CHAPTER 89

2025-09-25

To be a teacher is to be a role model — sincerity and care are essential.

In the province of British Columbia, Canada (commonly called B.C.), elementary schools offer a one-year kindergarten program fully funded by the government. Parents may choose whether their children start school in kindergarten or wait until Grade One.

In 1997, when my younger son was five years old, he entered the local elementary school kindergarten that fall, just a ten-minute walk from home. His elder brother, Lun, had just graduated from that same school and moved on to a more distant middle school (Grades 6 to 8).

After two years in day care, my younger son was already accustomed to school life in a group setting. His first year in kindergarten passed safely and happily. Since Lun had attended the same school, the teachers knew that the two boys were brothers.

On the first day of school, classes lasted only one hour. The purpose was to assign students to their classes, meet their new classmates and teachers, and. I accompanied my younger son to attend G.1 and see which class he would join and who his teacher would be.

Standing outside the classroom door, I looked in. The teacher happened to be the same one who had taught Lun in the lower grades. I then scanned the faces of the G.1 students carefully, only to realize — not a single familiar face was there. After double-checking, I confirmed with shock and anger that none of his former classmates from kindergarten had been placed in the same class.

In this brand-new environment, every other child had old classmates to lean on, forming small circles of familiarity, while my younger son stood alone, forced to start over as if he were entirely new. Worse still, he was naturally shy and reserved — socializing was his greatest weakness.

This teacher’s arrangement was unprofessional.

1. As a kindergarten teacher who had observed these children for a full year, she completely ignored their social needs.

2. She gave no consideration to individual situations. With an autistic elder brother and being a shy younger one, my son especially needed opportunities for social interaction and practice.

3. By placing a timid child into an entirely unfamiliar social environment, she was essentially pushing him deeper into difficulty.

I immediately sought out this irresponsible teacher and told her that my younger son had been placed in a Grade One class with no former classmates at all. She looked startled and had no words in response.

An hour later, I brought my son home and told my wife about the absurd situation. She too was furious. This teacher clearly favored obedient, talkative students and had never truly paid attention to our younger son throughout the year.

That evening, I wrote a letter of complaint. The next morning, after sending my son to school, I first shared my concerns with the new homeroom teacher and informed her that I would be filing a complaint directly with the principal.

Since she had once taught Lun, she understood my concerns. She suggested observing my son’s adjustment over the next few days before making a decision. I thanked her, but I still went directly to the principal, who promised to deal with the matter promptly.

The following day, we accepted the principal’s arrangement: if my son could not adjust, he would be transferred into a class with his former classmates. After a week, to our relief, he adapted well, and we decided to let him stay.

Two weeks later, we wrote to the principal again, reporting that everything was going smoothly and expressing our gratitude to the teacher for her care. Pleased by the acknowledgement, the teacher was in good spirits. During her Christmas holiday trip, she even sent our family a postcard wishing us a Merry Christmas. In the end, all turned out well.