Teaching is a difficult profession that takes hard work, dedication, and a lot of patience. Teachers have to maintain decorum in the classroom to set a good example for their students and to establish a nurturing learning environment. Not everyone is cut out for teaching, and that’s perfectly OK. Still, sometimes, people will give it a try and realize it’s not for them, but instead of giving it up, they continue and make poor choices. Annika Kiran Kapus taught English at Djanogly City Academy in Great Britain until she allegedly made a terrible choice that got her banned from teaching in England indefinitely.
Kapur brought a bottle into the classroom with her.
On January 27, 2025, Kapur brought a clear bottle into the classroom. That in and of itself is not out of the ordinary, but she had reportedly used the same bottle a few days earlier, on her birthday, to conceal gin. Therein lies the problem. According to a Teaching Regulation Agency report obtained by the Independent, Kapur drank from the bottle without realizing it still contained alcohol. She reportedly claimed she chugged it to “stop myself vomiting.”
Um, that doesn’t make much sense at all
The teacher apparently began acting strangely.
According to coworkers, Kapur acted out of character that afternoon. A student said Kapur “gently pulled him up from the desk with his hair.” She allegedly slurred her words and began to sway back and forth. A coworker claimed Kapur was complaining about her students and said “this class terrifies me.”
According to the agency’s report, Kapur admitted she should have never brought the bottle into the classroom, per The Sun. She reportedly called her actions “a grievous error, horrible mistake” Although the agency accepted her admission, the report indicates concerns Kapur might do something similar again.
The agency banned Kapur from teaching indefinitely.
The teaching agency made a final decision on Kapur’s future as a teacher. She’s banned from the classroom for at least two years and cannot appeal the prohibition order for a minimum of two years.
“Bringing alcohol onto premises in a water bottle carried the risk of accidental consumption by Miss Kapur or by others. The panel considered that Miss Kapur’s actions in bringing alcohol onto school premises, consuming alcohol and being under the influence of alcohol when in charge of pupils put one or more pupils at risk of harm,” the report reads.
“The panel considered that, once Miss Kapur recognised she had alcohol in the bottle, she ought to have stopped consuming it immediately, rather than continuing to drink a third of the bottle,” the agency added, per The Sun. “She then had the opportunity to withdraw from the class, having realised what she had done, yet instead she continued to remain in charge of the students.”
Maybe it was an honest mistake, but that first sip should have been enough. We just can’t buy the “I chugged it not to vomit” excuse. Something’s not right, and this feels like a cry for help.
