What Were They Thinking?  |  They Weren't.
Bad Teacher book cover
A new book by Robert Bartholomew

BadTeacher

True Accounts of Mischief, Mayhem & Misconduct in the New Zealand Classroom

An unvarnished and often shocking look into the dark side of the New Zealand classroom — drawn directly from the files of the New Zealand Teachers' Disciplinary Tribunal. Essential reading for every educator and parent.

Get the Book

The Dark Side of the Classroom

From the teacher who accessed pornography in class to the assistant principal who filmed up the skirts of unsuspecting girls with a pen camera, Bad Teacher pulls back the curtain on some of the most egregious cases of misconduct in New Zealand's school system.

Drawing on the official files of the New Zealand Teachers' Disciplinary Tribunal, this book explores every dimension of teacher misconduct — from digital predators grooming students on social media, to bullies terrorising children as young as seven, to the bizarre and the deeply disturbing.

More than a catalogue of wrongdoing, Bad Teacher is also a practical guide — helping parents and educators recognise red flags and "boundary drift" before harm occurs.

"Over a six-year period there were 148 cases of teacher–student romances recorded — and the real number is likely much higher."
— Bad Teacher, Stories of Sex & Desire

What You'll Read

📱 The Digital Frontier

Why social media has become the single greatest risk for Kiwi teachers today — and the predators exploiting encrypted apps, Instagram, and Facebook to groom vulnerable students.

❤️‍🔥 Stories of Sex & Desire

Bizarre fetishes, forbidden romances, and shocking betrayals of trust — from teachers paying students for sex to assistant principals gifting sex toys on school grounds.

👊 The Bullies

Psychological torment in the classroom: teachers calling students "losers," ripping up their work, and targeting foreign students — cases that will make your blood boil.

🎥 The Pornography Files

From secret pen cameras to pornographic PowerPoints — these are the cases of educators whose violations of trust were captured on record and hauled before the Tribunal.

😳 Strange & Bizarre

The teacher who sneezed a student into a wall. The reliever who liked to tickle girls. The man who let students tug on his neck hair. Truth is stranger — and darker — than fiction.

🛡️ Practical Advice

How to spot red flags and "boundary drift" before it's too late. What parents and teachers need to know to protect children in today's classrooms.

Robert Bartholomew

Robert Bartholomew has taught English at Tuakau College, History at Botany College, and Global Studies at Mission Heights Junior College. He holds a PhD in medical sociology and is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychological Medicine at the University of Auckland. He writes about misconduct, mass hysteria, and the darker corners of human behaviour with clarity, rigour, and purpose.

PhD – Medical Sociology Honorary Senior Lecturer, UoA NZ Classroom Teacher Psychological Medicine

Order Bad Teacher Today

Available now — essential reading for every parent and educator in New Zealand.

Buy Now