The principal asks to speak with me, sending me into a spiral of oh-shits and what-the-hells. “It’s about an email,” she says, fumbling with her office keys. My mind replays the nasty parent email last night, the nasty colleague email yesterday. Adrenaline zings. Fingers go numb. Internal frenzy stirs a litany of excuses and apologies for my possibly unprofessional replies. Mind whirls through the write-up I’ll receive, the grievance I could file. She says “It’s not okay to treat a teacher that way.” She says “I wanted to check that you were okay.” I leave taller. Lighter. Sighing with relief.
Jenny Morelli is a NJ high school English teacher who lives with her husband, cat, myriad yard pets, and a menagerie of stories inside her mind. jennymorelliwrites.com Facebook: @jenny.morelli.90 Instagram: @jennymorelli1230