Maneki-neko

A male teacher from a public school in Hiroshima City is in trouble for the implementation of a bizarre, and disputably inappropriate, classroom rule involving making his students pose and have their picture taken in front of the entire class. 

Students who forgot to bring their school supplies from home were made to stand in front of the class and pose like maneki-neko, a “beckoning cat” statue usually seen in the entrance of businesses (pictured above). They were also made to say “Forgive me, meow!” and have their picture taken. The punishment was in effect from January to July of this year and pictures of the students were taken starting in May. 

The teacher continued his classroom punishment until the end of August, when the Board of Education received a call from a concerned parent whose daughter felt uncomfortable being made to look foolish in front of the class. The child was so distressed that she eventually stopped going to school in September. After an investigation, Hiroshima City Board of Education officials deemed the punishment “inappropriate leadership” and gave the teacher a verbal warning. In all, the images of 11 students remained on the teacher’s camera at the time of his warning, none of which have been released to the public. The teacher stood by his classroom rule and said the punishment was meant to discourage students from forgetting things at home.

There certainly are worse ways to be punished for not following the rules, but do you think a verbal warning was an appropriate punishment for the teacher’s actions? Is it too harsh or too lenient? Let us know your opinion and tell us about some of the punishments you’ve encountered during your school days. 

Source: Yomiuri Online via Jin115
Image: Wikipedia