Special Guest Blogger

Hi all,

My baby sister is preparing for college and in an effort to get some scholarship money, I will allow her to post on my blog for the world to see. I hope you all enjoy!


Failing Forward:
What Happens When You Stop the
Chickens From Coming Home to Roost?
or
How Disallowing Failure in Our
Schools Has Destroyed Our Society

The complete lack of a freedom to fail in our current educational system threatens to institutionalize students, conditioning them to view laziness and poor work ethic as fully acceptable. This training will, however become ruinous to society, those students who somehow never surrender to this way of thinking will spend their lives dragging their contemporaries’ dead weight and those who do believe what their they’re, taught will partially unwittingly, burden our society.

Recently one of my teachers addressed me in an inappropriate manner. They were very upset, because I was about thirty-five minutes late to class. I, though, did not understand why this teacher was so upset, because I had only taken their cue. On an average school day I show up late to approximately 3 out of 4 of my classes, and every one of these teachers simply jokes about my lack of punctuality. While you may say I was wrong, consider that I do receive high marks in these classes, so it would stand to reason that the teachers appreciate my tardiness. While you may claim I’m being facetious, we are all driven to do what most benefits us, so if I am rewarded for decidedly lazy behavior, why wouldn't I cultivate these habits? I am not an exception, far worse I am the rule, most American students fully understand that they can act however they want and still be passed on as long as they make some token effort. While I have attempted to right my behavior, it is difficult in such a permissive culture, so what about a student with less determination , a young person who needs guidance, they will flounder and accept what happens around them as the right way to behave. Is it any wonder that so many young people are unprepared for life after organized education?
The real issue here is not a few undeserved A’s, though, it’s what happens when the young people who have been trained to do nothing and receive everything become accountable for their own behavior. Unfortunately they are only further rewarded as adults by having their bad habits accommodated. How are they rewarded? Welfare. Welfare in itself is not a bad idea, but when it is misused as it often is now, the people receiving “help” never learn to help themselves, they remain perpetual children. This practice of sustaining those who should fail, through other people’s resources, only hurts our society, but it can’t be stopped from the end it must be nipped in the bud. Schools must begin allowing students who don’t do what is fairly expected of them to fail, even if they’re as awesome as I am. The freedom to fail is the only thing that can save our society from itself.