In Praise of the F Word Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

In Praise of the F Word - Essay Example The essay "In Praise of the F Word" discusses the issue that the number of students that graduate from high school each year with a diploma that is no good for them continues to rise. This leniency has caused many students to become dependent on the niceness of their teachers. Mary Sherry, as an adult-education teacher for future students such as these, proposes to implement the threat of failure into the lives of the students that are unwilling to work for a passing grade. The last thing that a student wants to do is be held back a grade or not graduate, especially when they know they can do the work. The threat of this dreaded â€Å"F† word is a surefire way of making students work for their passing grades. However, if the students are threatened with the possibility of failure, the chance is increased of them actually taking school seriously and putting it first. Flunking, therefore, stops being a threat and becomes a â€Å"positive teaching tool†. It acts as the boo st that many students need to take their studies more seriously and to stop relying on the goodness of their teachers. It is not in the job description of these teachers to grade based on personality or behavior of their students but to grade based on how well they absorbed the subject matter. Similarly, â€Å"by rewarding mediocrity [teachers] discourage excellence.† Students are being cheated out of an education because teachers want to appear helpful even if it means that the students will end up only being illiterate.