Is Rigor a Bad Word?

Should it be rigor?  Vigor?  None of the above? Are you or your school embroiled in a conversation about the word rigor?   Ultimately, the longer I work with teachers and administrators, the more I believe we have to move beyond outside pressures and harsh terminology and focus on the real issue: how to positively impact each student we teach to increase learning. As Karen Hickman, an assistant superintendent in Texas said, we need to move toward “implementation of rigor instead of so much talk about it!”