I was Slut-Shamed by My Science Teacher in School
Author: Shuma Banik
TW: Slut-Shaming
I grew up in Karimganj, a small town in Assam. I went to a low cost English Medium school. Our school followed a hybrid model — a mix of both public and private methods of schooling, which was run with funding from a few big shots of the town. It was till 10th standard with decent classrooms and a mid sized playground. We had clear instructions to “speak in English” and the memory of my class teacher asking each and every student to stand up and say if their parents can speak in english and what their professions are is pretty clear.
It was 2008 when I was in 9th standard. I was then fond of quizzing. Hitting the buzzer was a fun game for me. I participated in a district level quiz competition and I got a chance to participate at the state level. Two other male classmates from my school also participated in the inter district competition but they didn’t qualify. Those two used to be our science teacher’s favourite students. They were the ones he used to look upto to solve physics problems or quote the right equation in chemistry classes. They had their registers checked first in the class. So our science teacher was heart broken.
Next day, I went to school with so much enthusiasm because I had won a cup for the school, which used to be a big deal back then. I was praised by my teachers and our headmistress during assembly. My classmates were happy. That day, these two boys and their “gang” sat in the last benches.
As soon as my Science teacher entered the class, I could see that he was extremely pissed and angry. He called my classmates who participated in the competition. After he was done with the attendance and chit chatting with the boys, he called my name and asked me to stand up.
He said, “ Now that you are going interstate with so many other boys from different districts who are strangers, you must be comfortable going to anyone’s house at night also.” It’s been 12 years and I am still trying to decode why he said that to me. I have never spoken about this incident to anyone, I remember going to bed crying for months. The worst is he never apologized and I never had the courage to confront him.
I am sure that this is one of the many cases of slut shaming that happens in schools and colleges. Boys from a very early age must learn from such teachers and also normalise it because that becomes a way of life for them. I remember one of the two boys, in later years, had developed this as a regular habit.
About the Author: Shuma Banik
Shuma likes to describe herself as “ Onion.” She currently works at Tata Trusts and loves experimenting with paints and brushes. Her recently developed hobbies are to cook, to love and to cook for the people she loves.
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