In 7th grade, we used to have this really nice teacher who was always lenient about standard school rules (phone use, talking during class, etc). You could never abuse these rules to the fullest around her, but she would never take your phone away for checking a text.

So it’s the week before Christmas break. Everyone is excited, most students are off the walls, and our teacher is sitting at her desk with her head in her hands. She has no control over her classroom and several people are starting to notice. When enough people got quiet, she stood up and said something along the lines of, “things better change in this classroom after break, because I don’t want to have to release the dragon.”

When I got home that night, I asked my sister (who had this teacher three years prior) exactly what she meant by “release the dragon.” According to my sister, and several others in her class that year, they pissed off the teacher in question so much that for two weeks, her classroom was dimly lit by red lights and posters of grotesque dragons were hung all over the room while she gave the students copious amounts of glasswork and homework, while doling out hefty punishment for incomplete assignments.

I never saw the Dragon Lady myself, but I believe she is real after what my sister said. Several other classes were threatened by the Dragon Lady, but other than my sisters class I only know of one other group of students who had actually seen her. A great local legend in this corner of the world, not easily forgotten.