As we send our children and young adults, Kindergarten through college, off to school, what advice are we giving them? I tell mine that I want them to “fail”. Now, obviously, I don’t want them to get failing grades. I want nothing less than A’s and B’s. But, I want them to “fail”.
By “fail”, I want my children to fall short of their expectations. In other words, I want them to reach beyond their comfort zone—beyond their current abilities. Sadly, I am not sure this is a universal goal in our current education system.
It is unfortunate that a teacher’s success is most often measured according to standardized test. In my opinion, this dumbs-down our children and fosters mediocrity. I don’t blame the teachers. I fault the politicians, administrators, the unions, and, above all, the parents.
Politicians and administrators are too focused on rather arbitrary standards and accessing schools and teachers accordingly when no two students have the same abilities and/or needs. Thus, too much time is spent “teaching to the test”—focusing on minimal accomplishment rather than individual accomplishment. In such instances, the top and the middle students are left under-challenged and the struggling students rarely learn the value of effort for effort’s sake.
I am not a fan of teachers’ unions. Please, don’t take this of a condemnation of or lack of support for teachers. I appreciate the challenges our teachers face—particularly our best and most dedicated teachers. The unions, in my opinion and experience, have a purely political agenda. If they did not, we would see less effort going into political campaigns and more going toward teacher pay and funding for classroom supplies. Moreover, we would see greater pressure against standardized testing and standardized teaching. The current system fails the teachers and, moreover, fails the students.
We as parents, however, hold the greatest responsibility. In so many ways, it is the parents who weaken the efforts of students. Parents expect their children and young adults to receive high marks regardless of effort. Parents do not teach that it is the process of learning that is most important. Thus, an ever-increasing number of students feel they “deserve” an ‘A’. (Then of course they complain when their employees don’t want to work for their pay.)
As a professor, I am most concerned with the final outcome. I prefer to see fewer A’s on my exams. Why? Because we learn from our failures. Consider your response when getting back a test in school. Of course, the first thing you looked at was the grade. (This is natural.) Then, did you look at all the questions? No. You likely reviewed the questions you got wrong. I believe the point of exams is to identify and correct areas of weakness. I am less concerned about what a student knows at midterm than I am about what knowledge they are leaving the course. More importantly, I am focused on providing the foundation to continue learning and expand knowledge. Knowledge only grows if someone is willing to ask questions and fail.
One of my most influential college professors was Dr. Dennis Morse, an Anatomy professor at the (then) Medical College of Ohio. Our graduate courses in Anatomy involved a small group of us dissecting a human cadaver and studying self-selected texts. Dr. Morse would meet with us weekly and question us—orally—on our progress. I did not understand for some time why I was getting A’s in the courses when I, seemingly, knew nothing. I could answer the questions asked of my peers, but I rarely correctly answered the questions asked of me. Dr. Morse had a seemingly psychic knack of knowing what we didn’t know. (My friends, too, would miss their questions.) He would ask follow-up questions that guided us to the question’s answer. Most Anatomy exams involve identifying pinned structures and require rote memorization. Somehow, however, Dr. Morse taught how to know Anatomy. When it came time for my oral comprehensive exam at the end of my doctoral program, Dr. Morse asked me progressively harder questions—questions to which I did not specifically prepare—until his final question (“If you were to make an incision in the abdominal wall, what structures would you encounter from superficial to deep?”). I had not memorized this (I could not have memorized any of the questions he asked that day); rather, I had to draw on what I knew and reason my way to the answer. I gave my best response, and he replied: “Wow! I didn’t expect you to get all that. I’m done.” I aced my Anatomy comprehensive exam. How? Certainly not out of brilliance or memorization. I succeeded because Dr. Morse taught me the process of understanding the material. I follow his example in teaching yet today.
Whether academics or sports, I want my children to be challenged beyond that which they are currently capable. In other words, fail. I want them to be their best today, of course, and, thereby, be better tomorrow.
Support your kids’ teachers. Encourage them to challenge your child or young adult. Rather that ask your kid, “How was school, today?”, ask them, “What did you find challenging today?” Let your child know that it is alright to struggle. I remind my children and students of the lesson my friend, Travis, learned from one of his biology professors: “We don’t really learn something until we struggle with it.”
Education is an opportunity. Encourage your child to embrace the struggle.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!