In a Channel News Asia report that is set to put teachers in the spotlight again, a former teacher has been charged earlier this week for having sex with a minor.
The alleged acts
The woman, a 32-year-old mother, faces five counts of consensual sex with an underage boy and one count of an obscene act.
The alleged incidents happened from May to July 2011 and the woman was teaching at a local primary school at the time. The boy, was 13 at the time. The names of the teacher and the boy were not revealed due to a gag order.
According to court documents, the site of these sexual acts included public areas like Sembawang Park, a staircase at Choa Chu Kang Loop, Yishun Ring Road and the woman’s house.
Punishment
If found guilty of sex with a minor, the woman can be jailed up to 10 years while the sentence for commiting an obscene act is a jail term of up to five years and a $10,000 fine.
A worrying trend?
This case comes in the wake of other high profile student – teacher liaisons this year. So does this signal a drop in the conduct of teachers and should parents be worried?
In all honesty, these cases does not reflect the education sector as a whole as by and large, the teachers in Singapore are a dedicated and professional lot.
However there could be some reasons that point to this increase.
- Children are maturing at a much earlier age and also at a faster rate.
- There are now more opportunities for students and teacher to mingle outside the classroom; for example on school trips overseas.
- Social media has also made it much easier for student to be privy to their teacher's social and private lives blurring further that line between teacher and student.
How to avoid such things
As a teaching professional, it is always important to maintain a certain distance with your students. We know that sometimes a teacher can provide a helping hand to a student in need, especially if that student feels comfortable with the teacher.
But always remember never to put yourself in a compromising situation. If ever you feel that you could develop feelings other than a professional student – teacher relationship, then it is time to step away and distant yourself before you do something that you might regret and could ruin not just your life but also your students.
It is also natural for students to develop crushes on their teachers. As a teacher, don’t encourage these feelings (no matter how flattered you feel).
What parents can do
As a parent, you too can help prevent this from happening to your child. Below are some tips.
- Make an effort to talk and LISTEN to your child when they talk about their day or who they are going out with. Do they keep mentioning a particular teacher?
- If they do, then you should find an opportunity to talk to this teacher and find out if your child just respects and admires the dedication of their teacher or is there something more unhealthy going on.
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