A HOT-HEADED English teacher has been ordered to take anger management classes after pushing one pupil and throwing a jotter at another.
Roderick Scott was told by the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) that to stay in the profession he must complete the anger management course within the next year.
Mr Scott pushed a female S4 pupil out of the classroom and punched it closed while teaching at an undisclosed school in Aberdeenshire in 2016.
On the same day, he “shouted excessively” towards a pupil in the same year and “acted aggressively” towards S3 pupils at the same school just weeks before.
Whilst working at another undisclosed East Dunbartonshire school in 2013, Mr Scott lost his rag and “shouted excessively” at another S3 class .
The meltdown resulted in him throwing a jotter at one of the female pupils – who later complained, prompting an investigation.
Following a hearing in front of the GTCS, Mr Scott has now agreed to take the anger management classes and also write a reflective essay about his behaviour.
Documents, released by the GTCS yesterday, show that last month Mr Scott agreed to the conditions by signing a conditional registration order.
The document states that Mr Scott must tell future employers about his conditional order which states: “In order to improve your classroom management skills you are required to complete a training course in relation to classroom behaviour management that must be completed by 30 June 2019.
“You are also required to complete an anger management course that must be completed by 30 June 2019.
“On completion of the training course, you must provide to the GTCS regulation department written evidence of your completion of them and a reflective report from you outlining what you have learned from the training courses in relation to classroom behaviour management and anger management and how you intend to put that training into practice with reference to the issues identified by the panel in the written decision.”
The charges, which were found proved, stated: “On 7 January 2016, whilst employed by Aberdeenshire Council as a teacher at School 1, you did push an S4 pupil out of the classroom and thereafter punch a door closed and shout excessively towards an S4 pupil.
“On 7 June 2013, whilst employed by East Dunbartonshire Council as a teacher at School 2, you did shout excessively at an S3 class, throw a jotter at an S3 pupil, to her distress
Another charge stated Mr Scott “required pupils to trade their possession in exchange for use of pens and pencils.”
Mr Scott denied shouting excessively at his class but accepted that on occasions he had used a raised voice.
He claimed he did not “scream” and denied “throwing” a jotter at a pupil and instead claimed that he had “flicked the jotter into a spin towards the pupil and that it came to rest in front of her”.
The jotted bounced of the pupils jotter and spun off the desk.
Mr Scott was also accused of calling pupils “beautiful “or “gorgeous” but he claims instead he said “lovely maid” in German.
He said he had done so as a compliment to a pupil for getting a question correct and was intended to be complementary.
On making their decision, the GTCS said: “The Panel was concerned that the teacher lacked insight into his actions within the classroom and how he came across to pupils and staff.
“In particular, he sought to downplay the ‘shouting’ as speaking loudly and to describe the incident of the throwing of the jotter as ‘flicking’..
“It was of particular note, in the view of the panel, that the Teacher had accepted the conduct as described in relation to the incident in 2013 and, indeed, his reaction to it both then and now suggested that he was of the view that the conduct was unacceptable.”
They added: “The panel concluded that training in identified areas was required in order to satisfy public confidence in GTCS as a regulator.
“The teacher had shown a willingness to comply with conditions. The panel was of the view that appropriate training could be identified to support the teacher in his management of behaviour in the classroom and in the management of his own behaviour in challenging situations.”
