Disruptive students can be difficult for teachers and other students in the class to deal with, but some people feel that one student took it too far when she called a disruptive student out for her behavior. In a Reddit post, one parent wrote about how her daughter Ava, 14, is generally a good, quiet student.
She has a classmate, Mia, who can be disruptive. The parent described Mia as a "class clown" who "dances and sings during class for no reason." One day, Ava couldn't take it anymore and told Mia to shut up. She also added that "no one likes" Mia and "she is the reason no one enjoys school." Harsh.
Mia ended up crying, and both girls were sent to the principal's office.
The principal wanted Ava to apologize to Mia.
The mom was called to the school when her daughter was sent to the principal's office. The principal asked Ava to apologize, but Ava's mom didn't think it was necessary. Ava's mom told the principal that Ava was not going to apologize and that they were going to leave.
Mia's mom also demanded an apology.
Mia's mom was not happy that Ava's mom refused to apologize on Ava's behalf. She asked them to apologize, but Ava's mom "told her that her kid is a brat and she should learn how to behave in class." Mia's mom thinks Ava's mom is a "jerk" and Ava isn't sure if she should apologize or not. Ava's mom asked Reddit users to weigh in.
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Some Redditors really don't sympathize with class clowns.
Some Redditors understand why Ava reacted the way she did, and don't think Ava or her mom are in the wrong. One Redditor pointed out that Ava was trying to learn and when a student is super disruptive, it can take away from instructional time in class and also create more homework for everyone in the class. The Redditor said they would be mad too.
"No one wants extra homework because some clown can't behave and valuable teaching time is [taken] up with disciplinary issue," the Redditor wrote. "[Your] daughter doesn't need to apologize."
A former teacher chimed in and said sometimes speaking up is necessary.
One former teacher also doesn't think that Ava did anything wrong. In fact, the commenter thinks that Ava's speaking up might've actually been a positive thing.
"If this student is constantly derailing class and preventing other students from learning, she should be called out," the former teacher wrote. "Teachers really can’t do anything in this day and age. Peer pressure/public call outs can work – especially if it’s the other students saying 'hey this isn’t okay.'"
Others think Ava took it too far.
While many Redditors commented that they could understand why Mia's behavior would be frustrating for other students, including Ava, one Redditor called Ava's words "over the top, cruel and vindictive."
Others agreed that what Ava said was really mean and took it too far.
"Telling a 14-year-old 'nobody likes you' in front of a whole class: how can anyone be okay with that?" one Redditor commented.
To some, it seems like Ava's mom really missed out on a teachable moment.
Agreeing that Ava's behavior was not OK, regardless of how annoying or disruptive Mia was during class, some Redditors added that Ava's mom should've used the moment as an opportunity to teach her 14-year-old some valuable lessons about communication and bullying.
"Maybe you should teach your kid to address a problem with someone directly instead of waiting until they snap and curse out another student and say cruel things to them in front of the entire class," one Redditor wrote.
Another agreed that the mom was at least partially to blame in this situation.
"Your daughter didn't just snap at this kid, she was cruel to her," the Redditor wrote. "She could have stopped with the stfu, instead she went on to meanly bully her. You had a golden opportunity to teach your kid not to bully other children, and you blew it."
It's possible that Ava's mom thinks her kid can do no wrong.
A few Redditors noticed that Ava's mom's reaction is a sign that she thinks her daughter is perfect.
"You're not entirely wrong in this scenario imo, but in general you sound like one of those parents who thinks their kid is an innocent angel who can do no wrong," one Redditor pointed out to the mom, adding that Ava wouldn't tell another kid to shut up if she were truly "perfect."
Another agreed, saying that Ava might be a well-behaved kid most of the time, but that doesn't mean she's perfect — so she should still be held accountable when she does something wrong.
"Your child can be a good kid but it doesn't mean they're perfect and won't be jerks at some point- the fact your child cursed out another kid and isn't being held accountable is not a good lesson to learn," the Redditor wrote.
People are pretty divided when it comes to whether Ava should apologize.
Some think Mia needs to learn a lesson and others think Ava does, too. Because Mia doesn't seem to think about how her behavior might impact others in the class, some Redditors said they don't think Ava needs to apologize. Others strongly disagree, especially because of the language Ava used.
"It’s not appropriate to speak to others like that nor is it a productive way to achieve any type of end goal or solution," one Redditor responded. "Your daughter used violent language and you gave her the green light, would you be ok if another child said those things to your kid?"
Everyone involved did something wrong, according to many.
It's not that Mia was wrong or Ava was wrong — they were both wrong, many Redditors decided. These Redditors had issues with everyone involved in the situation — the two kids, the parents, the teacher, the principal.
"No one in this story comes out looking good," one Redditor commented, adding that Ava should apologize to Mia for telling her that no one likes her.
These stories are based on posts found on Reddit. Reddit is a user-generated social news aggregation, web content rating, and discussion website where registered members submit content to the site and can up- or down-vote the content. The accuracy and authenticity of each story cannot be confirmed by our staff.
