Chapter 3

I had to proctor the AP US History exam the next morning. I couldn't deal with the PTA Facebook group anymore.

"Believe what you want," I typed, my fingers stiff. Then I logged off, turning my phone to silent. My apartment felt cold.

Sleep was impossible. Every notification I didn't see felt like another stone thrown.

The morning light felt harsh. I forced myself to check my phone before heading to the community college where the APUSH exam was being held.

Dozens of abusive messages. Voicemails filled with hate.

A text from Mr. Rodriguez, the AP Physics teacher, a good colleague. "Sarah, be careful. Heard some parents are planning to protest at your proctoring site today. Karen Thompson is leading it."

My blood ran cold. Protest?

I drove to the community college, my hands gripping the wheel. The campus was usually quiet on exam days, just nervous students and stressed proctors.

Not today.

As I walked towards the assigned hall, I saw them. Karen Thompson stood at the front, a megaphone in her hand. About a dozen other parents were with her, holding hastily made signs.

"SARAH MILLER CHEATS THE SYSTEM!"

"FIRE UNFAIR TEACHERS!"

"PROTECT OUR KIDS FROM CORRUPTION!"

Karen raised the megaphone. Her voice, amplified and distorted, boomed across the quad. "Sarah Miller is a disgrace! She leaks exam answers! She takes bribes! She needs to be fired NOW!"

Students heading into the APUSH exam hall stared, eyes wide. Some looked scared, others confused. This was a disaster.

I tried to walk past them, head down, but they swarmed.

"Shame on you!"

"You' re ruining our kids' chances!"

Inside the exam hall, the testing coordinator, Ms. Albright, looked pale. The noise from outside was clearly audible.

"Sarah, I... I think it' s best if you don' t proctor today," she said, her voice low. "We need to maintain exam security and a calm environment."

The disruption was targeted, vicious. It was happening right when students were supposed to be focusing on their DBQ essays, the most critical part of the APUSH exam. Those parents, in their frenzy, were hurting other people's children.

Ms. Albright gestured to another teacher. "Mr. Henderson will take over."

Humiliation washed over me. I nodded, unable to speak.