Although I don't agree with the forceful cut of hair by the teacher, but it seems that the mother has made a big fuss over nothing. During my school time, being dragged to the barber and get a crew cut was just too common and nobody made a fuss over it because, when you just ignored warnings, you would the respective cut. I remembered one of the year, all the guys in my guys, just decided to have botak hair cut eventually just to make it a trend and avoid people from laughing on those who kena botak hair cut!
Goh Meng Seng
When I was reading this case, there are two sides of the coin. First, the mother of the boy is overreacting & definitely spoiling the boy, who will have no sense of discipline, grow to believe that money & whatever power and connection he will get his way. There is no humility,
Second, I am sure that the school would have issued circular or notes to the parents with the attire they require for attending school examinations, especially important ones like PSLE, Min. of Ed, would have issued their directive to the school . The boy either have not given that to the parents or the mother/father could not be bothered to read the circular or notes. They just cannot be bothered.
The teacher, should have told the boy to inform his mother before cutting his hair or inform the principal so that, she cover her 'asses' from being burnt. We have to be careful with people's precious children these days, hairstyle cost $60.
You are right, when we are young the standard school hair cut was the 'botak look' or the 3 by 4 famously done by the Chinese barbers or the Hainanese barbers ( no offence to the Hainanese), I don't want my hair to be cut by the Chinese ones or the Hainanese. I chose to have my hair cut by the Indian or Malay barbers, who knows you are a student, will cut your hair a compromise between being modern & still keeping the school hair cut standard.
Being botak was common in my time, especially those studying in the Chinese medium schools especially so the 3 by 4 hairstyle.
If We ever get our hair cut by the school, whether the teacher , discipline master , worse the school principal; we won't dare go home, or we will get a trashing from our mother or father. Rarely, we have parents, during our time questioning the authority of the school. To get the school to call the parents to school, unless for school awards, one is really in deep shit!
Kids are spoil today & some parents ( not all) are making it very difficult for the school to educate & teach the children. In this case, the mother looks like she is not angry for ruining the hair cut of the boy ( after all the hair will grow back fast) but she HAD SPENT $60 AT REDS to cut the hair. The boy as one comment here, will be cutting his hair F.O.C. at Boy's Home first, then Changi Resort or Maybe Buangkok Lodge . F.O.C.
The teacher is at fault, the parents is at fault, and that idiotic Mrs. Bayi Principal is at fault too, for not standing on the side of the teacher. The principla is encouraging indiscipline...If were I was that teacher, I RESIGN!