In the 1995 comedy classic “Clueless,” Alicia Silverstone plays the role of Cher Horowitz, a beautiful, spoiled, entitled-yet-well-intentioned high school student. When Cher receives a disappointing report card, she argues, schemes and manipulates her way to better results. Her father, a lawyer, looks at the revised report card and declares, “I couldn't be happier if they were based on real grades.
” Later on, however, Cher takes the road test to get her driver's license. She can't park, she can't change lanes, she sideswipes a parked car and nearly kills a bicyclist. When the instructor informs her that she has failed, Cher tries to plead her case.
“I failed? Can't we just start over? ...
Isn't there somebody else I can talk to, a supervisor or something?” Nope. She hadn't practiced driving, and for the first time in her life, an authority figure was holding her accountable. No one, not even her father, could “fix” her failure, and thus began Cher's journey toward some level of maturity and self-awareness.
Failure hurts, but it can be instructive. ADVERTISEMENT That's why we agree with the Rochester Public Schools' decision to bring back the “F” grade for students who fail to meet minimum course requirements and performance standards. When the pandemic hit, schools were thrust into uncharted territory.
Few students had experience with remote learning, and few teachers had led virtual classrooms. It didn't always work well, and to give students the benefit .