I don't know if I should feel sorry for Lynden Dorval or suggest he had it coming. What I do know is that there is probably something more behind his dismissal as a teacher at Ross Sheppard High School in Edmonton that is outside his refusal to back off on giving a mark of zero to students who refused to hand in assignments or complete exams.
Here was a teacher with 35 years experience and we know it's not easy to "downsize or adjust personnel" when it comes to tenured teachers in structured school systems. But that's what happened.
So what goes here?
On the surface, I have to side with Mr. Dorval. What do you do if the precious little charges refused to hand in assignments? I know, you give them an "incomplete" or "not meeting target," classifications or whatever jargon is used in today's schools. When school divisions set themselves up by proclaiming there will be success for everyone as their standard, there just ain't no room for Dorval's zeros.
In fact as I understand it, even giving marks on assignments and exams are on the way out. Things are getting re-coded and colour coded. Students are either meeting, approaching or exceeding expectations. In other words, in the new world order of education, some are getting it, others appear to be getting it and if some don't get it at all, they still don't get zeros ... they get empathy and a spot on the podium of participation I guess.
What if these tutorial darlings aren't getting it and aren't even trying? What colour code do they earn?
Special remedial sessions? Nope, that won't work if they aren't trying. But if they're not allowed to fail ... what?
I don't know how often I was told that "you can succeed by failing." It probably came from some teachers. Boy, did I learn a lot using that educational technique. The dumber I got, the smarter I became. It's not that devastating. Take it from one who has experience in that category.
Those who aren't meeting the current colour code requirements, well, I can't help them with much advice, not being a 21st century educator. I just figure that a little bit of disappointment and failure at an earlier age can't be as bad as being continually fired from jobs for being incompetent later on.
What will the reaction be? "Hey, you can't fire me, I was approaching expectations all through Grade 8 ... I was amber all through high school."
You know, sometimes a few might just have to fall through the cracks no matter how foolproof and foul proof we try to make our educational systems function.
In the meantime, I think Edmonton's school board should look at Mr. Dorval's zeros and recalibrate their decision. Maybe he just didn't get along with his boss.
Greater minds than mine are no doubt being invited to tend to this issue.
By the way, in spite of all my misguided youthful adventures in education, I never received a zero although that 12 per cent in geo-trig sure enough came damn close, I'll tell ya. I think in that case my esteemed educator/mentor gave me that mark simply for providing him with a few moments of entertainment ... a sort of digression from the tedious task of scoring the examination papers of the actual qualified scholars who fell under the spell of his erudite guidance.
