A maths teacher who invented the deaths of three girlfriends to take time off work has been banned from teaching.‘My girlfriend died’…? Is that the teaching equivalent of ‘the dog ate my homework’?
David Flinn, who skipped school to attend their fictitious funerals, was suspended from Hartlepool's Manor College of Technology in 2006.
They heard Mr Flinn also falsified claims of ill health, inventing elaborate stories about his misfortunes.Hmmm, shouldn’t alarm bells have been ringing at this sort of behaviour?
He came into school with a walking stick, telling colleagues he had been injured by a car during a hit-and-run incident.
On another occasion, Flinn appeared at work with his arm bandaged, explaining to staff that he had been given an implant to control his adrenalin levels.
Oh. They were. But what the hell, he’s a teacher, right? Gotta stick together:
The college's deputy headteacher, Martin Robson, told the hearing: "There was a suspicion that something wasn't right, but we continued to support him.Because you let him….
"He engaged in systematic and wilful deceit over a long period of time."
And it seems his sins weren’t confined to attention-seeking and work-dodging:
Karen Cork, presenting officer for the General Teaching Council, said Flinn had also communicated in an over-familiar and sexual manner with pupils, asking them details of their sex lives and encouraging them to confide in him.When..? And to whom…?
She said that several pupils had reported feeling uneasy in his presence.
We aren’t told, but I’d be interested to know if that also was glossed over by the management.
Still, no reason to be too harsh, is there?
The panel ruled that although Mr Flinn was adamant he would not return to the profession, he could apply to regain permission to teach in 2014.
So, what did he do which was unusual for a teacher? He could have a case for unfair dismissal here!
ReplyDeleteSo, what did he do which was unusual for a teacher?
ReplyDeleteTeach?
Whatever was wrong with the man was in addition to his grasp of probability theory. Outcome for shortlisting by W Yorks Police to examine absenteeism and injudicious support for colleagues, close to 1.
ReplyDelete"Teach?"
ReplyDeleteLol!
He should have been given a job in creative literature'.
ReplyDeleteNow if he had said he was depressed from stess he could still be drawing his pay.
When the third girlfriend died I'm surprised his colleagues didn't conclude that he was a serial killer.
ReplyDeleteI actually was at that school when this happened.
ReplyDeleteAll the kids knew something was up when he started walking around with the walking stick, it was ridiculous as he didn't fake it well, and the girlfriends thing got unbelievable pretty quickly.
The news stories did not mention he coached the girls' football team.
It was all covered up pretty well, just like a lot of things at the school - a lot of the teachers are a lot worse.
i was pretty close to mr flinn me and one of my best friends and spent alot of our breaks in his company and i defend him to the max in all the time i was a student of his he never once did anything or said anything out of hand to either of us i was also part of his football team and he never put us in any type of awkward predicament he stayed away from the changing rooms and everything as a teacher should!!!
ReplyDelete