‘Is it a crime to be celebrity’ — Mercy Johnson fumes as teacher ‘bullies’ daughter

Mercy Johnson, the Nollywood actress, has flared up after a school teacher allegedly bullied her daughter for two weeks.

The 37-year-old mother of four took to her Instagram page to reveal that Purity, her 8-year-old daughter, is now “afraid of going to school” due to the alleged intimidation by the teacher.

The actress wondered if it’s a crime to be a celebrity. She also cautioned those who don’t like her to stop transferring their aggression to her kids.

“Since when is it a crime to be Mercy Johnson’s daughter? Before I consider myself a public figure, I’m first a wife and mother to my four kids. That is my priority in life,” the actress wrote.

“Nobody can make my child feel less than who she is because her mother is a public figure. You can say anything about me, dislike or even hate me. I will not respond but do not attack my kids, that did nothing to you.

“They cannot defend themselves. The one thing I teach my kids is discipline and respect. I insist on politeness and kindness from them. But I also teach them to speak out especially to me when they are badly treated.

“I do not honestly care if someone does not like me, I do not expect everyone to. But taking your hate out on my child is unacceptable.  A teacher at my child’s school has been bullying my daughter constantly for two weeks.”

Mercy also claimed that the teacher constantly chided Purity while telling her that “celebrity children badly behave”.

“She’s not her class teacher yet. She shows up at her class, every day to intimidate her. She uses her biro to flick her hair. She tells her to her face that she does not like her mother; tells her that celebrity kids badly behave,” she added.

“[She told her] she shouldn’t bring her ‘aura’, she should stop feeling proud, she should not bring her online drama to school. An  8-year-old! Purity that used to love school is now terrified of her new school.

“Purity will greet her; she would not respond. Purity would report this to me every day. I thought she might be worrying too much. Purity was one of the best behaved at her former school, Greensprings. Anyone can confirm.

“We had to change schools because of distance. But, because of this teacher, my daughter is afraid to go to school every day. The last straw was yesterday when I came to pick my daughter at school. I see my daughter crying.

“She was explaining that she was shoved by her classmates, and she pushed right back. This teacher proceeds to discipline her and her only. Since I was around, I took the opportunity to meet this teacher politely and could see.

“She has been waiting to tell me how much he hates me. You know what? Instead of explaining, she told me to my face, that she does not care and that she will punish her. Anytime she likes. Can you imagine that?

According to the actress, another teacher had accosted her to tell her about the said teacher’s contempt.

“I reported this incident to the deputy headteacher as the headteacher was absent. They promised me they would handle the situation, urgently. I am waiting for the outcome of this,” Mercy added.

“As parents, it is the most fearful thing to learn that your child is so unhappy and worried that, in school, because she is being bullied and been made to feel worthless. The constant culprit here is not the pupil but the teacher.

“Are you trying to drive the child to depression? I’ll not stand by and allow my 8-year-old child to be victimized.”