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A Canterbury teacher accepted a charge of gross misconduct when she appeared in teacher disciplinary tribunal this week. (File photo)
A Canterbury teacher was censored by the teachers’ disciplinary tribunal after she grabbed the hand of a 6-year-old student and knocked him over.
The teacher appeared in court this week and accepted a charge of gross misconduct by using “unwarranted or unreasonable physical force” on a child.
The incident occurred in May 2019 when students were participating in an aerobic dance event in the school hall. A 6-year-old student was running after his friend and ignored the teacher’s request that he stop.
According to the summary of events, when the student ran past the teacher, the teacher grabbed him by the hand, which “made them pull his arms and shoulders and make him fall to the ground.
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“He fell heavily to the ground as a result of losing his balance due to the force of the pull, and she was still holding him,” the summary reads. The student started crying and the teacher tried to pick him up.
At the end of the dance session, the teacher spoke to the student about what happened. He knelt to be at eye level and wrapped his arms around her waist.
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The student resisted talking to her and began to cry. She continued to hug him and explained that he shouldn’t run during dance sessions and said she was sorry she hurt him. The student twisted to release himself from his grasp.
Another teacher saw that the student was uncomfortable and entered.
When the school principal spoke with the teacher about the incident, she recognized that she needed to work on her interactions with this particular student, as she sometimes found his behavior frustrating. She said her anxiety levels were elevated with all the children running around and making a lot of noise.
The principal contacted the student’s mother to inform her of the incident. She said her son hadn’t mentioned it to her.
The principal also presented a report to the teaching council.
According to the rules of the teaching council, an employer is required to report to the council any incident in which it has reason to believe that a teacher committed a serious violation of the code of professional responsibility. This includes the use of unwarranted or unreasonable physical force on a child.
The reports are first evaluated by the council’s triage committee, who decides whether further action should be taken. On average, about 80 people face a disciplinary court hearing each year.
The teacher told the court that she was “mortified” by what happened and that she felt “sick” knowing that she had hurt a child.
“I feel ashamed and ashamed of what happened… This behavior towards a child was not me. Now, looking back, I realize how bad I was and that I had exhausted all my reserves. “
Since then, she has received counseling and said that she now knew how to better manage her anxiety.
A spokesperson for the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa said the union cannot comment on specific disciplinary court cases.
The principal’s school principal did not respond to a request for comment.
The teacher continues to work at the school where the incident occurred. Your name, as well as the name of the school and its location, cannot be published.
She was formally censored and ordered to participate in a 12-month program to learn strategies for dealing with stress and anxiety. A progress report must be sent to the court after six months.
