The teacher, identified only by her family name Wang, slams the tables and points her fingers at the students. She asks in a shrill voice how they would feel if they were in her shoes.

“You bought flowers for teacher Yang but not for me … don’t you dare ask to take [your graduation] photos with me. This is really disgusting,” Wang says.

Wang spits on the student at least twice while repeating the words “totally disgusting”.

She then throws the flowers at the student before dashing out of the classroom in Shuocheng District No 6 Primary School in Shuozhou, a prefecture-level city in China’s northern Shanxi province.

The principal of the school later clarified that Yang was the form teacher of the class while Wang taught mathematics.

“Maybe Wang felt her contribution was not recognised,” local media quoted the principal as saying.

It added that the principal and three deputy principals had been removed from their posts and an administrative warning had been issued to the deputy director of the bureau.

The bureau promised to undertake what it called the “centralised rectification of teachers’ morality and professionalism” among schools in its locality.

The incident prompted an outcry among internet users, with many describing Wang’s conduct as an all-time low and saying flowers were a sign of appreciation and should not be expected.

“It is clear from her behaviour why no one wants to give her any flowers,” quips one user.

A GROWING PROBLEM

For several years now, parents of school-age children have been complaining about the informal, but increasingly widespread practice of giving gifts and even money to teachers, especially during festive occasions.

As Zhang Jinbo, whose eight-year-old son attends school in Beijing’s Xicheng district, puts it: “It will be awkward if I do not give anything when other parents do. I do not want the teacher to ignore, or, worse, give my child a hard time.”

To give or not to give? Chinese parents struggle with Teacher’s Day gift etiquette

Tianjin resident Liu Shiyi says she has been giving presents to her daughter’s teacher since the child was seven. Her daughter is now 14.

“Every semester we paid for milk, which the teacher said we should purchase even though we do not really need to, as well as other supplementary teaching materials which are more expensive than what can be purchased elsewhere,” Liu says.

“Even during the spring and autumn excursions we were willing to fork out the money so as to buy some sort of ‘reassurance’ for our child.”

Even though education authorities have banned the practice, it remains widespread, whether in the form of gifts or cash ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand yuan. In extreme cases, teachers even make requests, making sure they get a spread of goodies from different students.

Indeed, the practice is so ingrained that some commentators appeared to sympathise with Wang, asking why she was not given anything, even though most felt her subsequent behaviour could not be excused.

A quick check on Chinese search engine Baidu for popular gifts for teachers comes up with suggestions ranging from expensive pens, vacuum flasks and decorative ornaments to gifts, food hampers and even electronic back massagers.

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As one piece of online advice has it: “Please do not show up in schools with your hands full of fruits and gift hampers. Just order them online and then call or text the teachers to let them know so they can expect the deliveries.”

Drawing a distinction between the sort of gift-taking that is tantamount to bribery or due to social pressure and the type that expresses sincere appreciation will be difficult. And that is especially so in a society that has traditionally revered a profession that has since time immemorial imparted knowledge, good values and moral cultivation. ■