Classroom Management: Disciplining Late Work
February 24, 2008 by ilrlo
This week, I truly enjoyed reading Ramsey’s chapter on How to Say the Right Thing to Students. Ramsey gave specific suggestions and lists of what to do and what not to do. Ramsey discusses how to talk to students, carry out classroom discussions, how to praise, and how to discipline. A couple points that really stuck out to me was in the “how to discipline” section. Ramsey advises teachers to be consistent about consequences and to not feel sorry for reprimanding students. This reminder really helps. I made the mistake of trying to give grace in the first couple of weeks about turning work in on time. After the first two weeks, I told my students that I would be enforcing the late assignment policy for the rest of the semester. Then, when I received late work, I took off 50% for a day late…and felt really bad.
I think that part of my problem with this is that, were I to create my own rules, I would probably not be quite as harsh. I would probably take off 20 points for late work. I also have trouble because I really want each of my students to succeed, so I have a tendency to “give grace” as long as students work hard to complete the work and turn it in.
However much that I hate that students’ grades drop, I know that it does not help my students to accept all work whenever they hand it in. I am enforcing the late assignment policy because I know that, as a teacher, I am supposed to be preparing students for a successful future. They need to learn to be responsible and organized with their work and their time. Also, enforcing the late assignment disciplinary measures shows respect to those students who did abide by the rules.
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I, too, have struggled with how to handle late work. My school has a policy to mark students off 10 points each day, with no late work taken after three days. If I hew to this policy, it devalues the material the students are supposed to learn. If a student knows that they will get no points for doing the work, the odds are that they won’t do it at all. If they don’t do the work, they will lose the chance to form opinions or gain insight into whatever the lesson was about in the first place. It would be better for them to have handed in the assignment when it was due, but isn’t it better to have them do the work than not do it at all?
I have been flexible with due dates; at this point, I feel that I have been too flexible. You can imagine how many students actually hand in work on the day it is due. At this point, I feel like I need to be firm about assignments. I have warned them, and everything is in place and in writing about the expectations I have for the current project. My greatest concern is that, by giving the students slack early on in the semester, they will continue to be late with work as we finish out the year. Last semester, my mentor gave students as much time as they needed to finish their work; she gave each student a spreadsheet and showed them what they needed to do in order to complete the given assignments. She handed out replacement copies of homework and essay prompts, and accepted late work. However, she got to the point when she said “enough,” and declared a cutoff point and stuck to it. I feel like this is what I need to do now.
I will say this; we are all learning as we go, with a steeper curve for some of us than for others. I feel like I am learning invaluable lessons from my practicum experience, and that I will be a better teacher from the insights gained from my mistakes.
One of my students seemed surprised when I asked him if his absence was excused or unexcused; he tried to explain to me that there was no difference. I worry about how this student will cope with classroom, and life, expectations after leaving my classroom. One policy my mentor teacher has used for late assignments is requiring an additional essay, two pages per day late. I’ve been very generous with late assignments lately because I’m happier if they turn in something than grow more resentful. But that is the challenge of the late policy, and, hopefully, over the course of the semester, it will teach them, as you say, to be more responsible and organized, which is a very admirable goal. I would still want to be somewhat flexible, though, so that a minor problem would not unduly affect a student’s grade.
I think it is interesting that you link late work policies with classroom management; although I do think it is relevant to the discussion this week. Part of good classroom management is having good policies and procedures that are set at the beginning of the semester. And you bring up a crucial point: they have to be policies that you believe in or else you won’t follow through with the consequences. It is hard to implement someone else’s policies, and I understand your feeling that 50% penalty for late work is uncomfortably harsh. I would feel bad, too. However, if that is the policy, it is essential that you follow through with it fairly and consistently. I have implemented policies that I don’t really care about (raise hand before talking, ask to get out of seat, etc.), and it inevitably caused problems because I didn’t follow my own policies. This is bad for obvious reasons. It creates a climate where rules and policies are ignored and disrespected.
A hard policy for me is our school tardy policy. I hate sending kids to get a late pass, but I also realize that I’m hurting the school when I let them slide. I started off by telling students that I wouldn’t count them late if I could see them when the bell rang…what a disaster! I don’t know what I was thinking. I was trying to be nice and it quickly got out of control. This year I tell them that they have to be on the carpet before the bell stops ringing. It is definitely hard to send a student for a tardy pass when they are just a few steps away, but it has to be done because that is the policy.
To go back to what you were saying…I have some suggestions for accepting late work. I have always accepted late work because I feel like students should get credit for what they do. However, I have also spent too many sleepless nights at the end of the semester grading late work before final grades are due, and I’m not sure that’s fair either. I accept late work on Mondays. If it is work from the previous week, I deduct 25% off the top. If it is work from before the previous week, I deduct 50% off the top. It sounds confusing, but it has actually helped me to stay organized. I used to have late work coming in all the time and I couldn’t keep it straight. We shall see if it still piles up at the end of the semester…I am hopeful that the initial 25% deduction is an incentive to turn it in late, earlier. I don’t have it in my heart to not take it, so, like I said, we shall see…
Like you, I have a hard time not giving grace and then feeling bad when I do discipline students. Unfortunately, I probably give too much grace sometimes but, on the other hand, sometimes a little grace goes a long way because it acts as encouragement. I have some students who if I keeping taking away and taking away will just stop trying. This I don’t want. But, then, is it fair to the students who always turn in their work that other students aren’t penalized. Also, is it fair to the student who I don’t give grace to? It is just so hard sometimes to discipline and be equal since all students are different and respond differently to situations.
I do agree with you that sticking to consequences and consistently disciplining students is the way to go because it does prepare students for the real world even though I struggle with the concept daily.
You make some good points above.
However, I also think that this can be helpful to you:
Go to: http://www.panix.com/~pro-ed/
If you get this book and video: PREVENTING Classroom Discipline Problems, [they are in many libraries, so you don't have to buy them] email me and I can refer you to the sections of the book and the video [that demonstrates the effective vs. the ineffective teacher] that can help you.
If you cannot get them, email me anyway and I will try to help.
Best regards,
Howard
Howard Seeman, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus,
City Univ. of New York
20 River Court
Suite 1404
Jersey City, NJ 07310
Email: Hokaja@aol.com
FAX: (586) 279-0935
Book, Training Video/CD:
Preventing Classroom Discipline Problems
http://www.ClassroomManagementOnline.com
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