Who in their right mind would want an incompetent heart surgeon? Probably the same people who would want an incompetent teacher. Far too many students today slack their way through: they don't show up to class or do the readings, and then they complain that assignments, papers, or exams are not fair. There is a difference between hard work and dedication versus slacking. For that reason, pointing fingers towards the instructors is misguiding considering that the individual does not contribute to his success. Instances such as these illustrate that the pupil is leaving it all to the professor. Davis Guggenheim suggests in his film, Waiting for "Superman, " that teachers are to blame for the failure of students while Diane Ravitch disagrees with him in "The Success of Charter Schools Is a Myth ". Therefore, firing a teacher for failing students is untenable particularly since it is the student's responsibility to seek help if he/she does not understand the concept and since there are uncontrollable external factors. .
Responsibility is a lot like broccoli. It is not as exciting as chocolate, and many people shy away from it for the reason that they do not like it, but it is beneficial. For instance, in Diane Ravitch's article, "The Success of Charter Schools Is a Myth", " she reminisces about "a time when most people assumed that students' performance in school was largely determined by their own efforts and by the circumstances and support of their family, not by their teachers (1). While teachers are supposed to educate students in order for them to master certain knowledge, if the student is struggling to grasp the concept he/she should arrange a visit with his/her teacher for clarification. Unless the individual is in the wrong discipline to begin with, he/she should be capable of showing up to class to do the assigned readings. In all, there is no reason why the student should not get a decent grade.
