I'd Rather Take a Zero for Doing Nothing than Try and Fail

I think I had that same attitude - I truly hated school and everything it represented. Pretty bad when your father was a a prof and in admin. at Rutgers at the time LOL!

Wow that sounds really bad, a really bad attitude. I guess it might be there are no consequences for not trying? Besides getting a zero. Sounds like nothing is getting thru to them. Time to bring back the old ways lol

To me it seems that they are so embarrassed of doing something wrong that they would rather not try at all. I was always worried when I was in school that I might get the wrong answer so out of fear of being embarrassed I would never raise my hand.

I don't have any answers except that, if they are talking among themselves, maybe the idea is catching. Our older son only ever did enough work to scrape through with a pass. We couldn't convince him otherwise either.

They are about to learn a life lesson. Our nanny state society has taught you don't have to try or do anything because the check's in the mail. These kids won't be equipped for the real working world.

A very rude awakening is on the way.

I'm a college student. I have seen a few other students like that as well. My own personal philosophy is this: If I tried and failed, it's not that I'm stupid for not passing. It's because I haven't tried hard enough. That, when the next time comes around, I have to apply what I learned the last time and try harder the next time. I usually go back to my first fail and try to see where I went wrong. With that, I try to correct myself and try harder the 2nd time around. That's just me. Other students who have the "0" attitude just seems lazy to me.

No idea, you'd have to ask them! I was your typical straight A student.. and most of my kids are too. My oldest on the other hand was the lazy type. He had the brains, he just couldn't be bothered, even when he got to a point where he wasn't allowed to play sports anymore because he was failing. He attended summer school... oh and failed summer school also! It wasn't until 11th grade when he realized he was doubling up on all his classes for both junior and senior year in order to graduate, and that if he failed a single class he wouldn't graduate on time, that he finally buckled down. And guess what? He got 90's those last 2 years!

There is some logic in their thinking. No one will point a finger which would have happened if they failed. Why did I not think of this approach while at school (lol)

sad state of affairs - i'd rather try and at least see how far i'd get

It is a bizarre attitude.

I think these students are afraid of failure, because failure will make them feel worthless. This stems from lack of security, love, and support. I don't think society or life is to blame. I think they are just isolated and scared children trying to find their way into adulthood. I think deeper communication and level of support is needed here.

My daughter had a habit of getting discouraged and shoving assignments away somewhere and not handing them in. During one meeting, the teacher got her to dig out what ever she could find in her desk, back pack, locker. He entered all the partial marks (that were zeros) into the computer and showed her that a few 20% papers did a lot less damage to her grade than zeros. Excel at what you can and at least try the rest. It did have an impact on her that day. Yes, I, a teacher, raised one of these unmotivated students.

I have no idea why any student has the attitude of not making an effort to try to learn as subject that seems difficult to master at first. They need to learn that "Success is not forever and failure is not fatal."

Unfortunately, so many have taken to this mind set anymore. Not sure how it happened but it did, and unless something good can happen for them to change it than it only continues. All we can do is continue to encourage and advise, and hope in the end something that we say and do makes sense.

Do they still have students repeat grades in Los Angeles? It was almost impossible to fail a student in Long Beach -- especially a senior. I had one in a college prep class who simply wouldn't turn in work. He was well able to do it, but just didn't. I was grateful when he slept through class instead of bothering his neighbors. I gave him a failure notice the last semester, and it was I who was called on the carpet by the counselor. Maybe he gave that counselor the same sob story he gave me -- that his father was dying of cancer and he had to work nights to help support the family. His mother verified that the father was terminal, but she said her son never went anywhere at night except to his DeMolay meeting. The counselor 's solution was to keep the boy at school on senior ditch day and have him work on his assignments, and the unspoken command to me was that I pass him if he did that. His grades on the assignments weren't taken into consideration. In other words, if he stayed at school and worked that day, I had to pass him. Everyone was concerned that if he didn't pass he wouldn't be able to join the Navy program he'd signed up for. I hope that also wasn't a lie. Perhaps the Navy could have straightened him out.

I knew a person who said they wouldn't ask a question if they thought the person would answer “No”. I always thought that was stupid. Instead of telling them they were being stupid or silly, if I was there I'd ask! Eh! That's what friends are for. Hoping they'd see that I survived getting a "No" for an answer.

This is a very bad attitude, we always should try and if we fail at least we can say we did our best.

Not in, can't win - strange they eliminate themselves at the outset.

Because society informs them that if they don't do well, they're rubbish. So, why try and do badly? At least if you don't try, nobody can say you're rubbish because they have no evidence.