September 2012
The story of the Edmonton high school
teacher who was disciplined for refusing to give marks to students who did not
turn in assignments is another glaring example of how merit is being subverted
as a principle for rewarding academic performance. The school’s dictum means
that students will be graded only for work they turn in, with no penalty given
for work they avoid, thereby inflating the marks of these students. As an
organization of largely Canadian professors, we do not look forward to the day
that these intellectually disengaged students enter our universities, having
been taught they deserve good marks even for subpar course work. The school’s
principal and board have failed their own students. This counterproductive
policy should be repealed at once.
Clive Seligman, president, Society for
Academic Freedom and Scholarship, London, ON.
Congratulations to Edmonton teacher
Lynden Dorval, and a pox on the administrators in his school. Mr. Dorval has
taken a sensible approach toward his role in education, and no student will
suffer from his action. The same can not be said for those who are handed an
un-earned diploma, a lesson they will surely learn to their disappointment later
in life. Mr. Dorval can always make a dollar or two as a tutor on “civvy
street.”
Good on you, Sir.
Doug Stallard, New Glasgow, N.S.
The zero should be for Ross Sheppard
High School in Edmonton for promoting irresponsibility. I wish more teachers were
like Mr. Dorval.
Nancy Vella, Abbotsford, B.C.
I spent two wonderful years in Grade 9
in Newmarket High School back in the mid-’60s. At some point in the midst of my
second attempt, I decided that I would never fail at school again. In time I
gained a graduate degree with almost all A’s.
I have often reflected on and blessed the discipline levied back then — it was
one of the most important lessons I ever learned. I am very thankful I was
educated in a system that had the internal fortitude and backbone to prepare me
for the realities I would face.
David Brandon, Aurora, Ont.
Students at Ross Sheppard High School
in Edmonton can skip assignments and tests without being penalized, as “zeros
may not be given” is school policy. This example of “no consequences” for
shirking work and dodging responsibility does not prepare youngsters for the
real world.
And the “real world” begins at university. I am confident that the University of
Alberta is more than ready to give zeros for work not done, and I can tell you
for sure that at McGill University we give zeros for work not done.
Why does Ross Sheppard High School encourage bad work habits?
Philip Carl Salzman, professor of anthropology, McGill University, Montreal.
National Post, June 2, 2012.
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