A teacher in Portage la Prairie has been forced to stop an game that involved throwing a volleyball at students’ heads if they gave too many wrong answers.
Rob Gamache teaches French at Portage Collegiate Institute. He played the ball game with his students in a grammar exercise.
CTV News received cellphone video of it Thursday.
Student Paige Kernot said there’s more to it than what’s in the video.
“(It didn’t) hurt at all. It’s just funny,” said Grade 10 student Paige Kernot.
Students said those who got multiple wrong grammar answers would have a ball thrown at them.
Other students shown the video Thursday spoke out against it.
“I don’t think you should throw balls at people…it’s really rude,” said Emily Slate.
The school division said the game was stopped once they became aware of the video on Oct. 28.
“From what I understand, the kids enjoyed it but it’s not appropriate and it is over with,” said Hazen Barrett from the Portage la Prairie School Division.
He said the video only shows one part of the game and he can’t comment on the teacher, calling it a personnel matter.
Student Paige Kernot said the game was an effective learning tool, especially for French grammar, and is upset her class can’t play it anymore. Kernot described Rob Gamache as one of her favourite teachers.
"He asked your permission before he did it and it's not like if you said ‘no’ you would be bullied into doing it and it's not like he whipped it at your head,” she said.
One parent, however, who spoke to CTV News Thursday called the game demoralizing and a form of bullying.
The school division said they have not received any complaints about the game from parents or students.
The division said Rob Gamache is still teaching students. They added he’s been spoken to, but would not say whether he was disciplined.
- with a report from Beth Macdonell
