Random perspectives from Cleveland

So I read an interesting article today about some changes that the Pittsburgh city schools are making. Because there are some many kids that are failing in the district, the district is changing the minimum grade that a child can receive from a 0% to a 50%. That means even if you get every question wrong, you're still graded as half right.

What a great idea! Not only can we encourage laziness in our kids, but we can finally get right down to it and reward poor performance. Hooray! We wouldn't want anyone to have to actually succeed. After all, don't we all just want to feel good about ourselves? Isn't that why we give kids trophies for finishing in last place?

Give me a freaking break. Where's the incentive for the kid that needs to bust his butt to get a D in a class? He can do absolutely nothing and get only 10% lower. What does this teach kids about real life? Does your boss tell you "hey, you haven't done anything this year, so we're only giving you half of your salary." I don't think so. I believe the answer is that you'd be out on the street faster than you can say "why won't anyone save me from my mediocrity?"

If kids earn failing grades, then fail them. It's pretty simple. Personal accountability.

Oh sorry. I forgot. That's a bad word now.