A father has admitted his rage after a schoolteacher confiscated his daughter's book after stating that she 'reads too much' during her lunch break. The man instantly came to his daughter's defence and admittedly 'caused a stink' at his child's school over the issue.
While his 11-year-old daughter Cleo is 'very active and social' outside of school, he explained that she 'struggles to make friends' in the classroom. Taking to popular forum Reddit, the parent explained that school children 'don't play' with his daughter as they 'petty much ice her out'.
The dad added: "Her teacher says our daughter often plays alone at recess or reads. My wife and I were not very concerned and explained she's very social and active afterwards."
He went on: "Cleo is a huge reader. She's currently reading her way through my wife's collection of books from her childhood... She came home on Tuesday, very upset and worried her mom would be upset with her.
"I asked why and she said her teacher took her book away and won't give it back until tomorrow. When pressed for more information, she said she was reading at recess. Her teacher walked over, took the book and told her to go play. My daughter begged for her book back and the teacher refused."
After assuring his daughter that she wasn't in trouble, the concerned father took matters into her own hands.
He continued: "The next day, I brought Cleo to school early and walked her to class, no one but the teacher was there. I told the teacher to give me the book. She obliged and tried to defend herself. I told her to save it and she had no right.
"There is no rule that Cleo has to do physical activity at recess and we expressed no concern. The teacher said she was allowed to set boundaries for her class but I pointed out recess was free time. It's not like Cleo is reading during math. We went back and forth, and finally I said I'd be reaching out to the principal.
"The issue was resolved quickly. I don't know the particulars, except the principal told me that Cleo is allowed to read at recess and unless she is actively harming someone or reading during a non-designated time, she wouldn't have any more books confiscated. My wife and I were pleased. Cleo even more so.
The man went on: "My cousin is a teacher at this school, just a different grade. She says what I did is 'hot gossip' in the teacher's lounge and that I have been marked as 'one of those parents'. She says the teacher isn't paid enough and I should've just accepted the rule."
Seeking advice, the man questioned: "My wife and I feel justified, but we are wondering if I'm an a**hole?"
Since sharing his thread, the post has raked in over 2,400 comments to date - where people assured that the Reddit user wasn't being unreasonable.
One person assured: "Not the a**hole and how does a teacher's pay have to do with her overstepping her bounds?
"One would think if she wasn't paid enough that she'd actually want to relax at recess instead of harassing children," they added.
A second said: "Not the a**hole, and I'm a teacher. This definitely does not make you 'that parent' under any definition of the term."
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