Risking it All

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In the spring of 2000, Heather Ingram, a 30-year-old high school teacher in a small town on the coast of British Columbia, was convicted of the sexual exploitation of a minor for having an affair with a 17-year-old student. Why would a highly respected and accomplished teacher take such a risk? Ingram was one of the most popular and highly regarded teachers at Chatelech Secondary School in Sechelt, B.C. At home, however she felt trapped in an unhappy relationship that was undermining her self-confidence. At school, Ingram found herself more and more drawn to a rebellious young student in her accounting class. She tells how what began as a mild flirtation developed into a powerful attraction and then into a relationship of several years' duration, which had the full support of the boy's family. Ingram also describes the pain of going public with the affair, her trial and conviction, the ten months she spent under house arrest, and the aftermath.

Heather E. Ingram received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Simon Fraser University and a degree in education from the University of British Columbia. She taught high school for five years and now works as an office administrator for an environmental consulting firm. She lives in Gibsons, British Columbia.