I attended Back-to-School Night at my daughter’s high school last night.  It used to be my school, too; I taught English there for seven years. But last night I went simply as a mom. After almost two years, I’m ready to accept that it isn’t my place anymore.

Oh, sure. A friendly former colleague let me in the side door. And sure, I ended up chatting with most of the English department, at one point resting in someone’s classroom because my daughter’s daily trek, condensed into less than two hours, was too much for me.

And yes, I got hugs from teachers & students, a few of whom cornered me in the library, still sore about me leaving. I joked. I teased them and asked about their welfare. One kid said, “Same old Mrs. Landau,” and his friends nodded and laughed.

Years ago, someone remarked that my personality is the same in school, at home, at the supermarket… everywhere. My response? Of course!

Everywhere I go, I’m just me.

In any case, it was clear last night that I wasn’t “just” a random mom at that school; I’m still Mrs. Landau. And as of last week, I’m the notorious B-E-T-H.

Because Beth, I mean, I loudly react to certain things in our local newspaper, lately about a man who spouts bullshit and espouses bigotry and who is running for a seat on our local school board. A man who talks about starving the system without talking about learning. A man who says all sorts of inaccurate and misleading things year ’round that he keeps to himself when he’s running for school board.

And apparently I’m saying things other people wish they had the freedom to say. People who fear backlash if he does get on the board (*shudder*).

At the end of the night, I found myself semi-surrounded in the social studies wing answering the question: Wait–you’re the comment writer?

Yes. Yes I am, I admitted.  I think people in our district need to be reminded of this man’s school board intentions every time he gets a nonsensical and offensive editorial to print. Because that’s how it works. Now, November, next school year. Whenever and wherever he goes, he’s just him. That’s how it works.

They said, yessss! They said, you go, girl!

I said, I will, every time.Because I can. I don’t work here anymore, and I am not afraid.