I found myself lost on campus today, somewhere between my past and my future; parking near lot A to give me plenty of room to breathe and walking a great distance to get to my first class. "How do I get to admissions" the student asked, as she passed me carrying several books and a mess of a schedule. I pointed in the direction of the building and then offered to help her with some of her things. The first few days of school can be intimidating and if you've never taken college classes before, even more overwhelming. I learned her life's story in a matter of ten minutes as we walked to the building together and found out she was a psychology major hoping to take some creative writing classes to explore her creative side. I suggested she'd take on of my classes and then offered email addresses to several literature and writing professors on campus who offer other classes as well. She took down my information before proceeding into the administration building as I handed off her things and wished her well. The day would have been so much better if it ended there.
I went on my way, up the pathways to the back buildings where my lecture class awaited my arrival for a class full of insight and thought. I made it a habit to warn my students the first day of class, of what they could expect every day and how to handle it. At 8:05 in the morning, I had sent the entire roster an email stating that today's lecture will be about bullying and briefly explained how such an act of hatred can lead to horrible outcomes. I asked each student to bring something of theirs that reminded them of a time they were bullied because in class we were going to discuss it and do something with them afterwards. In case you are no familiar with my teaching style, I can be somewhat unorthodox and unconventional, at times causing controversy and stirring opinions both on campus and off. I had this master plan with an intent to inspire others but as you will soon find out, that backfired.
Take a class of 300, divide it by 15 protestors, 4 angry parents of spoiled brats and 1 very mean girl who's first day of college was today. I won't ramble on like I have in the past because I am honestly not in the mood today. Maybe I will come back to this blog and add more later but here are the facts of the day in one quick blurb....
I found out that the girl I helped with her books, either planned or in pure irony, is the daughter of a woman I went to high school with. If you want to know how far high school drama goes, try letting it follow you for over 20 years! Turns out I somehow humiliated her mom in high school by not stopping a rumor about her which turned out to be 100% false. I didn't start the rumor, nor was I the one who spread it, I was just asked if it was true and I never said "NO." Talk about holding grudges! This woman has been plotting against me since we were 18 and now her daughter managed to come into my school, went to admissions and claimed I sexually harassed her. So within that brief walk from my car to my class, I am now under investigation and suspended from teaching until further notice. The 15 protesters are apparently other students who claim the same false accusations of me and ironically all of them are past students who failed my class or I have had some sort of relationship with. Seems to be my own stupidity that led me here but either way, I feel defeated. Got into my class and felt like I was on trial, with glares and looks of disappointment. Talk about a class about bullying and its effects, how's that for trivial? I was allowed to teach my class with the Dean observing the lecture but I chose not to...I had nothing more to say.
