A WOMAN revealed how her teacher groomed her before eventually moving her into her home.
Things took an even stranger turn for Brooke when she began an affair with the older woman’s husband.
A woman revealed how her teacher groomed her and eventually moved her into her home[/caption]
Speaking on the We’re All Insane podcast, Brooke shared the strange story, which began when she was placed in a special education class.
The young woman explained how both her parents were alcoholics and addicts, leading to what she described as a “traumatising and tumultuous childhood”.
After her dad died when she was a teen, Brooke said she felt “angry” and began acting out in school.
She began cursing at teachers and skipping class to smoke in the bathrooms.
At the age of 16, she was pulled from a Spanish class that she was failing and placed with an “emotional support teacher”.
Brooke recalled hearing that the teacher, who she came to know as Tammy, was a “bit of a b***h”.
However, she described the then 28-year-old as “very welcoming” and “cool”.
Soon, she found herself deliberately having more “emotional outbursts” because she wanted to spend more time with Tammy.
“I instantly loved her, I felt seen, someone was giving me attention,” she said.
Tammy would text her during class, look the other way when she spotted her with cigarettes, and even took her to an overeaters anonymous meeting, where they made fun of the other women.
When another teacher became aware of their extra-curricular time together, Tammy warned Brooke to keep their “friendship” a secret.
“I knew that this was inappropriate but I just didn’t care, I was 16 and somebody was paying attention to me,” she said.
Tammy even gave her the code to a staff entrance, allowing her to sneak out of the school whenever she wanted.
Brooke began babysitting her teacher’s two daughters and would even spend the night at her house.
During her final year of school, she “struggled” with her relationship with her mum and confided in a friend in the school hallway.
What is grooming and where to get help?
What is grooming?
According to the Metropolitan Police, “Grooming is when a person builds a relationship with a child, young person or an adult who’s at risk so they can abuse them and manipulate them into doing things.
“The abuse is usually sexual or financial, but it can also include other illegal acts.”
Types of grooming
Grooming can take place online or in person and it can happen over a short or long period of time – from days to years.
- Online and through social media
- In person
Signs of grooming
- Are they being secretive about how they’re spending their time?
- Do they have an older boyfriend or girlfriend?
- Do they have money or new things like clothes and mobile phones that they can’t or won’t explain?
- Are they drinking or taking drugs?
- Are they spending more or less time than usual online or on their devices?
- Do they seem upset or withdrawn?
- Are they using sexual language you wouldn’t expect them to know?
- Are they spending more time away from home or going missing for periods of time?
A person won’t know they’re being groomed, they will trust their abuser who is giving them lots of attention and gifts. Also, their groomer may have warned them not to talk to anyone about it.
How to get help and support
Grooming is an offence. If you suspect a person is being groomed, even if you’re not sure, please tell someone.
Is someone about to be attacked or hurt? Is a crime taking place right now? If yes, call 999 and ask for the police.
If it isn’t an emergency you can report grooming to the police on 101.
Charities and agencies:
Tammy overheard and reported Brooke’s mum to child protective services, causing more friction in their home.
“I think my mum felt like she was losing me to this woman,” she recalled.
Eventually, Brooke made the decision to move in with her aunt, who lived a short distance from Tammy.
She would spend most of her time at the older woman’s house, minding her kids and falling asleep on the couch together.
It was Brooke’s aunt who warned her not to go to Tammy’s house in leggings and T-shirt as it would be inappropriate in front of her husband, Scott, then 30.
“My gosh, if that wasn’t a vision into the future,” said Brooke.
She described how she became dependent on her friendship with Tammy, even improving her attendance and punctuality at school to spend more time with her.
“I felt very obsessed with her, I was like I want to hang out with this person or text her as much as I can, and find any reason to be around her and she seemed to eat that up,” she explained.
Tammy would do Brooke’s maths homework for her and slip her answers during tests.
After graduation, Tammy invited her former student to live with her family while she attended a local college.
I remember their oldest daughter, she was four at the time, was walking up the stairs and he throws covers over me and runs out the door.
Brooke
Tammy and Scott would let their “live-in nanny” drink despite being underage, and even got her to take photos of them while they posed naked on their frozen pool.
Brooke recalled how she found their behaviour “funny” but “a little strange”.
After snooping on their computer, she realised the couple were into swinging with their friends.
On one occasion, Tammy even had Brooke send a picture of her boobs to Scott.
She soon developed a close relationship with the older man, “trauma bonding” over losing their dads at a young age.
One day, while Brooke was texting him about a sporting rivalry, she jokingly told him to “suck it”.
When Scott replied “suck what?” she soon realised he was flirting with her.
The two started an affair, which lasted for a total of six weeks before they were caught.
While the pair didn’t have “full on sex”, they would sneak into Scott and Tammy’s bed and “mess around” whenever they got the chance.
“I remember their oldest daughter, she was four at the time, was walking up the stairs and he throws covers over me and runs out the door,” Brooke said as she recalled one incident.
She described how Tammy would often leave for the weekend, leaving her to act as her replacement.
Scott would tell her that he loved how she was so like his wife, and would share his eagerness to “take advantage” of her.
Feeling a distance growing between her and Tammy, Brooke said that she came to think that the “closest I can get to her is him”.
However, one day Brooke’s “entire world exploded” when Tammy intercepted a text that was meant for Scott.
She recalled how she didn’t want to hurt her, describing how she “loved her more than anybody”.
Tammy confronted her, asking her: “How dare you? After everything I’ve done for you, how dare you?”
She demanded Brooke move out immediately but eventually the couple reached out and tried to set up an open relationship.
After trying it for a short while, Brooke decided to call it quits and went no contact with both Tammy and Scott.
