"I was set up," Lena says. Visibly upset, Lena is in Principal Chapman's office pacing in front of his desk, not even hearing his offer for her to sit down.
"When you brought me on board," Lena continues, "I was very clear to you that I need to work in an environment that supports a policy of acceptance and tolerance. I was completely ambushed last night. It was a gang of them; they were insensitive and downright close-minded to seeing anything but their way."
"As an administration," Principal Chapman says, "we do support a policy of acceptance however, I have no control over the ideas and beliefs of every parent who sends their child here."
"They told me not to bring that 'stuff' here," Lena says directly at Principal Chapman. "Do they realize that that 'stuff' saves kids lives? It saved me as I mucked through adulthood trying to resolve and accept all of my differences because I didn't have those resources when I was in grammar school, middle school or high school. And it's not just about me; this approach has been proven to work."
"It's a public school, Lena, not RICH Academy in the next district," Principal Chapman says. "Families aren't hand-picked here nor do they pay thousands of dollars to be in a sheltered environment where both F-words are never uttered. We're not perfect; we do our best."
"And all I'm trying to do is make resources available – age-appropriate resources – to our children so that they'll think twice about being a bully and prevent other children from being bullied," Lena defends. "A little diversity training on all levels of our school would do us some good too. From parents and guardians to teachers and administration; from support and auxiliary staff to food services and facilities management, we all need to be together on this. There are 1,000 kids in the school so we need all the grown up eyes we have to keep them safe."
"Then continue doing your job," Principal Chapman says.
" What?"
"Please," Principal Chapman says and gestures to his guest chair. Lena tentatively settles into it.
"When I hired you, you came to me with your lofty ideas and visions about how to make Public School a better place, not just as a teacher but as a future administrator. Oh, and by the way," Principal Chapman says wagging a pencil at Lena, "no one said it was going to be easy. Maybe, you need to be more open."
"What?"
"In order for dialogue to happen and for ideas to be implemented, all sides need to be heard. Listen to them, understand where they're coming from, let them know that their views are just as important. You'll create a bridge much faster than trying to break down a dam. I believe in you. Now do your job."