A Southland teacher has been struck off the register after showing her class a video about masturbation when it had nothing to do with what they were learning.
Dawn Ganaha, who worked at Southland Boys High School for five years before her sacking last year, has been charged with serious misconduct by the New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal.
- Wairarapa teacher struck off after labelling students 'w*nkers', 'sl*ts'
- Kiwi teacher's registration suspended after oral sex with student
- Teacher faces the sack over 'misgendering'
The charge comes after five incidents during her time at the school, including a masturbation video - part of a TED Talk about female orgasm - that she showed to a Year 9 science class in April 2015.
A complaint resulted and several boys from the class told the school's deputy principal what happened.
"I was quite shocked. I didn't see it coming. Some people thought it was funny, but about half the class felt it was inappropriate/uncomfortable," one said.
"I just thought it didn't relate to anything we were doing," another added. "We thought it was a bit odd. At times, it was funny, but I did wonder why we were watching it."
Ms Ganaha was also received a warning in July 2015, after an assembly where teachers observed her taking photos of students and then appearing to send them.
The students would then appear to text her back and look in her direction, teachers said, and she would check her own phone again.
After a meeting with the school's senior staff about her involvement in online chat rooms with students, she denied the claims - but admitted she'd taken a student to her own house, without notifying them or his parents.
Ms Ganaha received another verbal warning, followed by a threat that if the inappropriate behaviour continued, she would be reported to the Education Council.
And that it did when, in March 2016, Ms Ganaha was caught with a student's scooter in her driveway. She initially claimed it was the neighbour's scooter, but was found to have lied.
The final incident came when, while frustrated by two misbehaving students, she swore and then flicked one of them. Two teachers claimed to have seen the incident and reported it, prompting an apology from Ms Ganaha.
"The exchange occurred because of my lack of judgement, lack of control of one specific group of students and frustration at the situation," she said at a meeting with one of the boys' mother.
"It was unacceptable, and I am deeply sorry that the situation got to the stage it did and the exchange occurred. I was in the wrong and my behaviour was inappropriate."
Ms Ganaha resigned at the conclusion of that meeting, but continued to visit students - to the point where the school issued her with a trespass order.
In October, Ms Ganaha was struck off the register as a result of her actions.
Newshub.
