Teacher repeatedly slaps 5th grade student for calling his name, Chinese public opinion divided

A primary school boy in China was slapped in the face nine times for "disrespecting" his teacher, causing a fierce debate on social media - Photo: SCMP

According to the South China Morning Post on March 28, a primary school teacher in Shandong province, China was suspended after slapping a fifth-grade student nine times because the student called him by name, claiming that it was disrespectful behavior. The incident quickly caused controversy on Chinese social media.

The incident happened on March 14 when the student and his friends were resting on the playground during physical education class. When he saw his math teacher passing by, the boy called out his name.

This action immediately angered teacher Wu, who thought the boy was disrespectful. He immediately went to the group of students, found the boy and slapped him repeatedly in the face.

Although the boy bowed his head to apologize twice and another teacher tried to stop him, Mr. Wu did not stop. As a result, the boy was slapped a total of nine times, resulting in a swollen face, ringing in his ears, and a persistent headache.

The student's mother said her son was left traumatized by the incident and wondered what would make a grown man beat a child like that.

The family took the boy to the hospital, where doctors confirmed he had suffered head and facial injuries. They also reported the incident to the police and asked the school to fire the teacher.

"Who gave you the right to hit my child? If my child does something wrong, you can contact me. You have my phone number, right?", the student's mother questioned.

“I know,” Mr. Wu replied. “But I am 50 years old. The boy called my name loudly and teasingly. It was extremely disrespectful. So I slapped him. I thought he should learn to keep his mouth shut.”

The school later suspended teacher Wu and offered to compensate the student's family with 5,000 yuan (about $700), but they refused. The local education authority announced that it was investigating the incident and pledged to handle it strictly according to the law.

In Chinese culture, calling adults by their first names - especially teachers, superiors or people of higher status - is often considered disrespectful and impolite.

This explains why this teacher felt offended, even though his response was somewhat excessive and inappropriate.

The incident quickly attracted a lot of attention on Chinese social media, with mixed opinions. Many criticized the teacher's actions, saying that no parent could accept such violent behavior in an educational environment.

"Teachers can remind or educate students, but do not have the right to use violence," one person commented.

However, there are also some people who defend teachers, saying that students today are increasingly disrespectful to teachers.

"The child behaved so badly. In China, the tradition of respecting teachers and elders is always highly valued. Many people have forgotten this moral standard," another person commented.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/thay-giao-tat-toi-tap-hoc-sinh-lop-5-vi-bi-goi-thang-ten-du-luan-trung-quoc-chia-phe-20250328110555734.htm