The Teaching of Failure in the Classroom

Every year, the percent of teenagers rejecting the formal education is growing. In South Carolina, the high school dropout rate is 49%. The one-system-for-all education system is outdated. The system is based on the early 20th century production line introduced by Henry Ford. Every student is expected to achieve assigned proficiency in each grade. This is cost effective for teaching large groups of people. The problem is, production lines have rejects. Today, a high percentage of young people are rejecting the system for some of the following reasons:

Self-esteem in the Classroom

Students that excel develop positive self-esteem. Students at the bottom of the class develop negative self-esteem. The effects of self-esteem will grow, positive or negative, with years spent in the classroom. Students developing negative self-esteem develop an inferiority complex that prevents them from holding a job, should they get one. A diploma with negative self-esteem has no value.

Competitiveness in the Classroom

Competitive education compares every student with every other student in the class and school. Competitiveness produces winners and losers. The losers become rejects by teachers and classmates. As a result, the education system no longer has influence over them. On the street they seek acceptance and search for opportunity. Very often, criminal activity is the result.

Teenagers Desire to Learn

Every 13-year old wants to learn and be an achiever. They seek opportunity where they are socially accepted. Classroom rejects look to the street for opportunity. What they learn and the goals they set are influenced by their peers. Very often, the outcome is self-destructive.

The Failure/Reject Label

Natural talent - We all have unique talents, academic, mechanical, artistic, music, dexterous, that can be developed. The formal education system is based on academics. Students that do not meet academic standards are considered failures and rejected. Because they do not meet academic standards, they are NOT offered opportunity to discover and develop their unique natural talent. This is missed opportunity for creating productive citizens.

How we Learn - Everyone can learn, but we all have a unique learning skill that is based on visual (demonstrations), sound (lectures) or by doing (hands-on). The formal education is based on lectures. If the student does not adapt to learning by lectures, they receive the failure/reject label. Many of these students could excel if offered hands-on learning opportunity.

Rejects are Not Wanted - It is almost impossible for anyone to excel in an environment where they are not wanted. Teachers and successful students do not want rejects in the classroom. There develops a downward spiral of conflicts between the two groups.

The Street Gang Connection - Every 13-year old want to learn and be an achiever. They can overcome the classroom failure/reject label and achieve their goal of acceptance by joining a street gang. The one-system-for-all education system is forcing many into the self-destructive world.

This chart is available in PDF format at downloads.

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