What do you think?

[saakura]

How many times had he been warned to cut his hair?

I find it quite funny to be honest.

Nothing a pair of clippers won't fix.

...and I bet he keeps it within regulations next time.

Actually... for all you idiots out there, the Education Mininster PhongthepThepkanjana abolished the rule about "strict hair limits". Furhermore, I have always cut his hair whenever his teacher has said so. However, this was without warning and done with clippers!!

Would you f***ing like it???

More information..... I have been living here for 13yrs and have been a single parent for the last 8yrs.

Sounds more like an ongoing problem between the school and OP with regards to interpretation of "strict hair limits"

[inutil]

Set up a meeting with the principal.

Explain your side calmly and rationally. Explain you understand the reasons behind the cut and will endeavor to pay more attention to the regulations in future.

But also insist that the cultural issues of dealing with a parent from outside Thailand be acknowledges, understood, and hopefully respected (in a calm, friendly way). You can then enjoy explaining the differences in culture to your hearts content).

Express that although you understand that this was a standard disciplinary action and that it was not outside the remit of School discipline in Thailand, you would prefer that an alternative method be found in the future. And if you want to offer some of those alternatives so that the principal does not feel youre trying to tie his hands (detentions, lines, letters home to be signed by the parent, even the love stick if you dont mind it...). Express that you understand that this does require a degree of special treatment, but that of course you are a special case since youre a farang parent at a Thai public school. This should simply mean that issues of discipline in the future should be handled exclusively by you whilst the principal should be in a position to feel that hes under no obligation to make those changes but will do so out of kindness and magnamity.

Voila, cultural misunderstanding straightened out and you get to call the shots in the future on your kids discipline inside and outside school. (id go with the letter home that needs your signature - that was always the worst one when i was a kid).

[lovinglifeinthailand]

Assault, bullying mental trauma. What pills are some of you taking?

Yes the director is out of order cutting his hair like that, should of been a nice neat crew cut, but the kid will be fine.

If that happened to me I would have a laugh about it with my friends, go home shave it neatly and go on as normal.

As the parent I would have a quiet word with the director and explain your not happy with how he cut your son's hair,

and if he feels it becomes to long in the future please call me and I would have him in the barbers that night. If the same situation

occurs again you will be forced to go above his head and lodge a formal complaint.

[iamariva1957]

Regardless of culture and the fact that this is Thai and we are the dreaded Farangs, this behavior on the part of the school is beyond acceptable. File a complaint with the school's director and stand your ground. Any lose of face is just too dam bad. No one would do that to my child and as a teacher myself I have never seen this done in all the 6 years I have been teaching in this country. What looks like hand prints on your son's head suggests that the cutter was adding his own statement with regards to foreigners. If he did that to a Thai there would be hell to pay from the parents. But as the boy was not Thai? Nope! I would not stand for that behavior! Aggression is of course not the answer here as the Thais just do not get that approach, but filing a complaint... that they do get. I would also file with the Ministry of Ed just for good measure. This is a terrible thing to do to a child, proper hair cut or not. This is not the Army (as another poster mentioned), the hair will grow back sure, but the stupidity of the act will linger on I fear. There has to be a time when we foreigners are treated as any Thai would be by another Thai. Enough of this basic racism. Well that is my take on it all. Hug your son and tell him that it will be okay in the end.

[96tehtarp]

I think the OP's son got himself a very bad haircut.

I also think that once the OP can be 100% certain that he can control himself he should then go and meet the teacher or whoever was responsible for that mess of a haircut. Have a friendly talk about it, get the schools side of the story. Win win for everybody.

For god's sake the OP shouldn't go while still angry. Chill first, then have some dialog and come to some kind of a workable agreement. The school will be glad to see him and appreciate the feedback. (Smiles and Wais all around in good measure, with plenty of krab, krab, and krab phoms thrown evenly all around.

[mgjackson69]

I see nothing wrong with the OP having a calm, rational discussion with the school administrator. Threats and bluster will go nowhere.

Regardless of whether nothing is done, or if the administrator is fired, the boy still has a bad haircut.

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[bkkgriz]

I think the school director made the right choice in not getting a job in a salon.

[omlagus]

Well, I reported the director to the local Area Ed. Authority which then set up a meeting with the director and Area Ed. Authority Director which was..., just as I imgagined "f***ing" pointless!!!

And just because you can tell I'm "positively peeved" & "mightfully miffed", doesn't mean that when I talk to these "c***s" that all guns are blazing!!

[wooloomooloo]

Oh well, omlagus, at least you tried and kept your cool.

Anyway, your son's hair looks kind of funky.

Edited December 3, 2013 by wooloomooloo

[Bangkok45]

Poorly educated thugs and control freaks rule in pretty much all Thai schools. They are more interested in this sort of thing than educating the children. The education system here is 50 years behind the rest of the world. How many education ministers have tried reforms and failed? That's why my children go to international school.

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Which international school does your kids go to. It must be an elite one as you are an upstanding tax contributing owner of vikingpowersystem.com?

[Neeranam]

Difficult situation. Firstly, I would remember the adage, "what you allow, you condone".

What will your son grow up thinking if you do nothing? WHat will he think if you beat up the director?

I know what I would have liked my father to do. All this bullshit about being a farang and the consequences - you are a human being and have rights. Go to the school with your son and tell the director if he ever lays a hand on your son again, you will do the same to him. Wait for an explanation and apology and if it doesn't come, tell him you are filing a police report and will sue him. Remind him there is no law for having short hair and corporal punishment is not allowed. Be calm and stick to your plan. Good luck.

[Keesters]

Just like to add some more thoughts on this as I've noticed a few kids around that have had the same thing done to them.

Let's assume the kids haircut did not meet regulations. What should be done? Should he be punished? Hard to say as he may not be in total control over the length of his hair relying upon his parent/guardian for money and transport to a barber. But let's say he should be punished.

How do you control obeyance of the rule? First let's consider other rule breaking at school. Fighting, bullying, failure to complete homework, disruption in class etc etc. How are these dealt with? Corporal punishment, canning, smack across the head or hand. No! All those are forbidden now and seen to be abusive. A telling off, a letter back home (that must be returned to school with parents signature), removal from class or activity, detention, suspension and finally expulsion are all appropriate disciplinary measures that can be used to punish a child at school. Other measures can be used at home. Grounding, no TV, no phone etc.

So why does not having a regulatory haircut differ in punishment from say not completing your homework. Quite simply it shouldn't.

The teacher who administered this outrageous attack on this child should be removed from teaching and face disciplinary proceedings himself. Just as would happen if a teacher gave a child a beating for bullying or fighting.

Edited January 15, 2014 by Keesters

[Loles]

This f@cking idiot director has lost his medicine, that's pretty sure.

How can this retard call himself a teacher if he humiliates a school boy?

Man, you are really cool guy, congratulation for your self-control, cause if it happens to me, well konwn myself, that's 100% sure I appear in evening news of TV programs.

I really can't imegine this.

[wym]

It is considered good and proper in (perhaps only certain circles of) Thai culture for a teacher to use punishments we would consider humiliating, including beatings, stripping in front of the class etc.

"Spare the rod spoil the child", s/he is supposed to FEAR the teacher - and the parents - in order to be raised to be a proper citizen.

Individual mental health and happiness isn't considered important compared to fitting into society's expections - surface conformity is the most important value here.

[stedyedy]

Rally with other parents to get him kicked out of teaching,as a message saying your the only one that determines what is done with your child.

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[Robininbkk]

First of all, let me say that I think this is unacceptable and over the line what the principal/teacher did to the poor kid. They say when in Rome do as the Romans do, right? Well, in that case, the teacher made my kid and me LOSE FACE. In accordance to Thai culture, I will have the teacher pay for the lost face and damge of mine and my son's dignity. I would demand the teacher to apologize to me and my son AND pay me ''compensation money'' in cash. With the warning that if he does not comply to my demands, measures will be taken, To contact national and international newspapers, Social media, ministry dep of education. His face would be damaged tenfold. As well as his financial gains will be decreased and any chance to obtain a teaching job anywhere in Thailand.

I believe this is the least confrontational and least aggresive way to handle this, as per Thai standards. This way, the Thai way, the teacher would understand clearly and knows how to act to provide a solution the OP's situation.

On another note,

I showed these pics to my Thai GF. I asked her what she would do if it was her son.

She said it is normal in Thailand that a teacher will cut the hair of the children if he deemed it too long according to the school regulations. I told her that teachers can't do that anymore because it's unlawful. She didn't believe me and asked me who told me lol. I said I have read it on a forum. She keeps insisting that what I have read on this forum is <deleted> and said that she is Thai and knows better than some farangs ranting on some forum...

Thank you OP, for this thread and pics, Now I know how my GF thinks and what she would do if we ever would have children. She wouldn't do a damn thing and just conform to the stupid brainwashed idea of not questioning teachers and doctors, because, they know best...

[wym]

Yes this is considered entirely normal and acceptable in mainstream Thai culture.

In fact most parents would say it's your fault for not being proactive in following the school's hair regulations.

Humiliations and even beatings are part and parcel of Thai education philosophy.

Any "laws" forbidding the same were probably lip service for the international community, like age of consent laws or making prostitution illegal, child support laws etc, totally meaningless in reality.

I hope you will be taking your kid out of that school if you pursue what you're talking about.

You might win the battle but it's your kid that will suffer, lose the war in such insidious subtle ways you won't have any recourse but they'll be scarred forever MUCH worse than getting a lousy haircut that'll be totally grown out in a few weeks.

Your making a big deal about it is causing more trauma to your child than the event itself.

You really should put your kid(s) into a true international school - if you can't afford nearly a million baht per child per year for that, then you really should either home school or take your family back to farangland where they can get a much better education - and grow up in a much better society - for free.

[Keesters]

Watched a great movie last night about abusive school headmaster. Based on actual events in Denmark 1969. Won't say to much in case I spoil the story.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0425235/

Drømmen (2006)

It's in Danish language but I saw it with English subtitles.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Keesters