B.C. teacher reprimanded for unusual attempts to discipline unruly student

A person wears a backpack in this stock image. (shutterstock.com)

A B.C. middle school teacher has been reprimanded and ordered to take remedial courses after a series of conflicts with an unruly Grade 8 student.

The incidents occurred during the 2023-24 school year, when Ming Chun Chen was teaching at a school in Mission, according to a consent resolution agreement Chen reached with the provincial commissioner for teacher regulation last month.

A redacted version of the agreement was published online Tuesday.

The document describes three incidents, all involving the same student, whose name and gender are withheld and who is referred to only as “Student A.”

In the first case, the student “did not comply with Chen’s repeated requests to return a book to its proper spot on a shelf.”

In response, Chen grabbed the handle of the student’s backpack, causing it to fall off their back.

“Chen engaged in a tug of war with Student A for the backpack, with Chen holding the handle and Student A holding the shoulder straps,” the document reads. “This continued for approximately 30 seconds until Chen let go of the backpack.”

On another occasion, Chen “perceived Student A as being disruptive during class,” according to the consent agreement.

She asked the student to leave, and when the student didn’t comply, she “picked up Student A’s backpack and tossed it approximately two feet into the hallway outside the classroom.”

Finally, when Student A asked to go to the washroom after arriving late for class, Chen declined to allow it.

“Student A said they would ‘pee’ themself if Chen did not let them go to the washroom,” the document reads. “Chen replied, ‘go ahead,’ referring to peeing themself.”

By signing the consent agreement, Chen acknowledged that the three incidents described constituted professional misconduct.

The school district issued her a letter of discipline over the incidents in June 2024, suspending her without pay for one day and directing her to complete “a classroom management workshop focused on positive behavior support.”

The office of the commissioner launched its own investigation in October 2024, which resulted in the consent resolution agreement.

In the document, Chen agreed to a reprimand for her misconduct and promised to complete the course “Creating a Positive Learning Environment” through the Justice Institute of B.C. by Sept. 5.

If she fails to complete the course or receive an extension by that date, the commissioner can suspend her teaching certificate.

In determining that a reprimand and remedial education were appropriate penalties for Chen’s misconduct, the commissioner considered that Chen had “failed to model the appropriate behavior expected of an educator” and “failed to treat students with respect,” according to the document.