SHANGHAI (SCMP): A vocational school in northern China has suspended a teacher after her online chat messages, revealing an affair with a male student, were inadvertently projected on a screen in front of the class.
The teacher, surnamed Zhang, is married and has a daughter. She works at a vocational school in Qinyuan county, Shanxi province, as reported by Dawan News.
Earlier this month, her chat history on the social media app WeChat with a teenage student was accidentally displayed to the class.
In the chat, the student, aged between 15 and 18, asked: “Honey, why are you crying?”
Zhang responded: “I helped my child wash her feet and asked her to wash mine too, but she refused. I then asked her father to wash my feet, and he also said no and walked away.
“I was irritated. I told him, ‘The child treats me the way you treat me.’ I am so sad! What kind of man have I married?” said Zhang.
The student, whose identity remains undisclosed, comforted her by saying: “Don’t ask him to do anything for you.”
“Even though you are married, I don’t want to hear that you let him do anything for you. Because I will be jealous,” he continued.
“Most of the time, I don’t express this feeling since I don’t have the bargaining power,” the student confessed.
“I will wash your feet next time when we live together. I will always love you,” he added.
It is believed that their conversation was revealed to the class because Zhang used a computer connected to the class projector without logging off her WeChat account.
The duration of their romantic relationship remains unclear.
The school stated that it is taking the incident very seriously and has initiated an investigation.
Zhang has been suspended from her teaching position, according to a school statement released on Nov 22.
The news quickly trended on mainland social media, drawing numerous comments.
“I wonder how the student’s parents feel after discovering their child is dating a married teacher,” one netizen remarked.
Another commented: “This reflects the declining moral standards of society.”
Incidents of teacher misconduct often capture the attention of mainland social media.
For example, a 50-year-old teacher at a secondary school in eastern Anhui province was investigated in July for harassing a female student by sending her messages like: “You will remain the eternal love of my life, and I will love you until I disappear from this world.” - South China Morning Post
