An A is Worth Two Beers and a White Russian

Today, a guidance counselor offered to buy me a drink at happy hour if I would allow a girl to pass my art class, a requirement at our school, so she would graduate Friday. Well, that's not too big of a deal. Or is it??? Well, she missed 43 days of my class out of 90 – not quite half. She earned a C the first quarter and then an E (the equivalent of an F – F’s hurt kids' feelings) the second. Oh, absolutely, I'll let her pass. And while I'm at it, why don't I change both of her grades to A’s and then buy you a drink? Then I'll go to her house and clean her toilet with my bare hands and sell my car to pay for the family's meals for the next 10 years. I'll take out a high-interest loan to buy them a house, and work nights to help pay for it. I don't need clothes, so I can give those to them also. Then I'll tell the rest of the students that academic regime means nothing, school policy is for suckers, and they can get away with whatever they want from now on. There's no need to go to art class; you'll pass anyway.

Or else… or else I'll implement the school-wide policy of not passing a student who fails a class, hold the student to high standards, and treat this child as an equal to all of the other students who skipped school and as a result aren't passing my class. I’m sorry; I’ll not contribute to the baby-fication of society. I will not coddle students, telling them it’s okay to do nothing, then pass them through the class; that teaches them nothing about the reality that awaits them shortly after graduation. If we are supposed to be high school teachers, why don’t the staff members act like we’re in a high school? How can we be expected to enforce policy if others in the building are not willing to do the same? A house divided cannot stand.

Now I can't decide. Which option is more appealing?

"Do you want to be known as a stickler, or do you want to get the student out of the building?" – a direct quote from the guidance counselor. "This reputation will follow you." – an easy nudge in the "right" direction. "I’d hate to be the one to tell a student she’s not graduating because of an art credit," he says. Really? I would LOVE to tell someone that because they weren’t responsible enough to come to one single class, they can’t walk across the stage. “… because of an art credit.” You're right; art class isn't important. Tell the administration that it should be an elective and not a mandatory class. Then the dross can be removed from the class, and some real art can take place with a select few students who actually want to be there, who want to learn and who want to progress as artists. But if it’s going to be instated as a requirement, MAKE IT ONE!! Stop letting kids slide! That tells them that governing policy is just for show, and it can be easily beaten. And it tells me that my class and career choice are not important. The second I stop taking my class seriously, the students, staff and administration will follow.

This story has a happy ending, because, as the guidance counselor stated about himself, "I'm an idiot. I called you down here for no reason. She already had an art credit from her freshman year. I'm sorry." Idiot – you said it; I didn't. But I agree.