Analysis Of Mary Sherry's In Praise Of The F Word

Many high school students do not want to hear the words, “you are going to fail”, but as will be seen that is exactly what they need to hear. In the article, “In Praise of the ‘F’ Word”, Mary Sherry states that students are not getting a good education and teachers should enforce the “F” word, meaning flunk. Sherry argues that students, especially high school seniors, are not getting the proper education they need to succeed, as many do not have the basic academic skills and are not well informed about those skills needed for their lives after high school. Furthermore, teachers should introduce the “F” word to their students and give them the realization of their future being in their hands. There are some high school seniors who do not have

Sherry uses some valid points to address her claim, but she could use more than just one example to show readers how the “F” word could be used in the classroom. The author does get the point across that many graduates or dropouts do not have the basic skills to get through life, because they have been “cheated by our educational system” and she wants to do something about it (1). Sherry shows that without a proper education, some students are not prepared to enter the workforce or cannot comprehend reading or writing. Education is a very important in life and it is crucial students pass and earn their diploma when graduate. To get students to stay focused and determined, Sherry argues that the “F”, meaning failure will get these high school seniors motivated, work harder, and put education first. The “F” word is a “policy that worked in the past and can work today” (2). This is very effective, because if teachers would keep enforcing failure to their students and pushing them to do better, then many students will have a better understanding of skills needed to succeed. Although Sherry does make a good argument about education and failure, she could of mentioned more real-life examples to show readers how effective the “F” word could be, Sherry did mention that her son’s teacher used the failure card on him and it worked, but what about other kids who are not hers. How will readers know if the failure card works on some students? Many students get distracted and the “F” word doesn’t work or it does but does not always work. Sherry could of explained those type of situations and give readers a better understanding. Overall, Sherry gives good details to back up her