my biggest bullies were my primary school teachers

just a moment away from my typical he he ha ha content for something a little more serious.

i chanced upon the article of the 11 year old boy who ended his life because he got accused of stealing and everything else that followed. and it reminded me of myself at 11 years old.

for context, throughout my primary school years, I was in the same class as a girl with the same name as me, whose mother was a mother tongue teacher at the primary school I was in. I was also one of three HMT students in the school. I was very timid. very shy. very noob. this teacher hated me and made sure she did everything in her power to make sure her daughter did better than me at everything.

it started off smaller. like telling her kid not to tell me when HMT lessons are. because there were only three of us that year, all HMT lessons were after school. HMT teacher ganged up with the kid's mother and made sure I never knew when the classes were. eventually built a truancy case against me because I would go home and skip classes. I didn't know. I dont know how to attend classes i didn't know of.

one day, this teacher accused me of stealing her daughters notebook. I didn't. I never. this teacher called me out during morning assembly and started screaming at me for the indecent act I did not commit. I didn't know what else to do at that point other than cry. this happened the morning of our primary 5 adventure camp. came home from this camp and got scolded like mad by my parents for stealing. i kept saying i didn't do it, but it was two teachers against me. my parents made me ransack the house to look for the book that wasn't home.

plot twist! the kid called to tell me the notebook was in her mother's cupboard. the mother who screamed at me for stealing her kid's book during morning assembly.

nobody apologised. I was still a thief. i still played truant. everyone pretended nothing happened.

safe to say this is my core memory, which solidified my freeze response. took me until adulthood to realise two whole adults were bullying me because one of them was insecure about her own child. took me until adulthood to see how pathetic they were, attacking someone who couldn't defend herself. I still dont understand today how they find it in themselves to hate a literal child as full-grown adults and how they have it in them to plot against me. an 11 year old. because honestly, this will never cross my mind.

this was the earliest lesson in life for me, that adults, especially educators, cannot be trusted. the earliest lesson that no one is looking out for me. but also taught me that the truth will prevail.

it was an entire discipline case against me, but my parents eventually got to the truth, though I dont remember how we got to this point. but it was only through our conversation yesterday that they understood how bad the entire situation was. they thought it was just a lapse, and I was being a child, but adult me sees it differently. I cannot blame them for scolding me and not taking my side because who would've thought teachers, especially more than one, would lie about a kid? I dont see how they would take my side.

I stand tall today knowing I dont have to lie about how im doing in life - the teacher and her kid lied about how she did in O levels, poly, etc... to make her sound like she did better than me in life. but of course, the truth eventually came out because they were never consistent with their lies. silly.

I am proud to say that I still hold the grudge today. and im not gonna let it go. these teachers are still teachers today, unfortunately. but guess who is gonna be so critical of her kids' teachers? me.

i'm sorry to the 11 year old me, because I didn't know at that point how to stand up for myself. and how to find evidence against what they were accusing me of.

and I'm sorry to me, because it took me a whole decade (and more) to realise how screwed up the entire situation is. because its too late for me to do anything anyway.

edit: for the record im okay now. I have the confidence of a king. and if I didnt have morals I would definitely bully my bullies ke ke ke

2025/9/30 Edited to

Reflecting on my childhood experiences, I realized how damaging it can be when teachers—those we expect to protect and nurture us—become sources of bullying and exclusion. The feeling of helplessness watching adults unfairly judge and accuse a child is deeply painful. When these educators conspired to isolate me, like hiding class schedules or falsely accusing me of theft, it was not just a personal attack but a betrayal of the trust children place in them. One important takeaway I've gained since then is how to respond with emotional intelligence in highly charged situations. For those who face similar challenges, remaining calm, documenting incidents when possible, and seeking trusted allies can create a foundation to address bullying more effectively. It’s also crucial to understand that sometimes adults can misuse their power due to their own insecurities, as was evident in my story. Another aspect I’ve grown critical about is the long-term impact of such experiences on self-esteem and mental health. Bullying by authority figures can instill a deep freeze response and mistrust in relationships. Yet, with time, self-awareness and support from others can help rebuild confidence, as I’ve learned to stand tall today, holding onto the truth even when those who wronged me do not admit fault. For parents and educators reading this, I urge greater vigilance and empathy. Physical exclusion and public shaming can scar children more than we often realize. Teachers should be role models who protect all students, especially the vulnerable. Lastly, while I still carry a grudge, I’ve turned my experience into a motivation to be ever watchful over the treatment of children by their teachers. Today, I am proud to advocate for kindness, fairness, and accountability in schools, hoping no child faces what I endured.