National Post

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February 27, 2001

Teacher allegedly met secretly with student, 14

Disciplinary hearing

Moira MacDonald
National Post

TORONTO - A teacher sent suggestive e-mails to a 14-year-old student in which she called him "hot" and "sexy," a disciplinary hearing heard yesterday.

Annie Mary Markson, a 33-year-old Toronto-area supply teacher, faces professional misconduct charges by the Ontario College of Teachers for allegedly carrying out an inappropriate relationship with the teen.

The college said Ms. Markson met secretly with the boy, who is now 17. As a result, it continued, the student and his family requiring psychological counselling.

If found guilty, Ms. Markson could face suspension and the loss of her teaching certificate. She has pleaded not guilty.

In one letter, Ms. Markson is alleged to have written, "I don't want you to get any other or more experience except through me ... I would have to hurt someone if they came near you."

The student, who can not be identified, yesterday told the panel Ms. Markson was never his teacher. The student started helping Ms. Markson with the school's new computer system.

By summer, "we had gotten to know each other well and we were friends," the hearing was told. "I guess you say I had a crush on her."

The pair met several times during the summer. At each meeting, their contact was limited to hugs and twice a "light kiss" on Ms. Markson's cheek, the teen testified.

In one e-mail, the student described to Ms. Markson "three spots ... able to be touched by your loving hands. I'll probably have a slight erection. ... What are three spots where you want me to touch you? I think I want to touch your breasts, butt, and ... um ... I don't know. Maybe your thigh."

The hearing continues today.

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