Coddling children goes too far.

[PMedMoe]

Came across this article in yesterday's Ottawa Citizen (emphasis mine).

Article Link

High school considers dropping 'F' grade
Don't want to hurt students' feelings
Canwest News Service
Published: Saturday, November 15, 2008

SASKATOON - At Nutana Collegiate, failure may no longer be an option.

To spare students' hurt feelings and damaged prospects, the Saskatoon high school is considering no longer issuing failing grades starting at the end of January. Instead of grades below 50 per cent, students would receive "incomplete" or "no mark" on their report cards and transcripts, said Nutana principal Shirley Figley.

A (bit) more on link

Wow, so instead of a fail you just get an incomplete or no mark.  What happens when that starts to hurt the students' feelings?  :crybaby:

 

[Eye In The Sky]

oh FFS.

:

 

[Snafu-Bar]

Used to be a D when i was in school, F must be really bad. I guess they are going for a new politically correct letter for fail... Hmm perhaps L should be next in line for use.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Great, another generation of kids who will hear for the first time in their lives the words "You failed" when they get to military course performance checks.

 

[medicineman]

You don't fail anymore - just don't meet the learning objectives  :.

MM

 

[Lil_T]

oh FFS.

:

.

+1  EITS

I am so sick of hearing this.  And as a parent, it's unnerving.  If I had the time (and the valium) I'd just homeschool both kids.  Not like anyone does any work anymore anyway.

 

[fire_guy686]

I saw this article on another site. God forbid we hurt their poor little feelings a bit.  :

 

[Lil_T]

This  really cheeses me off.

Even teachers are demoralized when they give failing grades, because many see it as indicative of their own efforts. "  Just like doctors don't want patients to die, teachers don't want their students to fail."

So now we have to worry about hurting the teachers' feelings too? I am at a loss!  I don't know about any of you, but I had a couple of teachers that relished failing students.   

Whatever happened to study hall, failing a grade, remedial classes?  Seriously, this kinder, gentler society is for the birds.  It's not like we're slapping dunce caps on these kids.  UGH.

 

[Neill McKay]

To spare students' hurt feelings and damaged prospects, the Saskatoon high school is considering no longer issuing failing grades starting at the end of January.

I wonder why they're talking about January.  Could this be an interim report card, as opposed to the final marks in their courses?  Might be a little easier to swallow if it were.

 

[leroi]

Great, another generation of kids who will hear for the first time in their lives the words "You failed" when they get to military course performance checks.

Add:
...And, some of that generation of kids will enter first year university not knowing how to read or write.

 

[medicineman]

Alot of them find that out anyway, not just these up and comers  :.

MM

 

[leroi]

MM,

What's an up and comer? ???

 

[toenail_clippers5]

Bah, what a waste of creativity.

 

[Another Mom]

This may not  be a case of  "typical" middle class  kids who are just goofing off.  The school has links on their web site to programs for single mothers, mental health resources and career initiatives for youth. Sounds like a  reporter found an inflammatory way to describe a strategy the school uses  to help  their students stay under their wing when the kids cannot be successful at  traditional  academics. Personally, I think this is better than failing them at algebra or Socials 11 and kicking them out on the street with no skills. 

 

[aesop081]

Personally, I think this is better than failing them at algebra or Socials 11 and kicking them out on the street with no skills.   

End result is the same. In the end, the kid still has no skills.

 

[Blindspot]

Personally, I think this is better than failing them at algebra or Socials 11 and kicking them out on the street with no skills.   

You reap what you sow. I've never heard of an educational institution failing someone for working hard and then kicking them out. Nowadays there is so much access to accomodation, those that have legitimate learning or physical disabilities should get the help they need. Getting rid of the "F" is not the answer.

 

[Another Mom]

Reporters write inflammatory, simplistic, erroneous,  and biased information about the Forces, etc..  They do the same with other issues. 

 

[aesop081]

Not if they learn a trade.

So what are we going to do at the trade school ? Eliminate "F" grades there too.........How about carpenters that can't cut straight lines ?

We wouldnt want to hurt their feelings there either now would we ?


We already have kids that can't spell............

 

[bLUE fOX]

The whole school situation is getting a little ridiculous. I remember in the 90's having to take geography class's in grade school and high school and point out the locations of countries on a map. THis summer while working at a cadet camp I had told a group of cadets that they they were not the rock of Gibraltar and, and that if they felt sick to kneel down. I had one cadet ask me what Gibraltar was. I can understand that, It's not really a country, and outside of of being Great Britons strong point on the Mediterranean, it's hasn't really done anything. What really made me stop was when I explained to the group that it was a small peninsula on the southern tip of Spain. At this point a different cadet put up her hand to ask me "what country is Spain in?" I had to take a short break to process that one. When I replied that spain was the country, still another cadet challenged me by asking "if Spain is a country, then what do they speak there, Spain-ish?" unbelievable.

 

[PMedMoe]

I wonder why they're talking about January.  Could this be an interim report card, as opposed to the final marks in their courses?  Might be a little easier to swallow if it were.

Interesting point.  When I was in high school, they were not allowed to give a final mark between 45-50 (50 being the pass mark).  If they felt a student had really tried and worked hard, they would usually "find" a few extra points on quizzes, projects, etc and give them the pass.  If the student hadn't, they failed.  This practice was mostly because the parents would call and say "How come you couldn't give Johnny an extra two or three marks to pass?"  :

CDN Aviator, I agree about the kids not being able to read or write.  Hasn't changed from when I was in school and I think spell check and MSN speak are making it worse (as we've seen on here).