(I’m responsible for adding pictures to our school’s webpage. My former principal was insistent that he approve every photo before I posted it.)

Principal: “You added photos to the webpage yesterday.”

Me: “Yes.”

Principal: “Didn’t I tell you that I had to approve every picture you posted?”

Me: “Yes… but you sent those pictures to me. I didn’t think they needed to be approved.”

Principal: “It doesn’t matter.”

Me: “So, when you send me pictures for the website, I have to send them back to you for approval?”

Principal: “Yes.”

(I think he’d just forgotten that he was the one who sent them to me, and didn’t want to admit being wrong. Still, every time he emailed me photos, I’d send them right back to him for approval. It was never withheld.)

(It is the last week of a 13-week semester at our very small college. The college has no dedicated study space and our one-room library is packed. Through diligent outreach efforts, the other librarian and I have increased the number of students we serve by 400% over the last four semesters. I get this email from the vice-president of the college.)

Vice-President: “I hear it is too noisy in the library. Students are complaining. I need you and [Other Librarian] to come to a meeting tomorrow at 10:00 am to explain why it is so noisy.”

Me: “I’m sorry; this week is our busiest week of the semester. We have about 150 students in the library right now, and there are no down times throughout the day. We cannot possibly be away from the library at this time. Could you find a time next week when we could meet?”

(The vice-president then proceeds to send me a 500-word essay on the importance of quiet. Then the principal, who has been cc’d in our emails, sends his own essay about how “in the old days,” libraries were quiet places, and asking “what’s wrong with kids nowadays?”)

Me: *to other librarian* “You’d think they’d realize that if there are 150 students packed into one room, it is going to be loud!”

(I’m a teacher at a middle school. Every Wednesday, the teachers typically stay after school for about an hour for a meeting. It’s mid-December, right before the winter break, and the principal’s voice comes over the intercom at the end of the day:)

Principal: “Teachers, you have been given the gift of time! There will be no meeting today, and it’s a beautiful day, so go home and do something nice for yourselves. I know you’re all busy this time of year, so take the hour for whatever you like. I need to make an announcement about parking tomorrow.” *explains details of parking situation* “Sorry for the inconvenience. Now, GO PLAY IN THE SUNSHINE!”

(I love my boss.)

(I am in class when the principal addresses the school over the intercom.)

Principal: “Attention, students. I have just received a notice from the police department. They’ve chased a man who’s been evading them to the woods behind the school.”

(Here he gives a brief description of the man, and mentions the fact he’s wanted for several violent crimes: armed robbery, assault and battery, etc. It’s clear this is a very dangerous man, and we all assume we’re going into lockdown.)

Principal: “If you leave the school building, go directly to your car and be vigilant on your way to the parking lot. Thank you.”

(Stunned silence. In order to get to the parking lot you have to walk right past the woods, where the man is apparently hiding. We all can’t believe the principal is not only not going into lockdown, but is allowing students to leave the building. Eventually, the principal comes back on the intercom and says that the police have the man in custody. After school I stop at a convenience store down the road where I regularly chat with the cashier.)

Cashier: “Did you guys have a safety demonstration at school today?”

Me: “No. Why?”

Cashier: “There were a bunch of police cars coming down the road toward the school a few hours ago, and they had the SWAT van, too. I didn’t hear that anything serious was going on, so I figured maybe they were showing off to you guys?”

(So, to recap. This man was so dangerous that the police had to send the SWAT TEAM and half the force to bring him in, and the principal didn’t even lock the front door. He also allowed students to leave the building during an active police operation. I can’t possibly see how that could go wrong.)

(I am in my animation class during a recess break and want to show my teacher a new video from a 3D animator I like. This teacher is very lax about students using computers in the classroom to work, research, or play games.)

Me: “Hey, [Teacher], check out this new video [Animator] put out!”

Teacher: “Oh, wow, this looks pretty interesting.” *another student calls for assistance* “Keep it playing; let me go help someone really quick.”

(My teacher goes to the front of the room to help someone else. I am in the middle rows, and at the back rows are several boys gathered around, playing some form of Grand Theft Auto. At this time, I am the only Asian student in the room. The vice principal walks into the room and goes around the back, looking over all students’ shoulders at their screens, and immediately comes up to me.)

Vice-Principal: “What do you think you’re doing? Do you think this sort of thing is appropriate for class?” *rips out my flash drive from the computer* “Give me that! I’ll be confiscating this thing and examining everything on this. You should know better.”

(The vice principal left without even checking or making note of my name to keep with my drive. My teacher wasn’t even aware that the vice principal had come in, and when I told him what happened he was just as confused as I was. He even asked the group of boys playing GTA if they got in trouble, and they said no. A week later my teacher managed to talk to the vice principal and get my flash drive back. All he could tell me was that the vice principal said, “Sorry, I was in a bad mood.” Over the next three years of high school I learned that particular vice principal was very racist towards Asian students. Even when he noticed multiple students “breaking rules,” like wearing hats or using earphones, he only confiscated things from Asian students. Two students were standing side by side, both clearly wearing earphones, but only the Asian student was reprimanded. If any student was to try to reclaim their items at the end of the week, there was no further security to make sure they got their own item back. If you lost expensive earphones, guess what? Earphones are earphones; take one and leave. This is the same vice principal that accused me of doing cocaine because I had long nails!)