Got his idea from a cartoon I saw today

[IDrinkaRum]

Around here, in the local school system, there are people who are complaining about how the grading system is. (Plus, I've read on the CS boards how some people have come into contact/read about people complaining about teachers using red ink to mark things wrong thereby thoroughly extinguishing the egos of the kids).

Anyways, my daughter, husband & I were watching "My gym partner's a monkey" on the Cartoon Network. They were dealing with the grading system at the "Charles Darwin Middle School". The grading system there was full of pickles, bunnies, unicorns, rainbows, etc. Adam Lion (who is a human but got sent there because his last name is "Lion") told the students they could all sleep in the class, learn nothing and still get rainbows and what not and that it's not a good grading system. Then the administration had to resort to actual learning & letter grades. The animals started attacking the smart kids but after the revolution, the grading system went back to the unicorns, rainbows, bunnies, etc. because a parent threatened to sue! (Sound familiar about some parents we've read about/encountered?)

So, long story short, what say we, as parents/brothers/sisters/aunts/uncles/friends tell the schools that we need a grading system like that! I want my daughter to get unicorns and pegasi (that more than one pegasus), bunnies, rainbows, etc.!!! Come, unite with me!



(End of Sarcasm)

[Greenday]

I love how some places have exchanged "failure" with "deferred success". Makes it sound like it's ok to fail...

It's almost too easy to get through schooling these days. I know kids that never should have made it through high school but were definately just pushed through. Hell, I had a teacher who once said he was passing everyone just so he wouldn't have to deal with us another year. College is so much better. If you fail, you fail. You pass on your own merit.

[Boozy]

A high school diploma doesn't get you very far these days here in Canada. You're expected to have one. Everyone who shows up on a regular basis gets one. If the regular classes are too difficult, they'll send you through to remedial courses. And there are advanced courses for those planning on post-secondary studies.

I actually don't mind that its easy to get a diploma. A high school education should be available to everyone, as a service from the government to its citizenry. A country benefits from a well-educated, literate populace. I don't like the thought of pushing someone through if they can't read, because it defeats the purpose of education. But I also don't like the thought of someone who just isn't naturally intelligent getting scared away from attending school because its too difficult for them. If someone's genuinely struggling to learn, it would be nice if there was some sort of program for them.

It all comes down to funding, I guess. There's never enough money spent on schools, in my mind.