School Administrators Need To Stop Saying “Failure Is Not an Option”

Sometimes, a failure can be the best motivator for improvement.

One of my assistant principals was a college athlete. She references her glory days whenever she wants to give teachers a pep talk. Like other school administrators, she likes to tell teachers that when it comes to students, “Failure is not an option.”

She even suggested that teachers not make it difficult for students to pass. For example, if a student outlines an essay, that should count as the student demonstrating an understanding of the writing standards. Therefore, the student should pass with at least a D-.

After all, according to her, some students are not planning to go to college. But, they need their high school diploma to move on to a post-secondary program, such as a vocational or technical college. Teachers should not prevent them from graduating by “failing” them.

It’s important to teach students the value of doing a complete job.

Call me old school, but (using her example) I would like students to at least write a complete essay. I know that not all students will write brilliant essays, but it might be useful to instill a sense of pride in the students by having them go through the entire process that culminates in writing a complete essay.

The idea that I, the teacher, am responsible for making sure students don’t fail is a huge responsibility. And it is one that I don’t take lightly. I try hard to help my students. I would never assign something and tell my student to simply “Go do it.”

With every assignment, I would explain and show examples. Then I would have students watch a video, read about it, and complete mini-lessons to build the skills for it. The big project would be broken down into steps.

For the essay, the steps would involve brainstorming, writing the thesis statement, outlining, planning, writing the rough draft, conferencing, and then writing the final draft. It’s important for students to complete all the steps to really learn the process of writing.

If you don’t put in all the ingredients, you won’t end up with a cake.

I tell my students that when I teach writing, it’s like teaching them to bake a cake. When I show them how to measure in the flour, I would like them to measure in the flour; when I ask them to put in the sugar, I would like them to put in the sugar; and so on. Some cakes might look better than others, but I guarantee them that if they follow the steps, they will end up with their own cake.

Now, if a student puts in only flour and nothing else, no matter how much I cajole, beg, or plead, then that student is not going to end up with a cake. Failure then is the student’s option. It is not a reflection on me or my teaching.

I give students plenty of opportunities to do and turn in work. I scaffold, break assignments into chunks, check and give feedback, and email parents to update them on what students are working on. If the students (and parents) do not participate and do the work, then again failure is and should be an option for them. It is their choice and their right to fail.

Some teachers feel pressured to pass students no matter what.

The problem with administrators repeating this mantra to teachers is that it implies teachers better make sure students pass. I have colleagues who go chasing after students to turn in late, very late, and super late assignments. Deadlines and extended deadlines mean nothing to some students.

I have another colleague who is sweet. One time she was helping a student with his essay. Her help meant the student sat with his hands folded on his desk staring off into space while she sat behind him in a different desk typing his essay because “failure is not an option.”

Some teachers even have a magic packet. One packet that failing students can do to magically pass a class. Some teachers don’t bother going through the pretense of having a magic packet. After much cajoling, if a student still does not turn in work, the teachers give the student what is considered a coward’s grade, which is a D-.

The coward here is not the student but the teacher. The teacher does not want to deal with the possibility of answering to an angry parent or administrator about a failing grade. I have seen students make miraculous, and questionable, jumps from a low F to a D-.

Learning to grow from failure can be a powerful lesson.

The mantra “failure is not an option” should be used to inspire self-motivation, not used to hold teachers hostage to passing students. Most teachers I know are more than happy to explain, scaffold, offer examples, and answer student questions.

But some students refuse to do work, get off their phones, or come to school regularly. Even after a teacher contacts parents, sometimes nothing changes. After all that, teachers are still pressured to pass the students because “failure is not an option.”

What is wrong with letting students fail if all strategies, contacts, and resources have been used, and a student still refuses to do work? We are not doing the students any favors or teaching them resiliency or creativity. How do we expect students to learn and grow from mistakes if we don’t hold them accountable or let them deal with the consequences of not doing work.

It’s through failure and disappointment that we sometimes learn and grow the most. The feeling of failure can be so painful, so yucky that we are determined to prevent it from happening again. Telling teachers that “failure is not an option” and holding teachers accountable instead of students is not preparing students for the real world.

I just had some plumbing work done in my house. Should I pay the plumber if he refuses to complete a job? If the plumber removes the pipes and does not replace them, should I pay him a partial payment and deal with a plumbing mess? No way!

Too much pressure forces some teachers to accept mediocrity.

Another scary consequence of this mantra is that it forces some teachers to accept mediocrity. I have colleagues who complain about poor quality work or lack of work, yet end up passing the students at the end of every trimester.

Some of the best teachers and the greatest business people, inventors, athletes, artists, and thinkers are people who failed and failed again. Out of the failure came creativity, resiliency, knowledge, and confidence.

People rise to whatever is expected of them. If we keep lowering the bar for students instead of expecting and teaching them to do their best, we are doing them a huge disservice! If students refuse to do work, failure should be their option.

Conclusion

It’s good to want to inspire and motivate students, but do so by holding them accountable so that they can take pride in their accomplishments. A catchy and inspiring mantra is meaningless if all it does is pressure teachers to pass students who do not take any part in learning.

© May Y. Yang 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Thank you for reading. To read my other stories, click here.

If you enjoyed my writing and would like to support me, please consider joining Medium using my link. The membership is $5 a month, and half of it will go directly to supporting my work. You will have unlimited access to articles and stories written by writers from across the world.

If you are interested in writing for Medium, you can monetize your writing after gaining 100 followers. You can learn more about this on Medium.