Our son was a high-school senior when he had her for English. “He sits in the back of the room talking to his friends,” she told me. “Why don’t you move him to the front row?” I urged, believing the embarrassment would get him to settle down. Mrs. Stifter said, “I don’t move seniors. I flunk them.” Our son’s academic life flashed before my eyes. No teacher had ever threatened him. By the time I got home I was feeling pretty good about this. It was a radical approach for these times, but well, why not? “She’s going to flunk you”, I told my son. I did not discuss it any further. Suddenly English became a priority in his life. He finished out the semester with an A.

In this text, the authors’ attitude toward flunking is________.