A Prince George teacher has been handed a suspension and told to go on a course after a series of complaints were made against him.
Andrew Michael Dennis – who works for School District 57 – was disciplined by the BC Commissioner for Teacher Regulation in March, but his case was only made public this week.
Among the complaints against Dennis is that in 2018 he showed his Grade 6/7 class a film version of the children’s classic “The Hobbit,” which the Commissioner said is not age-appropriate.
He is also said to have shown the same class the movie “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which the Commissioner likewise said was unsuitable for the children.
“This film was not curriculum-related, nor is it age-appropriate as it deals with racism and rape, and contains repeated use of the word ‘n****r,’” the Commissioner said of the movie, which is based on a Harper Lee novel.
“In the BC curriculum, the book ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ is listed as a secondary school level resource for Grades 10 and higher.”
Dennis is also said to have shown children a YouTube short film titled “The Lottery” – alongside a reading of the story – during a class.
“‘The Lottery’ tells the story of a small American town that conducts an annual pagan ritual which includes sacrificing a community member by stoning to ensure a good harvest,” the disciplinary report explained.
“Members of the community would draw pieces of paper out of a box, and the person who drew a paper with a dot on it would be stoned to death.”
Shortly after reading the story and watching the film, Dennis is said to have taught the class PE.
The report explained: “Students proceeded to play a version of dodgeball in PE class based on the stoning scene in ‘The Lottery.’ Specifically, students drew pieces of paper out of a hat and the students who drew a piece with a dot on it had dodgeballs thrown at them.”
Dennis is also said to have told a fellow staff member at another school that two students who were wrestling were “just playing.”
That is despite the teacher being aware the school had a “no touch policy” for students.
In the disciplinary report, Dennis agreed that the complaints made against him as set out in the report are true.
He also agreed:
To a one-day suspension of his certificate of qualification (which was served on April 6, 2021);
That his behaviour constituted professional misconduct; and
To complete the “Creating a Positive Learning Environment” course at the Justice Institute of BC by Dec. 31, 2021 or otherwise face further suspensions.
The Commissioner concluded that Dennis “failed to establish a positive learning environment by using material that was not age-appropriate” and “failed to model appropriate behavior [sic] expected of an educator.”
The full report can be read here.
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