Who said only students face "first day of school" blues? Teachers get them too.

But one teacher in China probably had it harder than others.

A video of a Hefei city middle school teacher slapping his entire class went viral.

[video width="960" height="540" mp4="https://static.mothership.sg/1/2017/09/chinese-slap-students.mp4"][/video]

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What were they guilty of?

But what did the students do to enrage the teacher who has been identified as Zhang?

The inability to write ancient poetry within a stipulated time, apparently.

The punishment was so harsh, it has affected his students physically and mentally.

Sun Suying, a grandmother of one of the students, said: "When I heard about it and asked her to open her mouth, I saw her teeth bleeding.

Another student mentioned that he was scared and ashamed to be slapped in front of the class that day.

Door-to-door apology

Needless to say, Zhang was suspended and given an administrative warning. The Department of Education of Anhui Province and the local education bureau has been sent to investigate the matter.

According to Zhang's former colleague, he regrets his impulsive actions and feels remorseful.

And it seems like his feelings are genuine as he even went to each students' house to apologise for his wrongdoing.

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Online Response

With the video going viral, many Chinese netizens shared a piece of their mind.

Some condemned his actions:

"He should know how to conduct himself before teaching others. What a hypocrite."

"When you beat a student's hands, that's punishment. But when you beat a student's face, that's an insult."

While others thought that he should be fired:

"Why is this teacher not fired yet? Such a person shouldn't be called a teacher. Please do not bring shame to such a noble profession."

One even defended Zhang's actions:

"If a teacher is stern towards you, you shouldn't feel bitter and instead feel grateful. If he feels responsible towards you, he will withstand all sorts of pressure and risks to persuade and teach you properly. The reason he is so firm and severe in his actions is that he hopes for you to become the best of yourself. This is the paradox of education, and this is the affection of the teacher. Only responsible teachers will care this much for his students!"

Well, that's certainly a curious way of showing responsibility. But what do we know?

Top photo: screenshot from Miaopai's video.