A sentence, thrown out in the middle of class, can sometimes have more impact than we imagine. In Istres, in Bouche-du Rhône, a mathematics teacher is accused of having made serious remarks against a 14-year-old student. Words which stunned the family, caused a shock wave in the establishment and relaunched a sensitive debate: that of the responsibility of adults in the face of the psychological fragility of adolescents.
The facts: control and slippage
The events took place last Friday, January 16, at the Louis-Pasteur college in Istres. During a mathematics test, a schoolgirl struggles to answer certain questions. Questioned by her teacher in front of the class, she simply explains that she does not understand the exercise. The adult’s response, reported by the family, is astonishingly violent:
“You never understand anything anyway, you just have to throw yourself off a bridge.”
The young girl returns home upset and confides the episode to her father. Very quickly, indignation gives way to concern. A few days later, the teacher admitted the facts and apologized by telephone. An approach that the family considers largely insufficient given the seriousness of the remarks.
Post-management that raises questions
Beyond the words themselves, it is also the lack of immediate reaction that shocks the family. According to the father, no support was offered to his daughter after the incident. The teenager allegedly left the establishment alone, as if nothing had happened.
“Where would we be today if my daughter had left school not to go to lunch, but to end her life?”he asks, reminding us how dangerous a word of this type can be. A word that takes on added significance, especially since the facts took place 3 days after the suicide of Camélia, another harassed teenager.
Why these comments are particularly serious
For clinical psychologist Amélie Boukhobza, the seriousness of this episode is beyond doubt. “These words are not simply violent. They are serious because they are pronounced in a framework of authority”she explains.
During adolescence, the psyche is still under construction. Self-esteem is fragile, the feeling of shame can be intense, and the adult’s view is law, even when the adolescent tries to defend himself from it. A teacher’s word is never trivial. It structures, it leaves its mark, sometimes lastingly.
“Telling a child to “throw himself off a bridge” is not an unfortunate word that goes beyond thought. It is an attack on the protective framework that school is supposed to guarantee. A strong symbolic rupture”.
And the possible exhaustion of a teacher could not erase its power. Overcrowded classes, institutional pressure, psychological fatigue: “Exhaustion can reveal a loss of control. It never justifies a word that puts the psychological — and sometimes real — life of a child at stake”.
What impact on the adolescent?
Such a sentence can leave traces well beyond the moment it is uttered. Public humiliation, feeling of worthlessness, loss of confidence, school anxiety… In some more vulnerable adolescents, these words can fuel dark thoughts or a deep withdrawal into oneself.
“These are words that touch on erasure, rejection, death,” underlines Amélie Boukhobza.
And when they come from a referent adult, their impact is multiplied. Even if the child does not collapse at the time, the impact can manifest itself later, insidiously.
Reacting to a teacher’s insult: steps to consider
When a student is confronted with humiliating or particularly hurtful comments, it is essential to act methodically and without haste, even (and especially) if it is a teacher.
Welcoming and believing the child’s words
The first step is to listen to the child attentively. Collect your story without minimizing it, without putting it into perspective. Clearly reminding him that he is not responsible for what happened can already relieve some of the emotional weight.
“We especially don’t tell the child ‘she must not have thought it’. Because that amounts to validating that we can make serious comments, which go beyond thought, without consequence.”
But rather “What you were told is unacceptable. You have nothing to do with it. And you did well to talk about it“It is to re-establish internal security that has been undermined.
Engage in dialogue with the establishment
Secondly, parents can request an interview with the teacher concerned, ideally in the presence of the head of school. The objective is to recall the facts, to highlight their seriousness and to demand that respect be restored. This approach sometimes allows the situation to be resolved without immediate escalation.
Contact the competent authorities
If the comments are repeated or if they are so serious that they harm the mental health of the student (as here), more formal steps are necessary. Parents can file a report with the establishment, which is required to launch an internal investigation. The Academic Inspectorate or the rectorate can also be contacted in order to initiate an administrative procedure. This may lead to disciplinary sanctions if the facts are proven.
Consider legal recourse
Verbal violence is recognized by the penal code, particularly when it causes lasting psychological harm. With the help of a lawyer, legal action can be taken to recognize the fault of the teacher, and that of the institution if it has not taken its responsibilities, and to seek compensation.
Amélie Boukhobza reminds us “Protecting a child, remember, does not mean seeking confrontation at all costs. But this is to recall the framework. Say that there are limits. And that the words of adults, especially at school, involve immense responsibility.”