A kindergarten principal in China was suspended after her attempt to establish boundaries for her teaching staff led to controversy.
The principal, identified by her surname Wang, required parents to pledge that they would behave civilly towards her educators.
Earlier this month, she gathered several parents at the kindergarten and had them take an oath promising not to be “bear parents,” according to the South China Morning Post.
The term “bear parents” is derived from the term “bear child,” a Chinese slang used to describe unruly or undisciplined children.
The pledge included commitments not to send messages asking teachers to hydrate their child or change their clothes and to “never get angry if my child sustains a small bruise from playing at school,” as quoted.
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Other promises included not threatening children with punishment at school for misbehavior at home or blaming the school if a child falls ill. The parents also vowed not to “scowl” at teachers and to communicate with them “positively,” as quoted.
“We must trust teachers, for they have looked after more children than us and are professionals,” the parents said during the pledge.
The pledge received significant backlash on social media, surprising Wang, who had not anticipated such a reaction.
“Our intention was to establish clear communication guidelines between parents and teachers so that parents wouldn’t disturb our teachers with unnecessary questions,” Wang was quoted as saying.
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Local authorities issued a statement criticizing the kindergarten’s pledge and suspended Wang from her position.
They also announced that an investigation would be conducted, calling the content of the pledge “inappropriate.”
