Late Work

Somehow, I managed to grade all of the late work in the mad rush of papers that came in at the end of the term. I had a few students that gave only perfunctory effort, but many of them cracked down to get things done, mostly out of fear. After grading everything and reflecting with my mentor teacher, I realized that some of the kids who had (I'm being honest here) a bad grade in the class ended up with quite a good grade in the end.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. I like that the students were able to obtain a good grade, but I also feel that by letting them turn in everything late, with minimal points docked, that I am teaching them that consequences don't really matter. Or perhaps I'm teaching them that the consequences don't add up to what I say they will. "You can be lazy all term long and still end up with a good grade by putting in a burst of effort at the very end." Even though this may sometimes be true, is this a perspective that I want to be teaching and training my kids to adopt?

My mentor teacher suggested working out a late-work policy that I like, one that I would use if given the directive to do as I wish in this regard. As with so many things in student teaching, this has been hard to conceptualize because I simply don't have the experience. I don't really know how things would pan out. Regardless, here is my current plan for late work:

• Any assignments where the deadline has been previously given must be turned in on the assigned date regardless of absences, excused or otherwise.

• If a student has an excused absence, then they have a week to make up any in-class assignments for that day before it is considered late.

• Late assignments turned in within a week of the original due date will receive a 10% dock in credit.

• Any assignment more than a week late will receive half credit.

• No assignments may be turned in more that 2 weeks late.

• Extenuating circumstances may allow a special contract to made on a case by case basis, according to my judgement.