Blame Game

Thank you, USA Today, for this article; I am so tired of hearing excuses for students' poor learning habits. That, and the ridiculous notion that negating honor programs, red correction marks, and grading systems* will make students less "stressed" about not doing well. Puh-leeze.

Granted, I'm not saying it's all the students' fault. I've graded enough freshman essay tests of my own to know that the problem isn't just the lack of caring; it's a serious lack of ability to think critically. And while yes, sometimes that's a teacher's fault--I'm thinking the majority of the blame goes to parents who didn't care enough to pass this skill on to their offspring.

* I read about this in two separate Reader's Digest articles, and if I can find the citations, I'll provide them later.