Nobody can fail at West Potomac

I'm getting settled in my new environment here in Quantico, VA. Most of my free time I'm in the car, driving around so I can find all the "necessities" in life. WalMart, Sam's, Target, Aldi, Bed Bath & Beyond, Goodwill, gas stations, coin laundry and various eateries the clan likes to frequent. While I drive, I channel surf the radio and today I stopped on a station offering the local news.

This station was giving a traffic update and I'm quickly learning traffic updates and road closures are a huge heads up around here. I only know two routes US1 and I95 I need to pay attention to a few of the local runs. I listen for roads I have seen during my travels so I can get a mental image how often they have troubles. I95 is not really an exception but there are enough lanes that if something happens one lane can move.

Anyway -when the traffic report was finished the announcer indicated that an Alexandria High School has done away with F as a letter grade. Instead, the school is going to offer an I for incomplete. Needless to say I am appalled. I didn't get introduced to an Incomplete until college and I think that is where the I needs to stay.

Why is it we have become such a society that rewards bad behavior? Why is it we continue down this road of not facing truth? If a student is a failure we are not doing them a favor of offering them a way to avoid the fact. We instead make it acceptable to not rise up and meet the challenge of being a quality student.

What I cannot understand is we have a "free" system of education. In this country each and every person is given the right to an education. Yet, what I've come to determine is when something is given and not earned the value is diminished. There is no value placed on the "free" education we offer and we have created a system where students do not even care enough to show up to class. We have created a system where students deface and destroy school property simply because they are not held responsible for their actions.

Where there is no pride there is no honor.

I am ashamed a school system finds it easier to offer an incomplete rather than to face the fact students are failing. Why are students failing? What is the root cause? If we take a closer look I can almost bet there is not a parent in the home that is actively involved in the child's education. Parents fail their children because the emphasis is placed elsewhere - sports, fashion are just two - we can also blame our own system for perpetuating bad behavior. Yet, are we doing enough as citizens to change the system?

If I had a child at West Potomac, I'd pull my child out of the system and let another district get the tax dollars. If my child does not perform he should fail. How else will my child learn there are consequences for actions? We have to hold our children responsible for their behavior in and out of the classroom. We are not doing this country any favors - these students - the same ones that are taught failure is ok are the same individuals that will need to run this country. I often consider the fall of Rome - one such argument for its fall was incompetent leadership. Need I say more?

We have a responsibility to our youth, we have a responsibility to teach them about success and failure and how to handle each with dignity.