Assumptions, Accountability, Attitudes, and Consequences

          My students often complain about the amount of work that they have to do. In the past I have been sympathetic to their complaints. Since it is an evening class, and all of them are in school all day before they arrive in my classroom, I have scheduled time for them to work on their assignments in class. School can be overwhelming, especially for those who are trying to earn grades that are high enough to be considered for university admissions. So logically, one would think that the students would take advantage of work periods, especially in a situation like ours where the course is condensed. However, teenagers are not the most rational beings. This trait, paired with the tendency to complain, can lead to some interesting situations.

            One of the required assignments for my class is an Independent Study Unit. Throughout the term, I schedule conferences to meet with each student individually and make sure that they are on track with their assignments. Students are reminded about these conferences well in advance, and I repeatedly go over what the expectations are. On the date of the final conference before assignments are due, half of my class did not show up. I sent out the following message:

Dear Students,

You are absent from class today (April 19th, 2011), and you have missed your third conference for the Independent Study Unit. Today you were required to hand in three parts of your assignment:

- a thesis statement
- an outline for your essay
- process journals for both of the texts that you have read.

You must still submit these to me electronically (by e-mail) by 11:59 p.m. today.

I will deduct 2% per day from your grade for your ISU essay until these documents are submitted, to a maximum of 10%.

I will not accept any excuses for absences since you have been notified of this conference and the requirements well in advance.

Sincerely,

(Your Teacher)

            I received no replies to this message, and only one of the students submitted the required work.

Shortly after that class, the due day for the Hamlet essay came up. Students were given two work periods (that’s seven hours) to start the essay, and an additional week before the due day to work on the essay. Only two of my students submitted the essay on time. Six of them chose to hand in the essay late, and accept a penalty of -2%/day. Two of them just didn’t hand in the essay on the last day (5 days after the due date), and accepted the grade of zero. At least, I think they accepted the zero because they haven’t shown up for class in a while. On the final possible day to submit the essay, I received a message that shed some light on what could be going on:

Dear (Teacher),

      I'm aware that I'd been missing many classes for I'd been partying to celebrate for my acceptance letters. As a mater of fact, I was even going to withdraw from this class and go back to my home country since I thought my university applications are all set. 

      However I realized that U of T requires a minimum grade of 85% for its applicants ENG4U courses, and now I'm regretting all the foolish things I did including skipping my class sessions. 

      Nonetheless, I'm ready to face the penalties I deserve in terms of the deducted marks on the works I haven't handed in yet or handed in late. I promise that I'll be on time for the remaining sessions and due dates and I sincerely apologize for all the troubles I'd caused. 

I realized that the students had made some very wrong assumptions, and since the midterm marks had been submitted to universities, and they had received their letters, they assumed that they were in the clear. However, this is the only student that seemed to realize that. I replied:

(Student),

Please be aware that your mid-term mark represents roughly half of the course work. You are still required to earn your credit for the course, and the credit is not granted until the successful completion of the course. All universities in Ontario require the successful completion of the ENG4U course, although the required minimum marks for consideration vary.

Thank you for your apology. Please do keep your word to do your best from this point forward.

Sincerely,

(Your Teacher)

            I congratulate that particular student for his honesty, and I recognize that he is clearly freaking out. I think that this student is an example to his peers. He realized that he had made some wrong assumptions, accepted accountability for his actions, adjusted his attitude, and prepared to accept the consequences. Remember the student who was caught cheating on his test using his cell phone? His attitude was much different.

            As per his now established usual, this student stayed after class to explain why he had not yet completed the required work, and beg for another chance. He even said, “Miss, you can take away 15%, instead of 10%, just please let me have four more hours… What I have written is a piece of crap”

 Here are my reasons for denying the request:

1)      The due date had passed. It was the final day to hand in the assignment. Hand it in, or accept the zero. That is the policy, and it is non-negotiable.

2)      If a student has, after two entire classes, plus an additional week, knowingly produced a “piece of crap”, that is a reflection of how the student has chosen to use his/her time. I will not be merciful to someone who has admittedly wasted their time and not bothered to do the work, especially at the Grade 12 level.

3)      This particular student has pulled this kind of thing before, and I previously explained that he would get no more chances. Hand in the work, or take the zero.

4)      Staying up until midnight to check my e-mail to make sure that the student submits his essay is well outside the bounds of my duties.

5)      Administration backed me up. The guidance counselor and the principal both agree that there are limits to the flexibility with the due dates, and that having an enforced late policy benefits the students.

Yes, the student even attempted to bargain with the guidance counselor, and the principal. In the end, he handed in the, “piece of crap”.

This student is quickly becoming the student that I will tell future students about. “Use your time well; you don’t want to be that kid…” That kid is going to be in for a rude awakening next year when he gets to university. I wish him, and any other students with that kind of attitude, luck. They’re going to need it.