School Daze

Maxine Moline, a recent immigrant to New York City, ventured into the South Bronx to accept a teaching position. It was a move she was not exactly prepared for. She was from a small island country where high school education was an expensive privilege, and she attended a high school where the code of conduct was strictly enforced. What Maxine found in the New York City public school system was corruption that threatened to derail everything that had been instilled by her upbringing. She found herself in a desperate struggle to hold on to her principles while maintaining high academic standards. It was no simple battle. She was operating in a system where cheating on examinations was not only commonplace, it was subtly endorsed and encouraged. So too was social promotion; a willingness to engage in social promotion was one of the keys to a successful teaching career. Time and time again Maxine found herself having to choose between her job and her principles, and she always gave up teaching rather than trample on her principles and sacrifice her integrity.