Stonehouse teacher taught suicide pilot (From Stroud News and Journal)

Stonehouse teacher taught suicide pilot

A SPORTS teacher from Stonehouse who taught the Florida suicide crash boy pilot is gaining more experience than he bargained for on his teacher exchange visit to the USA.

Andy Pitt, 33, is currently teaching at East Lake High School in Tarpon Springs, Florida, having gained one of the internationally renown Fulbright teacher exchange posts.

Having arrived in America, just four weeks before the day of the September 11 attacks, he then went on to teach teenage suicide pilot Charles Bishop team sports for 18 weeks.

The troubled 15-year-old was killed on Saturday, January 5, when he flew a light aircraft into the Bank of America building in Tampa Bay.

But contrary to recent reports, his exchange partner Judy Barrett, who has taken over his post at Cirencester College is sure that Mr Pitt is coping well.

"I was amazed to hear reports of Andy being traumatised," said Ms Barrett. "East Lake High is an excellent school, the only grade A high school in Pinellas county.

"And all this about Charles Bishop being a loner, he was just a brand new student like any other."

Andy Pitt and Judy Barrett who met in Washington DC have swapped their jobs and homes for the 12 month exchange.

More than 2,000 teachers applied from around the world for only 200 sought after Fulbright teacher exchange places.

"We will never be able to explain what happened with Charles Bishop," said Ms Barrett.

"He rang his friends that morning and said: 'Watch the news, I am going to be on the news tonight.' It is inexplicable but I'm sure that Andy is doing just fine."