This Is How They Responded

Not long after I raised this serious concern, I was called into a Google meeting with my direct supervisor and a high-ranking administrator. 

But the issue I had flagged? They didn't even mention it. 

I had to bring it up myself- calmly, professionally. They showed no intention of addressing it. Instead, the conversation quickly turned towards me.

I was told that I appeared "unempathetic" and "unapproachable"- not to them, but to my students. No names. No specific examples. Just a vague criticism, dropped like a warning.

I responded clearly, "My students reviews speak for themselves " 

And in that moment, they backed off. The tone shifted. The accusation didn't hold- because it couldn't. 

When I attempted to explain what had been happening with the two students in question- facts I had written down- they interrupted me. I wasn't angry or emotional. I was prepared. They didn't want to hear it.

My supervisor then added something else: that some of my students might be poor, or even homeless, and were just trying to get by. 

That may very well be true. And I deeply empathize with anyone facing those kinds of challenges- because I lived it. I grew up poor. I know exactly what that struggle feels like. 

But hardships don't excuse threats, disruptions, or dangerous behavior- especially in a clinical setting where patient safety and professional accountability matter. There is a difference between offering grace and abandoning standards. And a difference between compassion and allowing chaos. 

The administrator barely looked at me. She spent much of the 50-minute meeting eating, avoiding eye contact, speaking casually, appearing disinterested, and at times outright ignoring me.

Then came the final move. I was told I might consider being less strict. I replied professionally and directly, that I may appear stricter simply because I was one of the few instructors who actually enforced standards. Other instructors often looked the other way, even for outrageous behavior.

My supervisor didn't deny it. In fact, she admitted that I was the only one who consistently filled out class conduct forms- the exact process we were all expected to follow.

And then, she lied.

During that same meeting, she denied pressuring me multiple times to accept into my class a student I had already dismissed for behavioral issues. But I clearly remember those conversations and felt the pressure.

That meeting wasn't about solutions.  It was about control.

It didn't work.

What they didn't know was that I had already begun keeping notes.

-- K