An Australian high school teacher has come under scrutiny after identifying herself as a cat during classroom sessions, prompting the parents to lodge their protest. According to a report in the New York Post, the teacher at Marsden State High School in Logan City, Queensland, allegedly hissed at students, licked the back of her hand and insisted that the students address her as “Miss Purr”.
Images on social media showed the teacher wearing a cat ears headband and a lanyard with the word “purr” on it.
“She forces the children to call her Miss Purr and cat screeches and growls when they don’t listen,” one relative was quoted as saying by the outlet.
“She sits in class and licks her hands. It’s absolutely disgusting. Something needs to be done about this.”
In a Facebook post, a student’s mother alleged that the teacher “made” her daughter “purr for a lolly [lollypop]”.
“It’s more frustrating that the mainstream schooling, and education system we are sending our kids to every day has teachers doing things like this,” another parent said.
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Internet reacts
Social media users were amused by the antics of the teacher. While some expressed concerns about the quality of education being imparted to the students, others poked fun at the situation.
“You can’t make this stuff up,” said one user while another added: “That sounds wild. If true, it’s definitely raising questions about professionalism in the classroom.”
A third commented: “If I was a parent of a kid in this creature’s class, I’d say my kid is allergic and demand appropriate measures be implemented to protect my kid.”
After the controversy snowballed, a Department of Education spokesperson told news.com.au that Marsden State High School was “aware of parents’ concerns and that the principal had addressed the issue directly with the teacher”.
“Teachers are held to the highest standards of professionalism and ethics. This behaviour is not acceptable in Queensland state schools,” the statement added.