"I never expected to be ATTACKED for trying to make someone's life richer by sharing my knowledge of mathematics with him, yet that's exactly what I encountered in Dannevirke."
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Swimming in the Cesspool by Gregg Smith Veritas Books
book review by C.D.
Gregg Smith never failed at anything. He attended the US Air Force Academy, earned degrees in mathematics and engineering, lived and worked in seven different countries, and even conquered the art of clowning. But his textbook style work subtitled "An American Teacher's Nightmare Encounter with New Zealand Secondary Education," reveals the shocking tale of Smith's mid-life career change, wherein ultimately the author's ensuing teaching experience at Dannevirke High School could be classified as a catastrophic failure with a capital F.
Anyone who has attempted to bring order to a classroom of unruly students, can surely relate to Smith's plight. The author's candid story brings to mind the docu-drama "Dangerous Minds," wherein an ex-marine struggles to connect with the inner city youth she's been hired to teach. Unfortunately in Smith's case there is no triumphant Hollywood ending. In vivid detail Smith recounts the verbal abuse, physical assaults, sexual harassment, and mob-like intimidation he suffered at the hands of students, parents, and the Dannevirke community. The incidents took such a major toll on his health and psyche, that after eighteen months he resigned.
Smith is understandably bitter about his experience. While his lengthy treatise includes documents, letters, recollections, and actual "greenies" (the forms he had to submit for disciplinary infractions), that back up his claims, the sheer volume of information speaks to his mounting frustrations. Amidst all the bureaucracy, red tape, and inconsistencies that go along with handling problematic students, Smith's experience takes on a kind of "Alice in Wonderland" dimension, complete with the element of Mad Hatter madness. With personal anecdotes and witty sarcasm woven into his writing, he attempts to balance and rebut a harrowing situation gone way beyond his control.
Swimming in the Cesspool is Smith's effort to make public the truth about his own personal experience at Dannevirke High School. As the saying goes "the truth will set you free." Hopefully Smith's truth will serve as an enlightening resource to help bring secondary education in New Zealand to a higher ground.