Teacher's Job Threatened For Not Inflating Failing Students' Grades
"I will not sacrifice my morals to appease people who praise mediocrity."
Kitreel / Shutterstock One teacher shared on Reddit that she was instructed to raise the grades of her failing students, but she refused. Now, her job is in danger. As if teachers didn't already have enough to worry about. They're far underpaid for their levels of education and experience, and some have seen their wages decline over the last decade.
Low wages, troublemaking kids, and now pressure from the administration to pass failing students? One teacher is facing this reality after she was told to pass her students regardless of the grade they truly earned.
A teacher shared that she's at risk of being fired because she wouldn't change a failing student's grade.
In the online post, the teacher explained that the quarter had recently ended at her school, and she had around 20 students with grades less than 60, which is considered failing. The grades mostly consisted of easy worksheet assignments and a few test grades, for which she made study guides, went over the tests in class, and even extended due dates.
Krakenimages.com | Shutterstock
The school administration sent her an email asking her to check her grades since she had several students below 60. She responded, saying that her "gradebook was accurate and nothing needed to be changed." However, the assistant principal told her "the grades needed to 'be fixed,'" since the students wouldn't be able to pull their grades up unless they were totally perfect.
"Over the weekend I thought it over and thought hard about my personal morals, the code of ethics I said I would uphold as a teacher, and I decided I will not sacrifice my morals to appease people who praise mediocrity," she wrote.
The teacher decided not to change the grades, even knowing she might get in trouble for it.
She elaborated, "The way I see it, my students learned a hard lesson that they will not be passing this class just for showing up....I need effort out of them. I need them to be more than just a butt in that seat."
Another academic coach approached her and reminded her that grades were due and to change the grades so that the lowest grade was a 60. When she told the coach that she couldn't do it, she was asked, "'So you won't do it?' and I confirmed, no I will not." The coach simply said she would let the head principal know.
Now, the teacher is facing the possibility of her teaching contract not being renewed for next year. Though she admits that she is a bit nervous, she's proud of herself and satisfied with her decision. "I'm not going to be the reason why these children are passed along and they don't have the skills needed to move on," she claims.
This teacher's experience highlights one of the major problems with education today.
Classrooms around the country are still facing the impacts of COVID and how it has changed norms in education. A report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education states that, "The average American student in school during the pandemic is less than halfway to a full academic recovery."
Tonuka Stock | Shutterstock
Fewer students are performing at grade level in reading and math, and many struggle with paying attention. Sarah Mulhern Gross, an honors English teacher at High Technology High School, told Vox, "Focus and endurance for any sort of task, especially reading, has been really hard for a lot of teenagers."
Getting support from parents is crucial to keeping students from falling behind. A research summary from the National Literacy Trust shared that parent involvement with reading activities at home can have positive impacts on reading achievement, language comprehension, and expressive language skills. In addition, it may also affect students' interest and attitudes towards learning and the level of attention they display in the classroom.
Another research review by the American Psychological Association claims, "When parents become involved at school by, for example, attending events such as open houses or volunteering in the classroom, they build social networks that can provide useful information, connections to school personnel (e.g., teachers), or strategies for enhancing children’s achievement."
Finding a teacher who cares enough about her kids to potentially lose her job rather than give them passing grades even though they don't deserve them should be commended. In fact, parents should realize how lucky they would be if this teacher were educating their children.
Kayla Asbach is a writer currently working on her bachelor's degree at the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
