Partners In Crime
Posted by admin | Filed under News
During our recent stay at the school, I had a long conversation with Miss Rose (not to be confused with Headmistress Rose), one of the dedicated young teachers at the school. Miss Rose, a bright spot on campus who laughs easily, guides the students with a firm loving hand, and who expressed her gratitude to Maasai School 121 saying, “We know you care about us. Your care and concern is so encouraging to us and gives us energy to teach and to give more hours to the students above and beyond what we are paid for. Thank you so much.”
She told me about her previous teaching position and her story is one example of how injustice and poverty are “partners in crime”. Part of the conversation went like this:
You mean they didn’t pay you?
Noooo.
For how long?
Several months.
How can they do that?
When we teachers confronted them [administrators], they said, “Go ahead and quit. There are so many recent college graduates with no jobs who would love to take your places. We will have no problem replacing you.”
Did you ever receive your back pay?
No, no. And this was a private school with the parents paying high tuition. The students pleaded with me to stay saying, “We need you. Please don’t leave us.” But how could I stay? Justice. Is. Powerful.