Teachers are often expected to be patient, even on their toughest days. But one teacher’s account raises a difficult question: how much should they be expected to tolerate?
A female teacher shared her disappointment after allegedly being spat at by a student at school, saying the incident left her stunned and struggling to process what had happened.
Thought it was a routine discipline issue
According to the teacher, she had been speaking with the student about what she initially thought was an ordinary disciplinary matter.
However, while she was trying to discuss things calmly, the student allegedly spat at her without warning.
She said she immediately fell silent.
“When the student spat at me, I went quiet. Honestly, it felt like my brain stopped for a moment,” she said.
Looking at the student, she could only ask herself whether what had just happened was real.
Held back despite feeling angry and humiliated
The teacher said she felt a mix of anger, embarrassment, disappointment and hurt.
Despite those emotions, she tried to remain composed, knowing that reacting in anger could make the situation worse.
“So I held it all in, even though deep down, it was really difficult to accept,” she said.
The experience also made her question where the line should be drawn when teachers are expected to remain patient with students.
To her, spitting at someone was far more serious than ordinary misbehaviour or a joke taken too far. It was humiliating.
She questioned what students would learn if behaviour like this went unaddressed.
‘Respect needs to go both ways’
The teacher explained that her feelings were not about ego. She simply wanted her dignity and feelings as a person to be respected.
While she did not want to retaliate in anger, she also did not want such behaviour to become normalised.
She said students needed to understand boundaries and recognise that their actions have consequences.
The incident had taught her that being patient should not mean accepting humiliation.
I still want to educate and understand, but I believe respect needs to go both ways.”
She ended with a question about the example being set for children:
If teachers themselves aren’t respected, how are we supposed to teach children to respect others?”
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