Both alike in Dignity: A Story

Maxine Greene urges us to look beyond the perspective of the system with its spotlight on data, outcomes and performance goals, and to focus instead on what she calls 'the intentionality and concreteness of everyday life'. One must see,' she writes, 'from the point of view of the participant in the midst of what is happening if one is to be privy to the plans people make, the initiatives they take, the uncertainties they face'. We must strive, she says, 'to see people big'. (Greene, 1995, p. 10). Fiction helps us to see people big. As English teachers, we know this. Writing stories helps us grapple with complex issues; reading them widens our horizons. Fiction is not an escape from the world; it's a reaching out to understand more. Here we draw on our experiences and our imagination to present a short story set in a fictional English classroom