A fifth-grade boy has been punished for calling his teacher 'ma'am' after she asked him not to use the term of respect.

Student Tamarion Wilson, 10, was made to write out the word 'ma'am' repeatedly during class on Tuesday at North East Carolina Preparatory School in Tarboro, North Carolina.

His mother Teretha Wilson was shocked when he returned home from the public charter school with the sheet of paper, for her to sign in order to complete the punishment.

'I asked him what happened. He said he got in trouble for saying "yes ma'am",' the mother told ABC 11.

Tamarion Wilson, 10, was told to write out the word 'ma'am' on a sheet of paper after calling his teacher by the term when she asked him not to. He had recently been hospitalized (right) with a seizure disorder that included memory issues

Tamarion had to write 'ma'am' four times per line filling the sheet front and back, and then have it signed by a parent. An outraged family member shared the above photo on Facebook

The teacher had apparently warned the class not to call her 'ma'am', although the reason for the prohibition is not entirely clear.

While the term of respect is sometimes reserved for married women, or those presumed old enough to have children, in many parts of the South it is used for women of all ages.

Tamarion was hospitalized last month for a seizure illness that included hallucinations and memory loss, although the teacher was not aware of his condition, Wilson said.

When the boy called the teacher 'ma'am' after she had prohibited it, the teacher said that if she had something to throw, she would have thrown it at the boy, according to Wilson.

Parents Teretha Wilson and McArthur Bryant (together above) said that they had raised their children to address their elders as 'sir' and 'ma'am'

The teacher, who has several years of experience, admitted in a parent conference to saying she would like to throw something, but said it was a joke, Wilson said.

Wilson and Tamarion's father, McArthur Bryant, said that they had raised their children to address their elders as 'sir' and 'ma'am'.

'As a father, to feel kind of responsible for that...knowing that I have been raising him and doing the best that I can, it's not acceptable,' Bryant told the ABC affiliate.

North East Carolina Preparatory School (above) is a public charter school with grades kindergarten through 12

Wilson met with the teacher and the principal on Wednesday, and requested that Tamarion be placed in a different classroom.

The principal granted the request, Wilson said.

The school released a brief statement, saying: 'This is a personnel matter which has been handled appropriately by the K-7 principal.'

North East Carolina Preparatory School is a public charter school with grades kindergarten through 12. Enrollment was 960 at the beginning of the school year.