This generation.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other night, and we started discussing the current generation (because we're over 30 and we can do that now, talk about those youngins and how screwed up they are). We discussed how it seems like there is a generation of parents and kids who have somehow decided that they are entitled to do whatever they want, and the parents enable this behavior. When did we decide as a society that we had to tiptoe around a kids' self-esteem to the point that we say "Oh, it's ok that you failed that test, it's not your fault, you must have mis-understood the directions", or some such tripe. C'mon. the kid didn't study, didn't pay attention in class (or skipped class altogether) and only showed up for the test. They DESERVED to fail. I did a little research on the subject (ok, I Googled it and went to Wikipedia) I found this interesting little historical note:

From the late 1970s to the early 1990s Americans assumed as a matter of course that students' self-esteem acted as a critical factor in the grades that they earn in school, in their relationships with their peers, and in their later success in life. Given this assumption, many American groups created programs which aimed to increase the self-esteem of students, assuming that grades would increase, conflicts would decrease, and that this would lead to happier and more successful lives. Until the 1990s little peer-reviewed and controlled research took place on this topic.

“ The concept of self-improvement has undergone dramatic change since 1911, when Ambrose Bierce mockingly defined self-esteem as "an erroneous appraisement." Good and bad character are now known as "personality differences". Rights have replaced responsibilities. The research on egocentrism and ethnocentrism that informed discussion of human growth and development in the mid-20th century is ignored; indeed, the terms themselves are considered politically incorrect. A revolution has taken place in the vocabulary of self. Words that imply responsibility or accountability — self-criticism, self-denial, self-discipline, self-control, self-effacement, self-mastery, self-reproach, and self-sacrifice — are no longer in fashion. The language most in favor is that which exalts the self — self-expression, self-assertion, self-indulgence, self-realization, self-approval, self-acceptance, self-love, and the ubiquitous self-esteem. ”
—Ruggiero, 2000


Peer-reviewed research undertaken since then has not validated previous assumptions. Recent research indicates that inflating students' self-esteem in and of itself has no positive effect on grades. One study has shown that inflating self-esteem by itself can actually decrease grades.[13]

High self-esteem correlates highly with self-reported happiness. However, it is not clear which, if either, necessarily leads to the other.[14]

So, there you have it. We (as a society) screwed up. High self-esteem does not improve grades, and can in fact, increase violence, bullying etc (as the article goes on to say). Wow. So, maybe rather than patting little Johnny on the head and telling him it's not his fault, we need to take ownership of our actions. Be responsible for our own choices and tell the kids the TRUTH. Sometimes, you fail. Pick yourself up and do better next time.