The closest I’ve ever gotten to an F is a C in physical education (which I’ve criticized before) and a college philosophy course (ack!). My parents never put any direct pressure on my sister or me to get A’s, but that’s what we knew was expected of us and my parents helped us to achieve it in whatever way they could. Actually, I wonder if my teachers gave F’s to anyone at all.

Just in case F’s were being liberally used to oppress our children, two teachers plan to propose to the Professional Association of Teachers in the UK that the F grade be abolished. (The Guardian, July 20, 2005)

Conference believes it is time to delete the word “fail” from the educational vocabulary, to be replaced with the concept of “deferred success.”

“Failure,” says Liz Beattie, a retired primary school teacher, “is a word that should be deleted from the classroom dictionary, because it can put children off learning.”

Something tells me that kids who get F’s have already been put off learning long before getting an F. But, of course, wiping F’s from report cards will motivate them without the need for any other types of support. What a nice and easy solution.*

*sarcasm