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By Elliot Kalner, Norwalk
As a retired Greenwich High School social studies instructor of 30 years and current adjunct professor of history at Norwalk Community College, I am absolutely appalled by the contemplated reforms of the Norwalk Public Schools’ grading system - particularly as it affects the high school level (news stories, May 20 and 28).
How can we promote and inculcate a diligent work ethic, a pride of ownership in academic achievement and a sense of personal responsibility and accountability when we systematically depart from those values by pandering to the poorest-performing elements of Norwalk’s school system? By lowering Norwalk’s educational standards beyond recognition to pad the graduation-rate statistics - or to minimize the ubiquitous “achievement gap” of non-performing students that currently afflicts public education, we are, in fact, being self-serving and providing a major disservice to our students.
Manipulating the grading system to provide a more positive self-image and a greater sense of self-esteem may be well-intended (to improve the retention rate), but it is misguided and counterproductive. We provide a disincentive to the conscientious and hard-working student who gets to class (on time), turns in his/her assignments (on time), completes his/her homework (on time), participates in class, and studies and prepares for exams. Instead, we reward tardiness, absenteeism and non-performance in and out of the classroom. Are these the values and messages we seek to impart to our students as we prepare them for the 21st century?
How low do we stretch the safetynet before it snaps? Are these the graduates we seek to send out into the world to meet the challenges of the competitive workplace? Would today’s employers tolerate ill-equipped, irresponsible, semi-literate, absentee, non-performing workers? Are we really doing a service for these youngsters by not being steadfastly insistent that they are to be held to those values that will help them meet the challenges of the “real” world? Or, rather, shall we perpetuate the myth of a fairyland of endless second chances, low expectations and a poor work ethic?
By seriously diluting and demeaning our currently held educational standards, we define, and are complicit in, our collective failure to hold the next generation of students to those values that will be needed to assure America’s continuing role in the global marketplace. What a tragedy for us if these so-called “reforms” go through! Rather than “reforming” our educational system, we are, in fact, “deforming” it.
