B.C. teacher who showed Grade 2 students R-rated movie, described own bullying suspended

An empty classroom is seen in this undated file photo.

An elementary school teacher from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been suspended after showing her young students an R-rated horror movie and telling them stories about her own past behaviour as a bully.

Cindy Chi-Ching Tong was working for the Delta School District when the incidents took place between October 2020 and February 2021, according to a consent agreement posted online Tuesday by B.C.'s Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.

The commissioner heard Tong would show movies to her classroom "at least once a week," sometimes at lunch but other times during regular school hours – and once showed John Carpenter's 1978 horror movie "Halloween."

"Some students reported feeling frightened after watching this film," the consent agreement reads.

A learning support teacher once told Tong she should stick to G-rated movies, but she went on to show her classroom "The Avengers" – a Marvel movie with a PG rating – the next day.

Tong also shared stories about bullying other students when she was in school, beginning in Grade 4 and continuing into high school.

"She told students she had made a student eat an orange rind and had smeared dog feces on a student's locker," the agreement reads. "She also told students that she had punched someone in high school and had run away from home."

There were also concerns about her teaching style, with officials hearing Tong would not have daily lesson plans prepared on a given day.

According to the agreement, Tong would “assign worksheets to students without first teaching them the subject matter, leaving the students to attempt to figure things out on their own.”

"If students did not understand what they were being taught, Tong would appear visibly frustrated. Some students reported feeling afraid as a result,” it reads.

The B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation reviewed Tong's behaviour and opted to issue her a one-day suspension of her teaching certificate. She had already resigned from the Delta School District as of April 2021.

The commissioner also ordered Tong to complete a course on inclusive learning environments, and warned the teacher could face a longer suspension if she fails to do so.