A married teacher who told a 15-year-old schoolboy she loved him in one of thousands of emails and text messages has claimed she is ‘not a predator, just pathetic’.
The woman had been teaching for just over three years when she was suspended for her alleged “inappropriate” and “manipulative” interactions with the teen.
The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) heard she exchanged more than 1,200 emails with her student over a six-week period.
Among the messages were messages in which she wrote: “You don’t like the fact that I’m married, do you?” and ‘the professional teacher of mine is actually very relieved that you are leaving. Sorry. You know how the other half feels.”
After the teen left school, the teacher sent him more than 3,600 text messages in less than a week, from September 21 to 27, 2018.
A married teacher who told a 15-year-old schoolboy she loved him in one of thousands of emails and text messages has claimed she is ‘not a predator, just pathetic’ (stock image)
In those messages she wrote, among other things: ‘I think it would be great. If we were closer in age,” and “You know I want you.”
Another said: ‘You’re beautiful and I’m so sorry I ruined you. I didn’t plan to do that.”
In one of the emails that the QCAT found ‘inappropriate’, the teacher told the boy: ‘I know I did something wrong, but I also have nothing to hide.
“I won’t deny anything and stand by every word I’ve ever said to you.”
In the same email, sent on September 27, 2018, she wrote ‘You have me forever. Please come back when you are 18.
The supervisor also discovered that she had invited the former student to her home and encouraged him to lie to his parents about meeting her, asking, “Would you like to come to my house, I can get you.”
The QCAT noted that her initial response to the allegations was ‘dismissive, lacking insight and attempting to shift a degree of blame onto the student by referring to his physical appearance and the alleged attention he was giving her’.
The woman initially rejected the claim that this caused the student emotional or psychological distress, or that she posed a danger to her students.
“My feelings for the student developed because he is an amazing person who physically looks much older than he actually is, and I was in a pathetic enough headspace to not turn off his attention,” she said.
‘I made it clear that nothing would happen until he was an adult. Not a predator, just pathetic.”
But the educator later expressed ‘significant feelings of shame and regret’ and voluntarily relinquished her teaching registration.
“That was the biggest mistake of my life and I deeply regret my actions and the harm I caused my former student,” she said.
“If I could go back in time and change everything, I would in a heartbeat.
‘I am no longer that person and I cringe in shame and disgust when I think of my actions and the consequences for my former student.
‘I really hope he hasn’t suffered any lasting effects from this and is doing well.’
The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal heard the teacher exchanged more than 1,200 emails with her student over a six-week period (stock image)
The QCAT found that the teacher’s emails and text messages were sent to the boy when there was a power imbalance between them and were inappropriate and manipulative.
“The student was a young, impressionable 15-year-old boy, and (the teacher) forced him to make decisions about his future when he may not have been ready,” said the tribunal’s ruling, which was published on Friday. said.
The woman is banned from teaching for three years, with retroactive effect to her suspension.
Before she can teach again, she must be assessed by a psychologist.
