I went to Tri-Cities Christian Academy, and honestly, my experience there was horrible. I'm writing…read morethis because I feel like people should know what my experience was actually like, and I never want anyone to feel as hopeless and scared as I did. The biggest issue I had was with the principal. When I was in 6th grade, I was accused of something I never did. Instead of actually listening to me, I was harshly interrogated and treated like I was a criminal. It genuinely felt like I was being treated like a murder suspect instead of a 6th grader. I kept telling them that I didn't do what I was accused of (because I hadn't), but I was pressured to confess anyway. The principal told me that if I didn't confess, "it was just going to get worse from there on out." I remember feeling extremely scared and powerless because I was a kid being confronted by an adult who had so much authority over me. What makes it even worse is that they had the opportunity to check my phone for evidence and chose not to. Even though they didn't check it, I was still suspended. I was basically punished for something I didn't do without being shown evidence that I had done it. The way I was pressured to confess is one of the biggest reasons this experience was so traumatic for me. I was being coerced into admitting to something that I knew I had not done. I was a 6th grader, and I did not feel like I had any power to stand up for myself against an adult in a position of authority. This affected me way beyond that one situation. I already had an anxiety disorder, but this experience made it 100 times worse. For the next three years, I had severe anxiety just walking past the principal or even going near the office. I would get so anxious on the way to school that I would get physically sick because I was so scared that I might even have to walk past him. Even having a simple conversation with him made me extremely anxious, and I would end up crying because I was so terrified of him, no matter what the conversation was about. Eventually, things got so bad that I had to leave the school. Another huge problem was the double standard for athletes. It felt like athletes could get away with things that other students would get in trouble for. Rules should be the same for everyone, regardless of whether someone is an athlete or not. For example, tattoos are against the student handbook, yet I have seen athletes who have tattoos. I also had serious concerns about racial treatment based on things I witnessed. I felt that some students were treated differently because of their race, which was extremely upsetting to see. As for the principal, my personal experience with him was that he was extremely intimidating and controlling. I felt bullied by someone who was supposed to be an adult I could trust. I'm not saying everyone will have the exact same experience I did, but this is what happened to me, and it had a lasting impact on my life. I was a child when all of this happened, and I don't think any 6th grader should be made to feel the way I did. Even now, I am still dealing with the consequences of what happened. This is not something that simply went away when I left the school. The fear and anxiety I experienced stayed with me, and I still have to deal with the effects of that experience today. Students deserve to feel safe, respected, and heard at school. No child should leave school feeling afraid of the adults who are supposed to be looking out for them.
