from www.examiner.com – Tiffany Lea Shepherd of Okeechobee, Florida claims that she was fired from her 4-year classroom position as a biology and science teacher at Port St. Lucie High School because of her second job serving drinks on a charter fishing boat while wearing a bikini, as reported by the New York Daily News, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, TC Palm, Zimbio, and other media sites.
However, the school district which serves 40,000 students claims that the now 33-year-old Ms. Shepherd was dismissed for excessive absences, missing more than 30 teaching days during the last school year she was employed, and two reprimands for undisclosed reasons in her personnel file.
After she was fired, the 5′-7″, 126 pound teacher claims that she send out 2,500 resumes, but could not find another job, either as a teacher, or even working for minimum wages.
Things soon went from bad to worse as her comfortable life started to deteriorate. She lost custody of two of her three children to her ex-husband, was evicted from two south Florida apartments for getting behind in her rent payments, and ended up spending a night in the St. Lucie County Jail after being arrested for allegedly threatening her former boyfriend’s new girlfriend, charges which were eventually dismissed.
Following the advice of a friend, the attractive, fair haired woman with an hourglass 34-26-33 inch figure took on the persona of her alter ego, Leah Lust, went to Hollywood, California, and began appearing in several hard core pornographic movies.
It may be ironic that one of her movies was released by Naughty America, in their “My First Sex Teacher” series. The simple plot was about a student who hands in badly done homework, but is offered an “A” if he treats his teacher, played by Ms. Shepherd, the “right way.”
The former real life teacher claims that she was not aware of the story line or title when she sighed up for the role. “I’m livid about that one. It wasn’t supposed to be about a teacher and a student. I didn’t even know the name of the film until I saw it online.”
Her reaction to her new found career is also somewhat surprising. As she puts it, “I’m not particularly proud of it. To be honest, I hate it. I’m an educated woman, but I never thought it would come to this. No one gets brought up thinking they’ll be a floozy.”
In addition to acting in at least five films, Ms. Shepherd also appears on some interactive webcam sites that cater to responding to fantasy requests by those who are online.
She also owns a business called “A Girl With A Gun Mobile Spray Tanning”, which claims to be a safe alternative to tanning salons. Shepherd also works as a photographer’s model doing artistic posing, advertising her availability on a site called Model Mayhem.
While she may have strayed far from the classroom and her teaching profession, she is also a good example of someone who has followed the maxim, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”