During one’s schooling years, teachers are basically students’ ‘bonus’ parents as they spend almost as much time with them as their actual parents do.
As such, they play a vital role in making or breaking a child’s character and values.
One particular teacher in Malaysia, however, appears to have done the latter as they allegedly fat-shamed a student.
Source: TikTok
The student’s mother has since lodged a complaint with the school principal.
She also posted about the experience on TikTok, hoping that it can be a lesson to all teachers to not normalise body-shaming.
In a video shared last Friday (14 Apr), TikTok user @kasihgoldputrajaya alleged that her daughter had been the victim of fat-shaming by a schoolteacher.
@kasihgoldputrajaya say no to body shaming. stop bully your students. please teacher. lepas kejadian ni anak saya jd dh kurang minat ke sek jika Ada subjek cikgu tu. kes dh selesai sebenarnya. just nk share sbgai awareness body shaming kpd kanak2. mereka jgk Ada perasaan. mereka jgk nak dipuji. #stopbodyshaming ♬ Vaathi Coming (From “Master”) – Anirudh Ravichander & Gana Balachandar
She became alarmed when picking up her daughter from school as she had already noticed her crying from afar.
The moment the girl entered the car, the floodgates allegedly opened and she began sobbing.
Recounting what happened, the student claimed that the teacher not only fat-shamed her in front of her friends but also compared her to those who are “skinnier”.
Furthermore, the teacher reportedly said she would not be able to find a marriage partner if she stays “fat”.
While the mother did not explicitly show her daughter’s face, the latter could be heard sobbing pitifully as she related the story.
The OP went on to say that the matter has already been settled as she has lodged a complaint with the school’s principal.
In a video responding to a comment, she revealed that she and her daughter both cried so hard on the day it happened that even the principal was uncertain who among the two had actually been body-shamed.
She added that the teacher involved was asked to write a show cause letter. However, the OP ultimately decided to take the high road.
Source: TikTok
Via the caption, the OP claimed her child has lost interest in attending school on days when she has classes with the teacher.
Additionally, she wanted to share the video as a message to teachers to not body-shame and bully their students.
“(Children) have feelings too and they also want to be complimented,” she wrote.
As the video went viral, comments of support and empathy from viewers poured in quickly.
One of them expressed how sorry they were that the student had to go through this.
They shared that they too were the victim of body-shaming in school and called it the “worst time of (their) life”.
Source: TikTok
Another commenter echoed their sentiments, saying this sort of thing has been happening for a long time.
Back then, a religious teacher allegedly rejected their efforts to volunteer on the grounds that they weren’t “pretty”.
Source: TikTok
Meanwhile, a viewer remarked that some teachers don’t deserve to be one.
Source: TikTok
One commenter confessed that body-shaming has given them anxiety until now and stressed that it’s a serious matter.
As a matter of fact, the OP’s video alone caused her to tear up.
Source: TikTok
Another viewer said that while it’s fine for teachers to scold a kid over their studies and discipline, body-shaming is not okay as it could lower their confidence.
Source: TikTok
In response to this comment, the OP posted another video saying that this was one of the reasons she could not accept what happened.
“What does one’s physical form have to do with learning in school? I’m not sure if this is a primary school or a training school for models or flight attendants,” she wrote.
While people may have shrugged off body-shaming in the past, teachers — and society in general — should have evolved past that mentality by now.
The words of teachers have a considerable bearing on young people, and a lack of tact can scar them for the rest of their lives.
Here’s hoping the incident will create more awareness and be a valuable lesson to educators everywhere.
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Featured image adapted from TikTok and TikTok.
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