Student Responsibilities
I have been struggling with this and my high school students. I nag them, remind them, and they still don’t finish in time or don’t follow my directions. But I have quickly learned that the students just have to learn to be responsible for themselves. I’m not their mother. I’m not their maid. So I tried something new this time. I told them that I expected their pieces to be out in the hall with their name on the back if they want a grade. I announced it at the beginning of the class and at the end. I even took the time to check with every student to see if they understood. Then I let it go.
Suffice to say, they did not all make it up. But I stuck with what I said and typed in those zeros in the grade book. I honestly felt guilty about it but also angry because they didn’t do it even after I nagged them. But I realized that these students are almost considered adults. They need to be able to do simple tasks. They also need to learn that their actions, or in this case inactions, have consequences.
Categories Spring 2018, Student Teacher Blog