Loshon hora initiated by children and accepted as fact by their believing parents is often a cause of major injustice. It happens all too often that one or two key students in a class arbitrarily take a disliking to their teacher and stories are exaggerated and circulated. Well-meaning parents accept their children’s accounts of the going-on at school and before long the teacher finds himself struggling to defend his position.
As every adult knows, student dissatisfaction is not necessarily an indication of a teacher’s inadequacy as an educator. The students’ version of a situation must be considered but not accepted as fact. A thorough and discreet investigation – one which does not cause the teacher embarrassment – must be conducted before a teacher is declared at fault.
A teacher too, must avoid believing accusations directed by students against one another. Here, too, an investigation is called for, and unless the facts can be established, no action should be taken.
