort because she is obviously in the wrong line of work.
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I would anger management on that teachers face. then I would sue her ass for everything I could. I would demand that teacher looses her job and would not let this go if I were the mother. I hope the mother gets a good lawyer that works on commission and busts that “b” for all she has.
Every parent in the universe should be outraged and if they aren’t then SHAME on them. I just heard about this from a co-worker and still can’t believe it. I’m furious beyond words. My first instint is to kick this teachers ass all over the Milwaukee Public Schools district and anybody elses who defended her actions. This is some straight up bullshit. This is a child, a baby in mind and body. Not only has this teacher devistated and mentally scarred this child but she has also ASSAULTED her. It is a crime to do this without the person consent. If this was a child cutting the teachers hair the child would be held to the upmost strictiest of punishments and the parent would be hung out to dry. This teacher should not only lose her job, she should be prosecuted to the fullesit letter of the law, and lose her licence to work with any child ever again. I pray to God that the parents of this child do not sit still and do not accept the slap on the wrist this teacher is about to receive. If we as parents have the power to defend our children and do not then we have just given our permission for to any and everybody to neglect and abuse our childen.
What it is is assault. In some localities cutting someone’s hair without their consent is assault. I don’t know if that is the law in Milwaukee, but I would hope the mother would find out. She’s just a kid. Not a bad one, or a mean one, just a kid. There were other ways for that teacher to handle that. She should be fired and arrested.
Assaulting a Minor is Unacceptable & Inexcusable; if the school doesn’t let that teacher go, they are just as guilty as the assailant.
I WANT TO KNOW THE ETHNICITY OF THE TEACHER NUMERO UNO.
SECOND -WHAT DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED
THREE -HAS HER ASS BEEN WHIPPED
FOUR -WTH???
AM I HEARING AND SEEING THIS CORRECTLY. WHAT IS HER MENTAL STATE TO TAKE SOME DAMN SCISSORS TO A CHILD. THIS ASSAULT. SO, IF SHE WAS MAKING VOCAL NOISE, WOULD THE CHILD’S THROAT BEEN CUT???
WHATEVER HAPPEN TO SENDING A CHILD OUT OF THE CLASSROOM FOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT.
THIS IS IGNORANCE. THIS BABY HAS BEEN TRAUMATIZED FOR THE REMAINDER OF HER LIFE. FROM THAT ALL TYPES OF ISSUES CAN DEVELOP.
THIS IS MORE SERIOUS THAN THE NEWS HAS NOT MADE IT.
WHERE ARE ALL THE REPORTS ON THIS???
I’M FURIOUS!!!! WHERE AND WHEN IS THE PROTEST???
Great comments, but I am going to go there, is the teacher non black? I am only askng because there are many ppl who have had a bad experience with someone that does not have thier same skin color and grow up thinking that that “whole” race of ppl are bad. Like some ppl just hate police officers.
I am appalled, disgusted shocked and just plain old pissed that this woman would have the gall to put a pair of scissors to this beautiful young childs hair. I am a employee for a large school district in SLC, and being Black, it is by no means easy to dealing with people that do not know, understand or care about our culture. My first, last and present attititude is to wup this teachers ass and ask for forgiveness later. I have three beautiful girls in the SLC school system and have encountered some stupid antics from teachers and the principals that protect them. The comments that I read about taking back are schools is real and needed. I see it everyday. My daugthers 4th grade teacher (last year) was a prime example. Please keep me inform on the developments of this story as I live in another state.
The reality of all of all of this is is the teacher is inapropriate. She could have handeled the situation in a more mature mannor. She is supposed to “lead by example”. The example shown is if you get frustrated with a person you can violate thier space to release your tension.
She should be fired from the school or be demoted to an assistant and re-trained on how to deal with children who need attentio, MAKE NOISE or need to be disciplined.
And as far as those who feel the little girl was in the wrong….. you are entitled to your opinion… HOWEVER you must be living in your own world because NOISE is everywhere.
KIDS make NOISE……. Cutting a braid off is not going to keep them quiet. Go figure the girl made more noise by crying after being chastised!!!
Just imagine…ummmmmm…What would have happened if the child was a seven year old “white,blond girl with long pigtails and the teacher was BLACK ?????…..FIRE HER!!!!!!!!!!!!
thats a damn sam
Wow! As an educator or 17 years, a cardinal rule is, “Never put your hands on a child.” In our district any teacher who puts their hands on a student to administer punishment is immediately suspended with pay pending an investigation. Depending on whether or not the district/board considers the teacher’s actions abusive, the teacher could be fired and the incident would become a part of that teacher’s permanent record. I have seen teachers in our district fired for a lot less. While, I don’t agree with bad behavior in the classroom, there are hundreds classroom management techniques. I agree with Maji.