Appreciation post for a librarian who warned me about a censorship trap

Back in high school, our librarian Mrs. Chen told me not to sign a petition for a "student speech" club. She said the principal was using it to track who'd argue against the dress code policy. 3 months later, everyone who signed got suspended for "disruptive behavior" during a pep rally. Has anyone else had a school official give you a quiet heads up like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

grant7281mo ago

Didn't Mrs. Chen basically save your whole high school career with that one tip? My shop teacher Mr. Hanks once pulled me aside and told me to drop a "volunteer" tutoring program before I signed up because it was actually a detention alternative for kids who failed exams. Stuff like that makes you realize how much small warnings from adults can totally change your path without you even knowing it at the time.

kai_bennett1mo ago

Three weeks before graduation my senior year, the guidance counselor Ms. Patel told me to quietly ignore the "senior survey" they were handing out in homeroom. She said it asked stuff about who we'd partied with and where, and those answers were getting shared with the school resource officer. @grant728 you are dead on about those small warnings changing your path without you knowing. I dodged a whole investigation that got three kids searched for weed they didn't even have. Mrs. Chen and Ms. Patel knew the system was stacked and tipped us off anyway.