Mother Confronts Teacher After Daughter Bullied for Lisp During Read-Aloud

A mother confronted her daughter’s teacher after the child was left in tears when classmates mocked her lisp while reading aloud in class. The incident and the mother's account were shared on an online parenting forum, where it prompted a heated discussion about classroom routines, teacher responsibility and how schools should protect vulnerable pupils.

The child, the mother said, has a noticeable lisp and struggles with 'th' and 'f' sounds. Although her speech has improved with age, she can feel self-conscious around classmates. One day the mother collected her daughter from school to find her upset and crying; she says classmates had laughed when the girl read aloud and the teacher had only asked the class to be quiet without intervening further.

Worried about the emotional harm, the mother asked the school that her daughter not be called on to read aloud. She argued,

'Embarrassing her in front of 20 other children is not going to help her lisp, and I just don’t think you do that to a young child.'

The teacher declined the request, saying whole-class reading was part of the lesson and that managing the class was her role. The mother then told her daughter to refuse to read if it made her upset; the child did so. This prompted a tense conversation at the school gates, where the teacher expressed frustration that other pupils were now refusing to read and suggested that earlier intervention with the bullies might have prevented the situation.

Responses and wider debate

Online commenters were split. Many defended the parent, arguing the teacher should have protected the child and considered alternative ways to meet learning goals without singling out a vulnerable pupil. Others defended the teacher's need to maintain classroom routines and blamed parents or pupils for disrupting lessons.

Several contributors suggested practical alternatives that respect both learning objectives and a child's emotional safety: using small-group or paired reading, allowing silent reading, offering voluntary volunteer readers, or giving a child advance notice and support when they will be asked to read aloud. Commenters also stressed that stopping bullying promptly is a core responsibility of school staff.

What this raises for schools

This episode highlights two tensions in classroom practice: the pedagogical value of whole-class oral reading versus the duty to protect students from harm and humiliation, and the need for clear, consistent behaviour management so vulnerable children are not targeted. Open communication between parents and teachers, a willingness to adapt methods for individual needs, and prompt anti-bullying action are widely seen as essential responses.

The mother acknowledged she 'did lose [her] temper slightly' during the exchange. The teacher did not offer an apology in the mother's account. The story sparked debate about the best way to balance classroom teaching practices and the welfare of individual pupils.