Hooker and 18 year old
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
Unless they can prove they were at it before she was his ex student, there's no case to answer.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
I certainly understand the mother's anger, and it sure looks like he was engaging in behavior that was unethical and that he probably could have been fired for had it come to light...(all the emails and phone calls)
But he's resigned his position as a teacher, (and will obviously probably never be able to get another teaching job.) which makes that moot.
I know there are some states where it is illegal for a public school teacher to have sexual relations with a student even if they are over 18, but I don't believe California is one of them. (According to the interview, the sexual relationship started after she turned 18 but before he had resigned as a teacher)
Again, I fully sympathize with the mother. I don't blame her a bit for trying to find something that he could be prosecuted legally with; if I were in her situation I would probably be doing the same thing.
And I also don't doubt for a moment that the guy is a manipulative slimebag. (For his actions with this girl, for his treatment of his wife and family, and for his betrayal of his professional trust.)
But at the end of the day, being a manipulative slimebag isn't in and of itself a crime, and unless they can somehow come up with proof that he had sex with her before she turned 18, I don't see the legal recourse.
But he's resigned his position as a teacher, (and will obviously probably never be able to get another teaching job.) which makes that moot.
I know there are some states where it is illegal for a public school teacher to have sexual relations with a student even if they are over 18, but I don't believe California is one of them. (According to the interview, the sexual relationship started after she turned 18 but before he had resigned as a teacher)
Again, I fully sympathize with the mother. I don't blame her a bit for trying to find something that he could be prosecuted legally with; if I were in her situation I would probably be doing the same thing.
And I also don't doubt for a moment that the guy is a manipulative slimebag. (For his actions with this girl, for his treatment of his wife and family, and for his betrayal of his professional trust.)
But at the end of the day, being a manipulative slimebag isn't in and of itself a crime, and unless they can somehow come up with proof that he had sex with her before she turned 18, I don't see the legal recourse.
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
Chances are that eventually the young lady will realize the mistake she made and leave the asshole.
I could imagine her one day waking up and saying, "What was I thinking?"
Should the asshole not be allowed to teach anymore?
Unless it can be proved that he broke a law, he should be allowed to work as a teacher. I don't think I'd want him teaching my daughter, but he should have the right to work at his profession.
I could imagine her one day waking up and saying, "What was I thinking?"
Should the asshole not be allowed to teach anymore?
Unless it can be proved that he broke a law, he should be allowed to work as a teacher. I don't think I'd want him teaching my daughter, but he should have the right to work at his profession.
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
Maybe maybe not Joe. My mate married his wife who is 22 years younger than him, they now have two kids and are very happy.
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
I disagree.Unless it can be proved that he broke a law, he should be allowed to work as a teacher. I don't think I'd want him teaching my daughter, but he should have the right to work at his profession.
Even if he didn't break any laws, he obviously broke all sorts of rules regarding interaction between students and teachers. Had the nature of the relationship, even without the sex become known at the time, I'm certain he was in violation of the terms of his teaching contract. Whether they had a sexual relationship or not, clearly he was conducting a relationship of a romantic nature with a student for some time.
He may not be legally barred from teaching, but I think anyone in a hiring position in a school system, who was aware of his history, would have to be nuts to hire him. I certainly wouldn't.
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
Are you saying that you believe he would do it again with another student?Lord Jim wrote: He may not be legally barred from teaching, but I think anyone in a hiring position in a school system, who was aware of his history, would have to be nuts to hire him. I certainly wouldn't.
Not very likely, in my opinion, especially now that anyone that hires him would probably know the story. He might even be the one to tell them about it.
Of course, if he's a lousy teacher, none of this matters.
That would make him (based on what has been written about him) a lousy teacher who abandoned his family so he could have a new very young wife.
He doesn't have a lot going for him at this point.
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
I'm saying that he's demonstrated a willingness to flagrantly violate his professional code of conduct and contractual responsibilities in a predatory way, (for which he shows absolutely no remorse) and that I wouldn't hire someone like that to work in my school system.Are you saying that you believe he would do it again with another student?
I'm sure there would be plenty of other qualified applicants for the position who wouldn't have that on their resume.
I would also expect that if he were hired to work in another school district and his record became known in that community, there would be a huge uproar and holy hell to pay for the person who hired him. (Assuming they did so knowing about his past.)
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
Right, with those great starting teacher salaries! 1/2 of what a physical sciences* major can get anywhere else! They're knocking the doors down.Lord Jim wrote:"...
I'm sure there would be plenty of other qualified applicants for the position who wouldn't have that on their resume.
... "
yrs,
rubato
* chemistry, physics, chem. e, E.e. &c.
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
Except that he taught business, which requires only one course each in economics, accounting, marketing and finance. They don't need to worry about competing for MBA grads.
"If you don't have a seat at the table, you're on the menu."
-- Author unknown
-- Author unknown
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
He was making $110k/yr.
Nice that he's left his wife & kids high & dry while he 'hopes' to get a job in the private sector.
Scumbag.
Nice that he's left his wife & kids high & dry while he 'hopes' to get a job in the private sector.
Scumbag.
For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring.
~ Carl Sagan
~ Carl Sagan
Re: Hooker and 18 year old
I'm sure there are many successful marriages like that.Gob wrote:Maybe maybe not Joe. My mate married his wife who is 22 years younger than him, they now have two kids and are very happy.
My point is that some day it may occur to the young lady that the guy isn't such a great person. Not only that, but in a few years she might also realize that he's a really old not so great person (compared to her) with hair growing out of his ears and nose who forgets her name sometimes and has to pee in the middle of the night and gets AARP* mail and needs viagra to function. And she'll get tired of being mistaken for his daughter.
*American Association of Retired Persons
Update on Hooker and 18 year old
Video portion of the Story
Report: Former student, high school teacher back together again
By Pueng Vongs | The Lookout – 21 hrs ago
The California teen who made national headlines when she and her high school teacher moved in together told a local television station that the two are back together.
Jordan Powers, 18, told a reporter for Sacramento TV station CBS13 that she and James Hooker, 41, are a couple again. The interview was conducted on the steps of Hooker's apartment in Modesto through a screen door.
In an ABC news interview two weeks ago, Powers said she had called off the relationship with Hooker after allegations that the teacher sexually abused another student more than a decade ago. Powers packed her bags and moved to Ohio with her mom.
Tammie Powers, mother, told the Modesto Bee that she thought the two were seeing each other again. After they moved away, Hooker called Jordan "relentlessly," she said.
"She left on her own. She hired a cab and booked her own flight," Tammie Powers said.
"It is awful," she said. "This is what pedophiles, predators do. They isolate them from family."
Neighbors say Powers moved back in recently.
Hooker was arrested on April 6 for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student he allegedly met at a high school conference in 1998. He entered a not guilty plea and remains out on bail.
After the break-up, Powers said Hooker had lied about the affair and the student had "lost everything for this guy" in the ABC interview.
"I lost my senior year. I gave up all my friends at high school because they didn't agree with me," she said.
In February, Hooker quit his job at James Enochs High School and left his wife and three children to be with Powers. She dropped out of high school. The two told national talk shows that they didn't have a sexual relationship until she turned 18. That point is under investigation.
Report: Former student, high school teacher back together again
By Pueng Vongs | The Lookout – 21 hrs ago
The California teen who made national headlines when she and her high school teacher moved in together told a local television station that the two are back together.
Jordan Powers, 18, told a reporter for Sacramento TV station CBS13 that she and James Hooker, 41, are a couple again. The interview was conducted on the steps of Hooker's apartment in Modesto through a screen door.
In an ABC news interview two weeks ago, Powers said she had called off the relationship with Hooker after allegations that the teacher sexually abused another student more than a decade ago. Powers packed her bags and moved to Ohio with her mom.
Tammie Powers, mother, told the Modesto Bee that she thought the two were seeing each other again. After they moved away, Hooker called Jordan "relentlessly," she said.
"She left on her own. She hired a cab and booked her own flight," Tammie Powers said.
"It is awful," she said. "This is what pedophiles, predators do. They isolate them from family."
Neighbors say Powers moved back in recently.
Hooker was arrested on April 6 for allegedly having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old student he allegedly met at a high school conference in 1998. He entered a not guilty plea and remains out on bail.
After the break-up, Powers said Hooker had lied about the affair and the student had "lost everything for this guy" in the ABC interview.
"I lost my senior year. I gave up all my friends at high school because they didn't agree with me," she said.
In February, Hooker quit his job at James Enochs High School and left his wife and three children to be with Powers. She dropped out of high school. The two told national talk shows that they didn't have a sexual relationship until she turned 18. That point is under investigation.