Teacher who hit children with ruler hopes to return to teaching in Gloriavale
Members of the Gloriavale Christian Community signed a commitment against corporal punishment eight years after it became illegal in New Zealand.
The move was revealed in a New Zealand Teachers Disciplinary Tribunal decision about a teacher who hit children with a ruler and hoped to return to teach again in Gloriavale.
Praise Loyal was found guilty of serious misconduct for smacking three students on the hand with a ruler in 2013 and 2015, and poking another student in the back between 2011 and 2016.
It comes after Victory Disciple, another former Gloriavale teacher, also appeared before the tribunal for hitting students with a ruler. She was found guilty of serious misconduct, but not censured or ordered to pay costs after the tribunal found it had “great sympathy” for her because she grew up in a community with distorted attitudes to teaching and discipline.
The tribunal’s decision, released on Thursday, said Loyal was not currently teaching but had maintained her registration and intended to return to Gloriavale School.
The Ministry of Education is working with the school after a damning ERO report in 2023 found it was not providing an adequate education to its 139 pupils.
Loyal admitted using physical force for correction when students ignored instructions or had difficult behaviour.
“Ms Loyal acknowledged that smacking children was unacceptable. She said it damages learners’ confidence and is not helpful for them to modify their behaviour or to develop and grow,” the tribunal said.
“Ms Loyal said that, at the time, she was impacted by her upbringing and the culture of corporal punishment that was at Gloriavale in the past. Ms Loyal explained she did not have strategies to handle difficult behaviour at the time.”
The tribunal said people born, raised and educated in Gloriavale had unique circumstances.
“Members of the community, including Ms Loyal, signed a commitment against corporal punishment in 2015,” it said.
New Zealand’s anti-smacking legislation came into force in 2007.
The tribunal said Gloriavale had provided her with a “confined teaching experience”.
It said while Loyal’s actions were in response to “fairly unremarkable disobedience”, it did not mean she was unfit to teach and the more serious penalties of cancellation and suspension were not necessary.
“The conduct occurred in a unique culture of corporal punishment in the school, which is not reflective of the wider teaching profession,” it said.
Loyal expressed significant remorse and how she would manage behavioural issues in the classroom in future.
The tribunal said it was important for Loyal to get mentoring and oversight from a suitable person independent of Gloriavale for 12 months after returning to teaching.