Friends of mine have their child in a local elementary school. Mom is caucasian dad is Taiwanese.
The teacher frequently (perhaps exclusively) refers to the child as wai guo ren in the class room, even though they’re a citizen who’s never left the island.
If they perform poorly in Mandarin instruction, it’s called out, while successes are ignored. When other kids in the class do poorly compared to them, the teacher asks why did they do worse than the wai guo ren?
The teacher, for whatever reason, is treating this child like shit. I’d like to know whether they parents have much recourse. One of them thinks there has to be, the other worries about retaliation that could carry forward into later years of school.
That sounds absolutely terrible. I recommend switching schools then go back after the student won’t have that teacher anymore. In my son’s school, homeroom teachers have the same class for two years.
I can’t think of any recourse that would end well for the child.
Everything you described happened to me as a biracial kid growing up in HK. This is normal behavior for old-fashioned Chinese teachers who are not accustomed to having a “foreign” student. The teacher is just culturally inept and doesn’t know any better.
Have your friends educated the teacher and politely asked them to stop? I don’t see why this needs to be escalated unless they are blatantly unwilling to stop.
Why wouldn’t the parents (especially the Taiwanese one, I guess) be able to complain to the teacher/school/headteacher? What retaliation could the teacher do? The teacher doing that has to be unacceptable.
They are nearly mid way through their second year with this teacher. We’ll meet up with them again tonight.
Mom is coming from the western perspective (that something can be done), dad may have had a similar experience to @HongKonger or share @marasan’s concern.
I’m looking for perspective, so their not left just hoping for the best.
The kid at least seems confident that the treatment is a load of horse shit, for which everyone is glad
My kid went through something similar. It ended. It’s no hill to die upon for the teacher. But, expected passive aggressive behavior towards your kid to maybe pick up. Suggest switching to a different class?
That would not escape mention in the P/T meeting.
Do you have a problem with mixed kids? Have you taught a mixed kid before? Why are you so impressed or unimpressed that my kid does well?
The only thing that happened with us is the teacher didn’t say stupid shit anymore.
And during english class, since his was better than hers, 5th grade, she let him read on his own and he totally just fucked off, he tells me. Got an A tho. lol
I never minded being a tough to deal with parent, especially after some kid was “Playing rocks” and hit my kid in the eye sending him to the ER.
This came up last week, but they’re (yay spelling) not wholly on the same page. They have a collection of screen shots of line messages from the teacher which critique the child’s appearance, even the scent of the laundry detergent used.
I’ll see them at a birthday party later today, so I’ll follow up further.
The teacher sounds off the wall. But, man, it reminds me of a post long ago. I can’t place it. Same kind of thing. Kid’s shampoo scent was distracting. Some idiotic thing.
Oh, do go on. This will not do!
have a great party. Tell them they aren’t alone, and they aren’t being ridiculous. Some Taiwanese teachers are simply bigoted morons.
This sounds very taiwanese. I’ve never been praised by a taiwanese for anything, but is criticized harshly for the smallest mistake. I don’t think the kid is being treated particularly harshly, it’s just how they treat everyone.
Yea anyone who don’t look Chinese is going to be called foreigner no matter what.
If you’ve already talked to the teacher and the problem continues, I would talk to their supervisor or the principal next. If the problem persists, keep escalating higher up, to superintendant, media, school board etc. Ask them to mediate between you and the teacher, collect evidence if problem isn’t resolved and escalate higher up.
Yup you meet with the principal of the school.
Sort that out. Where’s the school ?
I dealt with something similar many years ago. The father needs to deal with that now and the teacher not the kid needs to fear the consequences.
I’d say escalate to the highest level possible first. Everyone else will get the message fast.
Go to the local government office , election time is coming. One phone call even enquiring about that from a politician will stop that in it’s tracks. Write a n hand written recorded letter to the MOE. In English.
