A Surrey teacher has been disciplined for raising his voice, acting angry and pushing his Grade 4 and 5 students.
Stephen Paulgaard, who is currently listed as a teacher at Don Christian Elementary in Cloverdale, was reported to the commissioner for teacher regulation on January 17, 2017 for events that had occurred in the fall of 2015.
The result of that report, a “consent resolution agreement,” was published on the Teacher Registration Branch’s online registry on Tuesday (Oct. 10).
According to the agreement, Paulgaard “raised his voice with his students, acted in an angry or frustrated manner while interacting with students and had inappropriate physical contact with students, which included pushing them” while teaching his Grade 4 and 5 class in 2015.
The Surrey School District sent Paulgaard a notice of investigation in October 2015, which also instructed him not to discuss the investigation with students, parents or staff. The document notes that Paulgaard spoke to one parent and one staff member, “in contrary to the direction he had been given.”
Paulgaard was suspended for five days in November 2016, and directed “to engage in professional development” to better understand “current instructional strategies” and “develop proactive classroom management strategies.”
He was required to complete four counselling sessions for anger management, which he completed on April 3, 2017.
Paulgaard also completed a Justice Institute of B.C. course called “Creating a Positive Learning Environment” in March 2017.
As a result of these sessions, the commissioner proposed a “consent resolution agreement,” in which Paulgaard admits to the conduct described in the report, including raising his voice and pushing his students, and agrees to a reprimand.
The agreement was signed by Paulgaard and Commisioner Bruce Preston last month, at the beginning of the school year.
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