I looked from face to face and realized they were going to sandpaper me down into a stereotype right there in that room.
Angry.
Difficult.
Unprofessional.
That old trick.
Make the harmed person sound dangerous enough and suddenly whatever you do to them feels reasonable.
When I pushed back, Morrison made a note.
When I cried, she made a note.
When I said this whole hearing had been timed right before the public board meeting on purpose, the lawyer said the timing was coincidental.
That was almost funny.
Almost.
Then came the actual threat.
Withdraw voluntarily, they said.
Personal reasons.
Clean transcript.
Quiet exit.
Or refuse, and they could move toward formal dismissal for conduct issues.
Conduct issues would follow me.
To other schools.
To licensing reviews.
To the rest of my life.
I walked out shaking so badly I had to sit on a bench outside the administration building before my legs gave out under me.
Students passed.
Some recognized me from the videos.
A few whispered.
One girl offered me water.
I couldn’t even thank her properly.
I just sat there staring at my phone until the screen blurred.
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