AIBU Teacher plays "Boo the child"!!

[BubbleBath365]

Looking for some straight-talk please. Name change here, as post possibly outing.

My child is a 10-year-old in year 6.
Her class teacher has form for being rude and has a weird sense of humour. DD happens to be in the top class for maths, where they are pushed to work hard.

Today the teacher invented a game where at the end of the class, she picked on different children to call out answers to the maths questions set. If you had not completed a question (this may be either because you did not know how to do it or because you were slow), she told the whole class to boo the child, which they did with great gusto.
2 children got booed - DD and another child, who shrugged it off. DD is a gentle, mild-mannered and well-behaved child who really tries hard at maths, as she knows she needs to work at it. DD came home in tears, but did not cry in class (of this I am glad) - she was completely thrown as she had never been booed at.

Teacher is aware that DD lacks confidence in maths and has said so to us at the term-end meeting with parents - 3 weeks ago. Why would she pick on her to answer the question?
She has humiliated DD (and others) in class before (I am speaking of academic achievement - not bad behaviour) - so there is a pattern here.

I am furious. How can this be the right way to 'teach' a child? Is this a normal 'game' to play in class?
I plan to complain to the school - to me this looks like bullying.
I have spoken to the teacher on previous occasions, but she is very convinced her 'teaching methods' are fine.

Sorry about the long post - any advice appreciated.

YANBU - go and speak to the school. This is not the right way to teach a child.
YABU - shrug and let go

This really doesn't sound appropriate for classroom teaching at all, though I have seen similar methods employed in adult training (military). Peer pressure can be a motivator but you would need absolute power over the rest of the class and to know the child well. I'd say this is a dangerous line to walk from a professional point of view and a unacceptable method from a welfare point of view. This one incident could be viewed as victimisation. Its one step away from bullying and not on

There was a teacher like this back in the 90's, at my son's junior school,
She didn't last long, there were several complaints from parents,
I think she went back to New Zealand (of all places)

I would definitely follow through. This should go on the teacher’s record not be brushed under the carpet.

Totally unacceptable behaviour from the teacher. Wrong on every level.

Yes, the more I think about it, the more it sinks in - completely unacceptable, even though an apology was made. I was incredulous when DD narrated the story to me - I'd never heard of anything like it.
I will write a factual account of what happened and log it with the school.

It's unbelievable that a Teacher would think booing children who've got a sum wrong is ok....honestly it's shocking .

What this would do to a child's self esteem , you've done well to report it OP.

Well done for complaining and it's good you've received apologies but I would definitely formally complain too.

How odd that she says "the other kids were okay" - but evidently there's at least one upset child, despite appearances in the classroom (your DD was keeping it together in class, and burst at home time) how does she know the others were fine? Especially if the other parents didn't complain!!

Definitely push on with the complaint.

Her response sounds like something you would read on a thread here about an abusive partner. "It was a joke" "Oversensitive."

The teacher can have no idea how many other pupils are holding in their tears until they get home.
She may not realise that other children who are cheering are doing so to stay on the right side of the bully (her) and that jeering at somebody making an honest mistake is seen to be acceptable; a worrying lack of insight and emotional intelligence.
During my days in the classroom, I would sometimes have to address this pack mentality, and if the class is so inclined, I would preface asking for someone's contribution with, "Nobody is going to laugh, because we know you are trying to do a hard thing", with a meaningful look at others with "form" for negging.
Even a truly bonkers, thoughtless answer does not deserve this whipping up of mob mentality (however tempting it may be!) and it sounds as if the teacher is looking for the easy target to bolster her own image as "leader of the pack".
Not quite the same thing, but in my first teaching job, behaviour policy stipulated that "Praise should be public, and blame private."

I agree that you shouldn't let this go. I don't think the teacher has taken it seriously.

I was poor at maths and this would have totally demoralised me. I remember sitting in maths lessons hoping and praying I wouldn’t be picked out to give the answer. I was often wrong but none of my teachers humiliated me for it.
What this teacher is doing is bullying and getting the other pupils to join in.

Yup, it’s societal regression.
You do still see this style of “dunce’s cap” teaching sadly.