Teachers share first-hand experiences with violence in classrooms

A traumatic experience with classroom violence that resulted in a concussion, broken nose and multiple bruises drove a Saskatoon teacher out of the province — but she doesn’t blame the student, she blames the system.

“I was repeatedly hit and kicked in the upper body and the head by a student and I was told it took several staff members to get the student off of me and be able to restrain them,” said Shelby, who was only referred to by her first name in order to maintain anonymity.

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“After this, I stayed in a state of shock for about a month. I wasn’t really able to process what had happened or how severe it was.”

Shelby spoke to media during a virtual news conference held by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) on Wednesday morning, which focused on classroom violence, an issue the union has been trying to address at the bargaining table.

Shelby was in her first year teaching Grade 3 and 4 when the incident with a Grade 7 student took place. A return to work with her students at the same school was unsuccessful, and resulted in a transfer to a different school to finish the year with a co-teacher.

“I didn’t have much direction on what to do in this situation,” said Shelby. “Still today I have to work with my different therapists to help me navigate the anxieties that I have in the classroom and it took me quite a while to become comfortable teaching in a classroom by myself again.”

Shelby has since moved out of Saskatchewan and is teaching in another province.

“I do not blame the student for what happened. I blame the system and the continued lack of government support that continues to let the Saskatchewan students fall through the cracks,” she said. “Violence in schools is an increasing issue and it compromises the safety of staff and students within the building.”

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Shelby said before her first day of teaching in a new province, she was made aware of a system in place to report these kinds of incidents. But that doesn’t exist in Saskatchewan yet.

“A system such as this can ensure that records of incidents with children allow for them to receive the proper support that they need to continue their education successfully,” said Shelby. “The teachers in Saskatchewan are just not prepared, supported or given the proper resources to be able to support the students when they really need it.”

Three other teachers, who are referred to by the pseudonyms Roman, Mary and Carla, also shared their stories through statements shared by the STF.

Roman, a retired teacher who had returned as a substitute to his local high school, sustained a broken jaw after being attacked by a student while he confronted another about running in the hallways.

“He began pummelling me, striking me in the head and jaw several times. My glasses went flying on the floor, along with my left hearing aid,” said Roman in the statement.

His jaw was broken in several places, including a compound fracture, resulting in his jaw being clamped shut for a month while the bones healed. He still has nerve damage in his lips and jaw, which makes eating, drinking and pronouncing words difficult. While it is still too soon to know how much of this damage is permanent, Roman has decided not to take on any further substitute teaching.

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Mary, an experienced teacher of 17 years, said she has experienced students throwing furniture around the classroom and at her, as well as students head-butting her and other staff.

“This behaviour isn’t their fault. These students’ needs aren’t being met. They require and deserve more support than teachers alone can provide,” said Mary in the statement. “These things happen every day in our schools.”

Carla shared an incident where a student, after being placed in a sensory room to calm down, removed their clothing and proceeded to defecate and urinate on the floor before “throwing and smearing fecal matter.”

During Wednesday’s news conference, STF president Samantha Becotte cited a study done with teachers by the union that found 35.4 per cent of respondents experienced violence in their working environment in the last five years, up from 29.5 per cent in 2021. Out of those who had experience violence, more than four out of five teachers noted they had experienced two to three incidents in the last five years.

“Violent incidents are a symptom of underfunding and are a clear sign that there is not enough support for students or teachers in our schools,” said Becotte. “Students today experience a very different learning environment than their parents would have experienced, and for some students, violence and aggression are regular occurrences during their time at school.”

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Becotte said teachers are covered under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) portion of the Saskatchewan Employment Act, but they have found little to no response when incidents of violence are reported through OHS.

“Saskatchewan does not have a provincial violence reporting procedure, so incidents often go unreported and inadequately addressed,” said Becotte. “Education leaders lack the data necessary to meaningfully respond to violence and harassment in schools.”

Classroom complexity, which includes violence, has been a sticking point in the currently stalled contract negotiations between the STF and the government-trustee bargaining committee (GTBC). While no job action is on the immediate horizon, Becotte said if the GTBC does not provide the union with a renewed mandate, that will change.

AnAmato@Postmedia.com

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