Honorable Choices

Description

The war in Afghanistan was easy compared to being the new principal of the George W. Bush Middle School in upstate New York. Matt Collins has on his plate his discovery that teachers are changing the answers of their student's standardized tests in order to increase the scores. The Superintendent of Schools seems to condone the practice. What choice does Matt have? His Assistant Principal wants to discredit him because he lost the position that was given to Matt. What choice does Matt have? What would you do if a student enters your school with a loaded gun? Matt has to make a critical choice. Matt has to find a way to deal with his own PTSD as he provides the necessary structure and leadership needed to run a large middle school. He has a choice to discipline two fourteen year old students found having oral sex? The girl being the President of the Board of Education's daughter and the boy being the son of the PTA President. The choice between an appropriate penalty or bending to political pressure is the quandary he faces. Matt creates and establishes a "Code of Conduct" for student discipline. Three other school principals in nine years had failed to alter poor student behavior. Does Matt have a chance? How will the staff and kids react? Matt has to discipline a teacher whose husband owns and edits the town's only newspaper. What choice does he have.? How does he handle the repercussions of bad press? Perhaps the most important of Matt's concerns is the start of a loving relationship with a guidance counselor in his school. What will the teachers say? What will his superiors say? What will the people of the small town say? He has many choices to make and many problems to solve in this first year of being a school principal. Above all, can he stay true to his principles What are his choices?