This is a first in France: a teacher appears, Monday, March 10 and Tuesday, March 11, before the criminal court for having harassed three of her students, including Evaëlle, who had ended her days at the end of the school year in 2019. When we talk about school harassment, we think of harassment between students first. But when the harasser is the teacher, it is an additional difficulty for parents, especially since teacher’s harassment on student represents less than 10% of cases. Testimony of Stéphanie, whose son Mathis was harassed by a professor of mathematics.
Several signs alerted Stéphanie. Whenever his son Mathis returned from a day when he had a math, he was not like the other days. The young boy so usually closed on himself. “” I see his behavior. I see his sadness in my gaze. More than once, he cried Remember the mother.
Another clue: the school level of the college student in 3ᵉ class collapsed, when he had always been a good student. And it was not due to a lack of work. By questioning her son, Stéphanie discovers that Mathis is harassed by his math teacher:
“” His teacher all the time humiliated, with words, behaviors. “You are not capable, it is not worth picking up, Mathis drops his hand ”, or he swung him pens on his head, or he put it in a corner at the bottom of the classroom… “
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Humiliating remarks made by the teacher
The teacher constantly lowered the young student, and always in front of the whole class. “” He made him understand by all forms of humiliation in front of the other students, saying “anyway, you are not able, you have to think about going for work”. My son was only 13 years old “Says Stéphanie.
How did Mathis felt it? “” It affected him a lot. It saddened him a lot. At times, he really thought he was abandoning. And follow the teacher’s advice She said. Mathis lost confidence in him, but he didn’t want his mother to intervene with the establishment: ” Mathis tried to dissuade me. He said to me ” Maman, don’t go, you will only get the problems ”. He was afraid of the reprisals of the teacher. Besides, he’s yes. »»
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“” I’m very lucky that my son told me about »»
And Stéphanie hesitated to intervene with the college where her son was educated, like many parents, as explained by Nora Tirane of the Marion La Main tendue association, which fights against school harassment:
“” There is the fear of parents, because they tell us, ” we need help ”, and at the same time, ” I am afraid that the institution turns against us, that the professor will be summoned or summon us as parents and there are reprisals vis-à-vis our child ” … It’s still a tabootoday in France. In fact, for them, it is the feeling of attacking the institution. »»
Nora Tirane warns: if a teacher harass a student, he shows the example. Stéphanie learns that a teacher is tried from this Monday, March 10 because she harassed an 11 -year -old girl. In June 2019, the young Evaëlle ended her life. A tragic death that challenges Mathis’ mom:
“” I understand these children who live in total misfortune. Suffering can be reacted to this level. That’s why I am very lucky that my son told me about it. Because it could also have also my son. »»
Solicited, Mathis did not wish to speak on the harassment he suffered. He changed schools and continues his studies in boarding school today.
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