Mrs. Tirado, known as the teacher who wants the best for her students, faced a challenge at West Gate K-8 School in Port St. Lucie, Florida, after enforcing academic standards.
Last fall, she assigned an explorer notebook project with a two-week deadline, but when multiple students failed to submit their work, she gave them zeroes for their lack of effort. Despite a school policy that prohibits giving zeroes, Mrs. Tirado believed that awarding partial credit for no effort sets unrealistic expectations and undermines life lessons about responsibility. Her decision led to her termination, but before leaving, she left one final message for her students.
