Reader: Courtney Bowles was a good teacher, and I was gobsmacked by charges against her

It seems like all of you are forgetting that kids these days are having sex out of the gate at 13...so if we're not willing to change the way we talk to kids about sex and teaching them to wait, then how are we supposed to arm them with the knowledge that they can defend themselves and say no. There is no justification for Courtney's actions. She will get what is coming to her, but as a parent AND a former sexual abuse and rape victim, it is my responsibility to raise my children to understand the difference between right and wrong. We've skewed the lines of responsibility to here...that kid had probably had sex so many times before Courtney came along, what..other than her position and age makes it so much worse? Like I said, nothing makes this right, but just assuming we can blast her to oblivion and not look at the picture as a whole just shows how much as a people we have degraded right vs. wrong.

The other thing I want to say to 'still messed up', it's never to late to get help. In general we have the ability to grow and reform our way of thinking. Don't live in the world of victimization. You have the ability to heal from this and use the experience to help others. If you live the life of a victim forever, you'll miss the potential of taking something that was horrific and turning it into something that can save a life...

Sex with kids is WRONG....PERIOD.

That kind of abuse to a child will shape his social skills for the rest of his life. I know from personal experience. My abuser was ten years older than me at the age of 14. At the time, it was the most exciting and scary and confusing experience one could imagine. But it shaped how I view all adult women… as sexual beings first. Never told anyone so I could get some help processing what happened. Like most boys, it was a dream, and a nightmare, come true. I regret that I never had the chance to “grow up” normally and learn how to establish normal boundaries and respect women for the intelligent people that most of them are. That kid will be messed up the rest of his life if he doesn’t get some counseling. I wish I had.

Juniper, would you say the same if this was a man?

She is a child predator. Period.

Courtney may very well be a good teacher and at one time a good person however she was found at a park after hours with liquor and a 16 year old boy, not a man but a boy. She "preyed" on her victim and yes she is a sexual predator. Just because she is a good teacher does not mean she is a good person. She was a trusted school teacher and she broke that trust by crossing a line that should NEVER be crossed. No one is attaching Ms Bowles they are just stating the facts as they have been presented and as for character the snapshot of her life tells it all.

I too, have known Ms. Bowles in a professional and educational capacity. When I first heard of the incident, I would have fiercely argued that the charges were incorrect. Shocked and devastated does not even begin to describe how I have felt since first learning of the charges against her on Tuesday. She is a professional individual who works hard for her career and her family. She does NOT appear to be a reckless individual, and while I cannot defend what she did, I can defend who she is. I have read countless accounts of how she "preyed" on her victim and that she is a sex predator, as if she maliciously preys on all of her students. I do not believe this to be true. Courtney will have to face the consequences of her actions both lawfully and professionally. I feel bad for both the student in this situation and the Bowles family. No one wins here, but attacking Ms Bowles and making judgments about her character based on a snapshot of her life doesn't seem appropriate.