B.C. teacher who said he would rip out students' vocal cords reprimanded for misconduct

Empty classroom (Pexels)

A Vancouver Island school teacher who told a bus full of Grade 3 students that he would rip out their vocal cords and throw them out the window if they started shouting has been reprimanded for professional misconduct and ordered to complete a course on creating a positive learning environment.

An investigation by British Columbia's commissioner for teacher regulation found Edward Gerrit Timmermans failed to treat his students with acceptance, dignity and respect, and failed to show adequate care for their mental and emotional well-being, according to a consent resolution agreement signed by both parties and published Tuesday.

The disciplinary decision was reached after a series of complaints were lodged against the Saanich School District teacher who has held a B.C. teaching certificate since 1986.

In May 2021, the school district reported to the commissioner that Timmermans was teaching a Grade 6 class when a Grade 7 student walked by the classroom and rudely asked one of Timmermans's students what they were looking at.

Timmermans told his student: "Are you laughing at [Student B] due to the bikini top?" according to the consent resolution agreement.

The teacher then approached the Grade 7 student in the hallway and said: "Perhaps [Student A] is laughing at you because of what you’re wearing… You have your bra hanging out and people are going to look at you."

He later added: "[Last week] you were wearing booty shorts so short your bum was showing and I had to turn my eyes away."

The school district told the commissioner that Timmermans's interaction with the student was not in line with the school's expectations for managing discussions about appropriate school attire.

Timmermans was issued a disciplinary letter of warning by the school district and attended three courses on creating compassionate classrooms, de-escalation, and cultural competency.

MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS

The following school year, the district again complained to the commissioner about a handful of incidents involving Timmermans in the fall of 2021.

In one incident, Timmermans was on a bus with his Grade 3 class heading out on a fieldtrip.

"Using the microphone on the bus, he welcomed the students, made a few jokes and then added: 'If you need to stand up to shout across the bus you need to understand that I will rip out your vocal cords and then throw them out the window," according to the agreement.

In another incident, Timmermans was in a parent-teacher meeting for one of his Grade 3 students when the student's mother said she had concerns with her child becoming physically combative.

"Timmermans responded by saying words to the effect of: 'If [Student C] takes a swing at me, I’ll block it and [Student C] may get hurt.' Timmermans then gestured with his arm," according to the agreement.

The same student was in Timmermans's class on another day and referred to themselves as "dumb." The teacher responded by saying the student was not dumb because "dumb means you are unable to speak and clearly you are speaking."

Later retelling the story to colleagues at a meeting, Timmermans was reminded that some students are, in fact, non-verbal. "Timmermans responded by saying: 'Yeah, and they are dumb,'" according to the agreement.

The Saanich School District suspended Timmermans for one month without pay that fall and directed him to complete another round of courses. He resigned from the district effective June 30, 2022.

The commissioner ordered investigations into the complaints against Timmermans in July and then proposed the consent resolution agreement in August.

Under the terms of the agreement, Timmermans will complete a course on creating a positive learning environment through the Justice Institute of B.C. or else risk the suspension of his teaching certificate.