'Shoot you all': B.C. teacher's classroom joke results in reprimand

A teacher from B.C.'s Southern Interior who jokingly told a class he would shoot them if they didn't ace an upcoming test has been reprimanded for professional misconduct.

The incident is detailed in a consent agreement between Brian John Carmichael and the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.

Carmichael was working for the Gold Trail school district when he made the remark to a math class composed of Grade 7, 8 and 9 students in January 2023.

"I'm going to have to shoot you all," he said, kidding about the consequences of underperforming on the test.

The consent agreement acknowledges Carmichael was not being serious, but noted the joking nature of his comment was "not apparent" to all of the children in his class.

"One student reported feeling uncomfortable and wanting to leave the classroom immediately, another was unsure if Carmichael was being serious, and a third reported feeling concerned and confused," the document reads.

The same month, Carmichael told his class an anecdote about the mother of a former student – who was a distant relative of his – telling him he could give the pupil a "bare-bottom spank" as a punishment for potential misbehaviour.

The school district issued a letter of discipline to Carmichael in February 2023, and the B.C. Commissioner for Teacher Regulation reviewed the circumstances of his conduct and gave him a reprimand as well in April 2024.

In addition, Carmichael was ordered to complete a course entitled, "Creating a Positive Learning Environment."

In deciding the appropriate punishment, the commissioner noted that Carmichael had been "previously cautioned about his use of language" and that his joke about shooting his math class "had the effect of endangering the emotional safety of students."