EDMONTON – While still facing termination from his post at Ross Sheppard High School, the so-called zero hero Lynden Dorval will be returning to the classroom this October.

The physics teacher— who was suspended last spring for giving students zeroes on assignments — accepted a new post Tuesday at Tempo School, a private kindergarten to Grade 12 school.

"I took the job, yup," Dorval said proudly when reached at his home Tuesday evening "The headmaster called me yesterday at home and mentioned they were looking for an advanced placement physics teacher, so I said yes.”

Dorval toured the school with Headmaster Peter Mitchell and was impressed by the academically-oriented school.

"It was neat to be back in a school again, for sure," he said. "They have 30-some classrooms and some good science labs. They give zeroes."

Come late October, Dorval will have a part-time position teaching physics to smaller classes of roughly 20 Grade 11 and 12 students. He said the post is an ideal way to supplement his pension while still educating youth.

"It was the first offer, but it was also what I was looking for," said Dorval. “It's teaching some very bright students some very high-level physics, which will be both challenging and interesting at the same time."

Dorval received an official letter of termination from the Edmonton Public School Board on Sept. 14 for insubordination.

The Alberta Teachers' Association is conducting an investigation into Dorval's conduct.

Dorval said he will still campaign against the "no-zero" policy — which he believes is detrimental to students — and plans to move forward with an appeal of his termination.

As he is still technically employed until Oct.15, the earliest he could start teaching at Tempo would be Oct. 16.

"They wanted me and I'd love to teach AP physics so that was the deciding factor," he said.

Tempo School is a provincially-accredited private school in the Riverbend area. The traditional school requires students to wear uniforms and boasts high diploma exam results.

The school has 380 students in kindergarten through Grade 12 and has a staff of 36 teachers.

matthew.dykstra@sunmedia.ca
Twitter: @SunMattDykstra