An independent school teacher in B.C. has agreed to take a course on professional boundaries after she sent 鈥渧ery inappropriate and personal鈥� information about herself to students.
A recently B.C. Teachers Regulation Branch report says Nicole Monique Vieira was hired to teach math to Grade 9, 10 and 11 students in September 2014.
Vieira began displaying signs of favouritism, referring to five students as her 鈥淔avourite Five,鈥� which made other students feel less welcome.
She was found braiding a student鈥檚 hair during a flex-block, and continued to do so while she answered other students鈥� questions and helped them with their schoolwork.
Vieira consistently contacted her favourite students on social media, the report says, breaching acceptable boundaries set out by the school.
She shared 鈥渧ery inappropriate and personal鈥� details about herself with the students, calling them 鈥済irlll,鈥� 鈥渟weetheart,鈥� 鈥渓ove鈥� and 鈥渟weetie.鈥�
The school鈥檚 math department told Vieira she was being too friendly and acting more like a 鈥渂uddy鈥� than their teacher.
Despite the warning, Vieira continued.
She was eventually fired, and told her students about it on social media, promising to stay friends and that she would meet up with them at a comic book convention.
She agreed to stop contacting her students the next day, but remained in touch though texts, emails, social media and group chat websites.
Vieira has since agreed to take a Justice Institute course on respecting professional boundaries, in accordance with disciplinary measures issued by the branch鈥檚 commissioner.
She must complete the course by April, 1, 2018, or be at risk of losing her teaching licence.
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