A Teacher Is Quitting The Job Because Schools Don’t Let Kids Fail Anymore
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock In recent years, teachers have been expected to do more with less and less: fewer resources, less support, even less authority. However, for one teacher, her breaking point was solely about grading.
After schools have all but abandoned consequences for skipping class and failing grades, she says that her personal values no longer align with the goals of the education system, and the only choice for her is to stop teaching. Kids are no longer accountable for their performance or their behavior. Students don't need to apply themselves to pass, and that means teachers aren't really teaching anymore.
A teacher is quitting her job because schools are no longer allowing kids to fail.
Torie Fowler, a high school English teacher living in Florida, posted a video explaining exactly why she's choosing to leave teaching, and it's because of a newer education concept called "course recovery." These are programs where students who are struggling in their classes can make up credit through online coursework that is condensed to a few weeks.
She specifically mentions one senior student who had only earned an 18% in her class. This student entered the course recovery program and completed nine weeks' worth of assignments in just one day, and they ended up with a passing grade of 75%.
The situation struck a nerve for Fowler, as it has for many teachers across the nation. She told TODAY in an interview, "This is such a problem, and it’s such a systematic issue. The system is broken."
From the perspective of educators, course recovery can be both a good and a bad thing.
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Many commenters empathized with Fowler's feelings, including parents, teachers, and even students. One user wrote, "It’s absolutely terrible! My daughter failed many classes in high school, they put her in course recovery, she learned absolutely nothing. Now she’s in her 1st year of college and she is beyond lost. Can’t even get through remedial classes."
"This was frustrating from a student perspective too, watching friends and peers getting a passing grade with minimal effort while I was doing all the work really sucked," another shared. A third lamented, "No child left behind has left so many behind."
On the other hand, course recovery can be extremely beneficial in certain circumstances. A former student claimed, "Course recovery allowed me to graduate. I had to work full time my junior and senior year after my dad became very sick. I’m thankful for it." These types of programs can be a lifeline for students experiencing unexpected and serious problems outside of school.
Fowler thinks the current system isn't helping students learn the importance of effort and accountability.
While she does believe that course recovery programs can be valuable tools for students in need, some districts have allowed them to become an easy way out for students who simply don't want to engage in their classes. "There are students who just know the system and know how to play the system," Fowler said, and unfortunately, many of them carry these same habits into college and into the workplace.
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These types of students tend to have trouble being on time, meeting deadlines, and writing professional emails: all skills that are often learned and practiced in a lower-stakes environment like high school. "We are teaching them that there are no consequences for their actions," Fowler worries. "It’s becoming more about getting them through and walking across the stage than actual learning."
Kayla Asbach is a writer with a bachelor's degree from the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
