In the essay, Praise the F Word by Mary Sherry, the author tells that flunking a student or threatening to flunk a student is better than passing them on because of other reasons besides making the grade. It prepares them for real world situations where if you dont do whats required then you want reep the benefits of doing whats required. Its also for the students best interest so that they will understand whats necessary to learn more and not have to go back and start over.