A B.C. teacher is facing suspension and other consequences for pushing a student after a mix-up regarding a mom joke.
The disciplinary decision comes from the British Columbia Commissioner for Teacher Regulation.
Jeven Gill was an elementary school teacher at School District 42 in Maple Ridge when the incident occurred. The incident was documented in a July 6, 2023, report from the Commissioner.
Gill was teaching a Grade 6 French class when she let some of her students, including Student A, play cards as a reward.
During playtime, Gill found that students were being too noisy. She approached the group and advised them that playtime was going to end. As Gill did, Student A made an offensive comment about someone’s mother. Student A maintained that this was a joke that was directed towards a classmate.
However, Gill presumed that the comment was made about her mother.
“Gill became visibly angry, approached Student A and yelled at Student A, telling Student A not to disrespect her mother,” the report states.
The report notes that this was done “very close” to Student A’s face.
Gill then placed both hands on Student A’s shoulders, pushed them backwards into a whiteboard, causing the student to stumble, but they didn’t fall. Additionally, Gill inadvertently knocked the baseball cap off of Student A’s head while she gestured.
The report says that Student A felt shocked by the interaction, with two other students reporting similar feelings.
Gill resigned in April 2023 because she was moving to a different part of the province that summer.
Gill, who admitted to the actions, faces several consequences for her actions, including a one-day suspension of her certificate on Dec. 19, 2025. She also has to take several courses, including “Creating a Positive Learning Environment” through the Justice Institute of British Columbia.
If Gill doesn’t provide proof of completion of the course, the Commissioner may require suspension of Gill’s teaching certificate.
The one-day suspension, along with the learning course, was determined to be sufficient punishment because Gill “did not create an emotionally safe and positive learning environment,” and she didn’t role model appropriate behaviour.
Do you think the consequences for the B.C. teacher were sufficient?