In case you were interested:
I finished the account of the anonymous attack on my reputation and career in 2007.
It was also an attack on Elysha’s and my principal’s reputations and careers.
Unbelievably so.
I wrote 96 posts on my Substack — more than 150,000 words in all — which my agent and I will now convert into a book proposal, hoping a publisher will purchase it this year.
If you choose to read, forgive me for being repetitive at times. It’s hard to keep track of things when you write every day on a topic for more than three months without taking a break. But the book will be better written and contain many facts and details not yet disclosed on the Substack.
Also, if you’d like to stay abreast of developmentsin the story, subscribe to my Substack for additional updates. Since I’ve finished the story, lots of information has continued to surface, including:
- The discovery of a referral to the attorney general’s office in 2007
- Specific information regarding the identity of two co-conspirators
- Interviews with three parents possessing information from the time
I’m also collecting documents from that time, both from my attorney and other sources.
It’s quite the growing story, and I will update readers when I have something organized and relevant to say.
What surprises me the most is this:
None of the people responsible for this awful bit of business has ever apologized for their actions.
Maybe I’m being silly, but after 18 years, could they really still believe that what they did was right?
Could they still be standing behind their decision to anonymously attempt to end my career?
And Elysha’s and my principal’s careers, too?
Elysha?
I can’t imagine that with hindsight and perspective, they don’t see their actions as anything but regrettable.
And if so, why not apologize?
If one of the people involved came to me tomorrow and said, “Eighteen years ago, I made a terrible mistake. I’m very sorry,” I would thank the person for their courage and genuinely forgive them. It was an awful thing to do, and it upended our lives for a long time, but I also understand that people can make bad decisions. They can be influenced by bad actors. They can allow emotions to overwhelm logic and decency.
It’s happened to me. Not to such a scale, but I get it.
Could I have forgiven them in 2007?
Absolutely not. Too raw and too painful.
In 2010?
Probably not. I was still too upset about things.
But almost two decades later?
After a long and successful teaching career?
After two happy, joyous, unbelievable decades?
Yes, forgiveness would be easy.
I might ask why they did it. I might ask what they were thinking at the time. But that would be it.
Apology accepted. Thank you for your courage and integrity. You’re better than most.
After all, some of them were my friends back then.
Colleagues with whom I worked side by side.
Some still work in my school district today.
Doesn’t the knowledge of their actions in 2007 wear on them?
I know. I’m being naive. Being surprised that no one has apologized is pie-in-the-sky, Pollyanna nonsense. Why apologize when you can quietly live your life, holding onto a secret that isn’t much of a secret anymore? Easier to remain in the shadows than step into the sun.
I know who most of them are — and probably all of them. Secrets are difficult to keep. Conspiracies are difficult to maintain. People promise allegiance but eventually talk. After nearly two decades, the cracks are wide, and information is flowing.
But who knows? They might still despise me all these years later.
They might still wish for my demise.
They might still regret not doing more to end my career in the spring and summer of 2007.
I hope not, but some people can really hold a grudge.
Either way, much more to come. For now, 150,000 words await if you’d like to read.
And if you’re one of the thousands who were reading day to day as I wrote, from all over the world, thank you. An author loves nothing more than an audience of readers, clamoring for the next chapter, and the number of emails, messages, and the like that I received in response to each post was surprising.
Sadly, others have dealt with similar struggles. Anonymous attacked. Reputations smeared. And in many cases, jobs were lost.
I heard from many of them as I wrote this story.
It turns out I got lucky. The overwhelming support of parents and colleagues, combined with the wisdom and expertise of my attorney, saved me.
Many people did not enjoy a similar fate.
