Teacher lied to pupils about being shot in war zone. #Teacher #Ewell #BBCNews
A math teacher named Alexandra Slay was banned from teaching after fabricating stories about being shot while serving in the Australian Army. She told students she had been shot in the abdomen, gone into cardiac arrest, and used fake military personas to text pupils. She was caught in August 2023 when her messages were found on a student's phone.
Summary
Alexandra Slay, a 34-year-old math teacher at Epsom and Ewell High School, has been indefinitely banned from teaching following a disciplinary hearing that exposed an elaborate series of lies she told her students. Slay, who had been working at the school since 2016, fabricated a story about serving in the Australian Army and claimed she had been shot in the abdomen, requiring emergency surgery — a claim that was entirely false.
Her deceptive behavior extended well beyond the initial lie. Slay went so far as to text students while posing as a military captain, and told them she had suffered a cardiac arrest and flatlined. During the pandemic, she also reached out to students via text to share musical recommendations, pictures of hot chocolates and dogs, and personal diary entries, blurring professional boundaries in a significant way.
In perhaps the most dramatic element of her fabrications, Slay sent letters to her pupils intended to be opened in a 'worst case scenario,' which read: 'If I am gone in person, know that I was doing a brave thing.' This language reinforced her false military narrative and appeared designed to elicit emotional responses from students.
Slay was ultimately caught in August 2023 after her texts and emails were discovered on a pupil's phone. When confronted, she admitted she had not been involved in any fighting, and offered an explanation for her behavior, stating: 'That was wrong. I made up the lie to feel that I belong. Was part of the world.' A disciplinary hearing subsequently banned her from teaching indefinitely.
Key Insights
- Alexandra Slay told pupils she had been shot in the abdomen while serving in the Australian Army and required emergency surgery, a claim that was entirely fabricated.
- Slay impersonated a military captain by texting students and falsely claimed she had gone into cardiac arrest and flatlined.
- During the pandemic, Slay sent students personal messages including musical recommendations, pictures of hot chocolates and dogs, and personal diary entries, significantly overstepping professional boundaries.
- Slay sent students letters to be opened in a 'worst case scenario' which read 'If I am gone in person, know that I was doing a brave thing,' reinforcing her false military narrative.
- When caught, Slay admitted her lies were motivated by a desire for belonging, stating 'I made up the lie to feel that I belong. Was part of the world.'
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] A math teacher has been banned after lying to her students about being shot while serving in the Australian Army. Alexandra Slay told pupils at Epsom and Ule High School she had been shot in the abdomen and required emergency surgery. But her lies went further. She used to text students pretending to be a captain in the military and told them she had gone into cardiac arrest and flatlined and even reached out to students via text during the pandemic to send them musical recommendations, pictures of hot chocolates and dogs as well as personal [0:31] diary entries. The 34year-old, who had been working at the school since 2016, also sent letters to her pupils to be opened…
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