[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Livia

What if the texts weren't discussing school nor soaps... what if he was saying, "I want to kill myself"? or "My father is abusing me and I'm afraid to speak to anyone officially". We don't know the context of any of this.

There are procedures for things like this and there would be a record of her discussing this with a senior colleague at the school, surely?

Thing is, such discussions about things like that would have had to have started in school and face-to-face before the exchange of numbers. No professional teacher's response to a child confiding in them about suicidal thoughts or abuse at home would be to give them their personal mobile number. There is no context for it to be appropriate for a teacher to give a child their personal contact information.

Unless said characters are main characters in Waterloo Road that is.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

There are procedures for things like this and there would be a record of her discussing this with a senior colleague at the school, surely?

Thing is, such discussions about things like that would have had to have started in school and face-to-face before the exchange of numbers. No professional teacher's response to a child confiding in them about suicidal thoughts or abuse at home would be to give them their personal mobile number. There is no context for it to be appropriate for a teacher to give a child their personal contact information.

Unless said characters are main characters in Waterloo Road that is.

Maybe it did start in school face to face. Maybe she wrongly assumed she could help him and didn't want to break his confidence. Maybe she gave him her number so he had someone to turn to. I can't find someone guilty without knowing ALL the facts and extenuating circumstances.

Or.... There may be no extenuating circumstances and she's a monster, preying on young boys. We don't know.

That's all I'm saying. If we could reach a watertight conclusion by reading an edited article, I could have save myself about four or five years of study.

That's all I'm saying, Marshy.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Livia

Maybe it did start in school face to face. Maybe she wrongly assumed she could help him and didn't want to break his confidence. Maybe she gave him her number so he had someone to turn to. I can't find someone guilty without knowing ALL the facts and extenuating circumstances.

Or.... There may be no extenuating circumstances and she's a monster, preying on young boys. We don't know.

That's all I'm saying. If we could reach a watertight conclusion by reading an edited article, I could have save myself about four or five years of study.

That's all I'm saying, Marshy.

No, hang on. I'm not saying this is evidence that she's a monster or a molester or anything of the sort. I'm saying even WITHOUT any inappropriate sexual relationship, even if it was a perfectly ordinary exchange of messages, it is not appropriate and crosses the boundaries of a teacher/pupil relationship.

There are no extenuating circumstances. Not one.

There's a difference between not breaking his confidence, and giving him your personal contact information. Any sane person knows that.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

No, hang on. I'm not saying this is evidence that she's a monster or a molester or anything of the sort. I'm saying even WITHOUT any inappropriate sexual relationship, even if it was a perfectly ordinary exchange of messages, it is not appropriate and crosses the boundaries of a teacher/pupil relationship.

There are no extenuating circumstances. Not one.

There's a difference between not breaking his confidence, and giving him your personal contact information. Any sane person knows that.

And presumably, I'm not a sane person?

This whole thread is people reaching a verdict before the trial is over and after reading one article.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Livia

And presumably, I'm not a sane person?

This whole thread is people reaching a verdict before the trial is over and after reading one article.

Erm... no.... the teacher giving a pupil her mobile number. The person we're discussing.

No it isn't. The trial is about the accused and an alleged sexual affair. I haven't presumed to know the facts on that nor what the verdict should or shouldn't be.

What I have done, is given my opinion on the facts we do know. Mainly, there are no circumstances where it is appropriate for a teacher and a pupil to be exchanging 295 text messages and 23 phone calls. If anything, the fact she is now up in court provides one of the reasons those boundaries exist, to protect herself from accusations of misconduct.

[Livia]

Originally Posted by Marsh.

Erm... no.... the teacher giving a pupil her mobile number. The person we're discussing.

No it isn't. The trial is about the accused and an alleged sexual affair. I haven't presumed to know the facts on that nor what the verdict should or shouldn't be.

What I have done, is given my opinion on the facts we do know. Mainly, there are no circumstances where it is appropriate for a teacher and a pupil to be exchanging 295 text messages and 23 phone calls. If anything, the fact she is now up in court provides one of the reasons those boundaries exist, to protect herself from accusations of misconduct.

Well, we'll see, won't we, as the trial continues. If all she's guilty of is a flurry of messages, that's one thing. If she's actually committed a sexual offence well, that's quite another thing.

In the meantime people can crack on calling her evil etc.

[Marsh.]

Originally Posted by Livia

Well, we'll see, won't we, as the trial continues. If all she's guilty of is a flurry of messages, that's one thing. If she's actually committed a sexual offence well, that's quite another thing.

In the meantime people can crack on calling her evil etc.

Well, obviously, one is much worse than the other and carries, rightly so, a much higher cost. I wasn't suggesting the woman should be locked up for text messages.

I'm just pointing out even without the sexual offences, she did cross the line and at the very least should call her ability to do her job properly into question.