The principal makes parents pledge not to be “bear parents”, meaning they should avoid being overprotective and must respect the teachers to allow them to do their job. - Photo: Yuncheng Hanlin Kindergarten
BEIJING: The head of a kindergarten in northern China was suspended after a viral video captured her organising parents to pledge to “not be bear parents” and to show respect for teachers.
The principal, identified only by her surname Wang, gathered dozens of parents on September 2 at Hanlin Kindergarten in Shanxi province, where they all placed their right hands on their hearts to take an oath, as reported by Yellow River News.
Among their vows were commitments to “never use WeChat to request that teachers hydrate or change clothes for my child” and “never get angry when my child sustains a small bruise from playing at school.”
Other promises included not threatening punishment at school for misbehaving at home, or blaming the school if their child gets sick.
“Whatever the circumstances, never scowl at teachers. Communicate with teachers positively. We must trust teachers, for they have looked after more children than us and are professionals,” the parents swore, adding: “Don’t be a bear parent.”
The term “bear parent” is borrowed from the common Chinese slang “bear child”, which describes naughty or undisciplined children.
The parents’ pledge, which quickly went viral across China, sparked a national discourse about parent-teacher relationships. The story has attracted 13 million views on Weibo.
“This kindergarten is extremely arrogant!” exclaimed one online observer on Douyin, reflecting the intense public reaction to the pledge. “Is the principal hoping that the kindergarten goes bankrupt? Look at what she is doing.”
Another commented: “Is the kindergarten crazy? Who gave the principal power to educate parents? This pledge is meaningless.”
However, many netizens showed understanding of the school’s position, emphasising the need to consider the teachers’ perspective. “Let’s imagine the teachers’ standpoint. They work hard, and we must understand them,” one commenter noted.
In light of the public scrutiny, Wang expressed her surprise at the controversy surrounding the pledge. She told the media that she had not anticipated such a strong reaction from the community.
“Our intention is to set up rules of communication between parents and teachers so that parents won’t ask unnecessary questions to disturb our teachers’ work,” she was quoted as saying.
For example, teachers will organise children to drink water nine times a day, so parents do not need to remind teachers.
The local education authority, in response to the controversy, issued a statement on September 4 that criticised the kindergarten and announced the suspension of its principal from her job.
“The pledge content is not appropriate. We are conducting an investigation,” stated a representative from the local education department.
News about kindergartens in China frequently makes headlines.
A kindergarten principal in southwestern Chongqing municipality was sacked last year for accepting a small gift worth only six yuan (US 85 cents) from her pupil to mark the annual Teachers’ Day.
She sued her former employer and won the case. The school was ordered to pay her compensation. - South China Morning Post
