Reuters, July 21, 2005, LONDON:

Failed ? No, just 'deferred success'

The word "fail" should be banned from use in British classrooms
and replaced with the phrase "deferred success" to avoid
demoralising pupils, a group of teachers has proposed.

Members of the Professional Association of Teachers (PAT)
argue that telling pupils they have failed can put them off
learning for life.

A spokesman for the group said it wanted to avoid labeling
children. "We recognise that children do not necessarily
achieve success first time," he said.

"But I recognize that we can't just strike a word from the
dictionary," he said.

The PAT said it would debate the proposal at a conference
in Buxton next week

======================

"children" is too imposing a term. "Deferred adults" ?

Isn't it a (GOOD) teacher's job to keep or get someone
interested in learning ? I find this fascinating, given the
post-series interviews of those who took part in the BBC
programmes "That'll Teach 'em" who said the strictness
and routine book-bashing of 50s 60s and 70s schooling
gave them much-needed achievement satisfaction

Would you get a Nobel Prize for "Attempted Chemistry" ?
(you get something for attempted murder !)

Lose a contract at work ? The boss would be OK with
that because at least you tried. Didn't you ? Or are you
used to getting rewarded for any and every little effort ?

======================

Related Pommie whining (indicative of how PC Britain has
become ?) from coach Clive Woodward and Blair's ex media
maestro, Alistair Campbell -

As Clive Woodward surveyed the rubble of his British and
Irish Lions tour of New Zealand, he suggested the 3-0 test
series whitewash was irrelevant blah blah blah drivel drivel
drivel

All Blacks coach Graham Henry said Woodward's comments
were poor camouflage for how his Lions had played.

"You can spin it any way you like. What do you do? Do
you not win campaigns leading up to World Cups? It's just
ridiculous"

=======================

And now I'm going back to my "deferred embedding", for
which I expect, even if it all ends in tears and smoke, to be
heralded near and far and showered with the vainglorious
praise I so richly deserve

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