“Fault” Is a Swear Word

In my classroom, “fault” is a swear word. I don’t let my students use the words “fault” or “blame” because assessing blame takes up time and effort and doesn’t solve anything.

If the students aren’t putting in any effort, does it matter whose fault it is? The important question is whether I can get them to change their behavior. However, I have found that more often than not, students with zero motivation don’t see any possibility of being successful, so they don’t try. Telling these students “You’re going to fail if you don’t do _____.” has absolutely no effect on them—they already think they’re going to fail whether they do _____ or not. However, with appropriate effort, coaching, and mentoring, it is possible to get most of them to believe in the possibility of their own success, and to start working toward it. I don’t always have the time or the opportunity to get every last one of them to succeed, but I’d guess that I’ve had about a 90-95% success rate over the years. I’ve had several students who failed all of their other classes, but who actually did the work for me and passed chemistry with a C or better.


Originally posted to the ChemEd-L discussion list.

About Mr. Bigler

Physics teacher at Lynn English High School in Lynn, MA. Proud father of two daughters. Violist & morris dancer.
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