C. Henriksson (2008). Living Away from Blessings: School Failure As Lived Experience

C. Henriksson. (2008). Living Away from Blessings: School Failure as Lived Experience. London, ON: The Althouse Press. 164 pages. ISBN 978-0-920354-67-4 (pbk.) "We must not become complacent with failure," a colleague observed the other day while she and I examined data on student achievement. As a school-based administrator, I was struck by the way her words reminded me of those educational systems that regard failure much like governments may regard casualties of war--tragic and regrettable but nonetheless inevitable. Troubled by the notion that schools may have become crucibles for failure for many children, I was left with more than a twinge of guilt to realize that I, and other educators, must shoulder a substantial part of the blame. Much of the current preoccupation with student failure in education results from the rational measurement of the effectiveness of school reform; however, I believe educators need to move towards an understanding of failure from a more human aspect.