Students aren’t only ones acting out: Canadian teachers make headlines for bad behaviour

[Several teachers in Alberta and Ontario have been reprimanded for professional misconduct in recent days. Shutterstock]

A Calgary teacher will pay $500 after being caught on tape threatening to “knock out” a student — the latest in a long list of educators who’ve been accused of unprofessional behaviour.

Ron Robichaud, who teaches high school, pleaded guilty to three counts of unprofessional conduct on account of failing to treat a student with dignity and respect.

The charges stem from a faceoff between the student and teacher, which took place at a school soccer game in April 2015. Robichaud, who has taught at Calgary Catholic schools since 2000, had asked a rowdy student who was watching the match to leave the benches. The student was insulting him, which led to the threats.

In the video, which was recorded by the student being confronted, Robichaud stands on a field while yelling at him.

“I’ll f—ing knock you out. I don’t know who you are. You’re threatening me,” Robichaud says and then stomps on the ground. The student tells him he’s recording in order to show a teacher threatening a student. Robichaud responds by telling the student he’ll see him in the principal’s office on Monday.

The incident was not reported to Calgary police.

“The teacher’s got to be the one who takes the higher ground,” Marvin Hackman told the Alberta Teachers’ Association’s professional conduct committee earlier this week. He added that Robichaud’s unprofessional behaviour was an isolated incident.

Robichaud told the committee he wanted to take full responsibility for his actions.

Another Canadian teacher made headlines this month, as a result of her professional misconduct. Dunnville, Ont., teacher Jennifer Elizabeth Green-Johnson recently faced two new sets of charges before her governing board.

She allegedly swore and used vulgarities towards her students, including telling one “Why don’t you lick me where I fart?”

In January, Green-Johnson was found guilty of professional misconduct by the Ontario College of Teachers and was given a one-month suspension, which she has served. She was also instructed to complete a course, at her own expense, relating to developing boundaries with students and appropriate classroom management.

That hearing stemmed from 2011 accusations brought to the Grand Erie District School Board, which included a slew of bizarre and vulgar quips, none of which Green-Johnson contested.

Some examples includes her telling a male student who was play wrestling, “So you like it from behind,” and using the words “stupid,” “idiots,” “bitching” and/or “ass” while teaching.

Last December, a B.C. teacher was suspended for five days without pay for showing students a parody video.

Cory Ray Steeves of Vancouver had played a video by The Lonely Islands, which contains vulgarities, to Grade 10 students while teaching a lesson on satire.

Unprofessionalism in the classroom is not a unique occurrence. School boards across the country regularly deal with disciplining staff. On the Ontario College of Teachers’ website, for example, disciplinary decisions against members who’ve faced allegations of professional misconduct are listed in detail.