SURREY — A Surrey substitute teacher has been reprimanded after two "chaotic" teaching incidents left children in tears between 2013 and 2014.
According to a resolution agreement released by the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation, teacher on call (TOC) David Lee Burns admitted to professional misconduct stemming from two incidents.
The first took place on Nov. 28, 2013 when Burns was brought in to teach a kindergarten class at Panorama Park Elementary, where he admitted he failed to follow the lesson plan provided. Burns also failed to maintain order in the classroom, "to the point that it became so chaotic that more than one student was in tears." At the end of that school day, Burns took the children onto the playground for the last period and did not bring them back to the classroom for dismissal. Instead, parents were left having to find their children on the playground.
The second incident cited against Burns took place on Jan. 21, 2014 when he was teaching a Grade 6/7 split class at Bear Creek Elementary. Again, Burns failed to follow the lesson plan provided, though left a note saying he had. Students were also left confused about what they were supposed to be doing as Burns provided "minimal instruction," and left much of the day to be "free time." Similar to the previous incident, the classroom environment was described as "chaotic," with students coming and going, throwing paper airplanes and running around. One student was so frustrated by the atmosphere she was found in the hallway in tears.
Burns had been reprimanded previously in 2009 for not taking responsibility for the proper evacuation of students during a fire drill, not dismissing students in an appropriate matter and failing to follow the lesson plan provided.
The nature of Burns' discipline is considered private information and was not included in the agreement.