Jason's Story
Copyright© 2025 by writer 406
Chapter 26
Principal Jessica Hart sat across from Jason on the verge of tears. His termination letter lay on the desk between them. She’d called him in early, before the building filled with students and staff, because she couldn’t bear the thought of him having to walk out with everybody watching.
“Jason, I want you to know that this decision...” She paused, struggling to find words that wouldn’t sound like empty platitudes. “This wasn’t about your teaching. Your students’ engagement levels, their analytical thinking development, their academic growth—all of it exceeded anything I’ve seen in twenty years of administration.”
Jason sat quietly, his expression unreadable. She had expected anger, or at least frustration. Instead, he seemed almost calm.
“The life skills program you created was important,” she continued. “Ironically, now that it’s no longer here, I expect parents will be calling me, asking when we’ll offer similar programming.”
She looked down at the termination letter, then back at him. “And we’re firing you because some board members got phone calls from parents who didn’t like that you brought in an accountant to talk about school loans.”
“Mrs. Hart—”
“No, let me finish.” Her voice carried a ragged edge of frustration. “Do you know what the board’s primary concern was? Not student outcomes. Not educational effectiveness. Not whether you were actually helping young people develop critical thinking skills.”
She leaned forward. “Their concern was ‘message consistency’ and ‘avoiding controversy.’ They were worried about how it would look if word got out that Capitol Hills High School was ‘steering students away from college.’”
Jason finally spoke. “I understand the political pressures they’re under.”
“Do you?” she snapped. “Because I’m damn sure I don’t. I became an educator because I believed in real education that prepares students for successful adult lives. You were providing exactly that, and I have this letter terminating you because it made some people uncomfortable.”
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