Cover image via @haolz (Instagram)
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A Malaysian teacher has impressed netizens by handling an eraser theft dispute between two students like a fair judge and skilled detective
In a viral Instagram video posted earlier this month, the English teacher, who wishes to be known as Lau, demonstrated how he mediated a dispute involving two students, Jimmy and Antoo.
Jimmy had accused Antoo of stealing his eraser, which had a worn-out paper sleeve.
With neither student able to provide concrete evidence and both firmly standing by their claims, Lau turned to a strategy he said was inspired by a story from the Bible to uncover the truth.
"He's lying to you," Jimmy told Lau, while Antoo insisted that he had brought the eraser from home.
In rebuttal, Jimmy claimed that Antoo had taken the eraser from his desk.
Determined to uncover the truth, Lau proposed breaking the eraser in half — a tactic meant to reveal who truly cared about the item
Jimmy quickly stopped the teacher, saying he would be scolded and caned if the eraser was damaged.
Based on Jimmy's reaction, Lau concluded that the eraser belonged to him, explaining that Antoo showed little concern when the eraser was about to be broken.
Unable to deny it any longer, Antoo eventually admitted that he had taken Jimmy's eraser despite already owning a black eraser of his own.
The video ended with Lau advising the student not to lie.
Speaking to SAYS, Lau said the method he used was inspired by 1 Kings 3:16-28 in the Bible
The passage, known as the Judgement of Solomon, tells the story of King Solomon resolving a dispute between two women who both claimed a baby was theirs.
In the story, Solomon proposes cutting the child in half, allowing him to identify the true mother: the woman willing to give up the baby to save the child's life.
Drawing inspiration from that story, Lau applied a similar approach to uncover the truth behind the students' dispute.
The teacher, who has been teaching for the past six years, occasionally posts clips of funny or memorable interactions he encounters at school
To protect the identities of the children involved, Lau said both Jimmy and Antoo are lower primary students between Year 1 and Year 3.
He also said the incident serves as a reminder that educating children is not easy.
According to Lau, parents and teachers should try communicating with children first instead of immediately resorting to scolding.
"Sometimes, shouting at them first may cause them to close their hearts and become less willing to listen and admit a mistake.
"If we try to understand their background and reasons before teaching them, it may be more effective," he shared.
At the time of writing, Lau's video has garnered nearly one million views on Instagram
Many netizens were impressed by how he handled the dispute, with some even jokingly asking whether he had ever considered becoming a detective.
Others said they had learned a new trick for uncovering the truth after watching the video.
You can watch the video here:
