"I Want a Bloody Apology"

A bizarre little article today courtesy of CNN. Apparently a Japanese teacher, upon catching a student sleeping in class, required the student to write an apology in his own blood.

He said the boy was taken to the staff room of the school in Fukuoka City, southern Japan, after being caught asleep during a lesson. The 40-year-old male teacher handed the boy a box-cutter and paper and told him to write an apology in blood. (click here for the full article).

Now the teacher subsequently apologized to both the student and his parents, and they seem to have forgiven him; as not only does he get to remain a teacher, but he will continue to teach the student in question.

Now I don't know about anyone else, but while I appreciate the idea of apologies and making amends for past mistakes, I'd have a very hard time letting the teacher simply resume teaching. At the very least I'd want to see him required to have a psychological evaluation, and attend some form of therapy or counseling to ensure he will not be a danger to students in the future.

Of course my initial visceral response, had it been my child, would be to draw a little of the teacher's blood myself, but that too would be counter productive too.

A person in authority subjecting a child to that kind of trauma is despicable. It sends all the wrong kind of messages about misbehaviour, and acceptable punishment.