Principal said ‘eat dirt’, student teacher claims
Student teachers at the University of Canterbury (UC) will still be sent on placements to West Spreydon School, despite accusations from some staff that the principal rules through fear and has belittled and intimidated teachers.
Last month, The Press revealed staff at the school were divided in their view of long-time principal Marriene Langton. Some said she was “the best thing” to happen to the school while others said she was known to publicly berate staff, parents and pupils.
A second story prompted further allegations, but she has retained the full support of the the school board.
A number of student teachers have also told The Press about unhappy experiences at the school and said the university should not be placing students there.
However, UC has confirmed it will continue sending students to the school as no complaints about placements have ever been raised through the university’s formal complaints process.
In January 2018, a UC graduate who was a beginner teacher at West Spreydon during 2017, did raise concerns about the school with senior university staff. “While I was there I saw student teachers be unfairly mistreated, unsupported, forced out and an excessive amount of workload put on them,” the person, who is still a teacher and wished to remain anonymous, wrote at the time in an email to UC staff.
They urged UC to stop placing students at West Spreydon School or to put action in place to help them. Just two of six students in the senior school had passed their placements, they said in their email.
Lynda Boyd, professional practice manager for UC’s College of Education, Health and Human Development in 2018, sympathised with the graduate and replied that the concerns would be taken “on board”. But after the graduate followed up two months later, Boyd revealed UC had been unable to raise issues with West Spreydon due to the graduate’s condition of anonymity.
“They [the school] are entitled to ask” who had given UC the information, Boyd wrote back.
Instead, a professional practice lecturer at the university was appointed to monitor the placements and “at the first hint of a concern, discussions will be held with the school”.
The Press showed UC the emails, but the university repeated its position of recent weeks since the allegations about West
Spreydon School’s principal emerged – that it had not received formal complaints.
“No complaints have been raised through UC’s formal complaints process regarding placements at West Spreydon School.”
UC has placed over 150 student teachers at West Spreydon over 10 years and said it had “no evidence of ongoing or systemic problems in the supervision of student teachers at the school”.
Two other graduates told The Press they raised concerns with UC after being placed at West Spreydon. Both wished to remain anonymous due to Langton’s influence.
At the end of a 2022 placement, one graduate said they were reduced to tears after Langton criticised their teaching ability, insulted their clothes, and said she wanted to see them “eat dirt”.
The person said they “never saw any follow-ups” from UC after informing their direct supervisor Grant Buchanan and the course’s co-ordinator of their concerns..
The other graduate claimed they observed Langton shouting at children and mocking student teachers in a 2016 placement. “I went to the university about the comments I had heard but nothing was taken any further,” they said.
A third student, Christie Lyn, had little to do with Langton during her 2017 West Spreydon placement and said the school was “very sweet” to her – until she commenced employment there the following year. “Once I started and I was on staff, the whole attitude was really different ... It was really fear-based.”
Lyn said she would “walk on eggshells” for the entire year to avoid becoming a “target” for Langton.
Lyn has since moved back to Canada, and said her year at West Spreydon still affected her.
“When I see someone walking around in other countries with a white bob I still get scared. When they’re down the road, I tense up.”
“When I see someone walking around in other countries with a white bob I still get scared. When they’re down the road, I tense up.” Christie Lyn
Student