Google has the following mission statement. “Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” One may or may not like Google, but their mission statement clearly reflects what they want to accomplish.

Now, imagine that Google had a mission statement that read, “Engage, challenge, and support every employee every day.” There’s nothing wrong with these actions but, what does that tell us about what Google wants to accomplish? Absolutely nothing.

Sadly, the hypothetical Google mission statement is the exact wording (substituting student for employee) recently adopted by the Fountain Hills High School as their mission statement. What does this absurdity tell us about what our high school wants to accomplish? Absolutely nothing. Or maybe it does.

Have we become so politically correct that it’s acceptable to have a mission based on activities rather than high achievement and success? Are we no longer permitted to strive to be the best? Are we no longer permitted to want to have the best educated students in the state and country? Apparently not. And why not?

Maybe that’s the intent. With a meaningless bureaucratic statement such as this, any results can be declared to be successful. With this mission statement, all students could fail and, as staff, I can be successful as long as I can point to increased engagement, challenges, and support. Pure nonsense.

And guess who loses. You’re right. With this kind of a mission, the students lose. Sad, but politically correct and absurd. Is this the best we can do? And as a parent, should I look for a school that has a mission focused on achieving the best? Fountain Hills High School certainly fails that test.