I received my first round of final drafts this afternoon, and I would be lying if I said I was happy with the outcome. Three of the students only had final drafts, two of them were absent, and one attended the class but did not turn in a paper. I told the students with only final drafts that they could turn in the rest of their materials to my mailbox; I told one of the absent students, who was sick, that he could turn it in Thursday. I feel that by being so lenient on these students, I am projecting a message that tells them I am very forgiving, although it was explicitly stated in the syllabus and course schedule what was required of them. I even reminded them during several classes about the materials that they needed to have with their final drafts (initial draft and peer workshop sheets). Yet, over a quarter of the class did not meet the guidelines.
How far must we go as teachers in order to satisfy the needs of our students without being looked at as either a stickler for due dates or a laid back instructor who will let you slide on aspects of the assignment? I feel that each extreme is an inappropriate method of teaching, but I cannot seem to find a cozy place in the middle. I can only do so much without holding their hands, right? Where are the lines drawn between too strict and too lenient? And how do we, as teachers, work inside those lines in order to provide a steady, effective classroom environment?
I know that last semester I was far too flexible with my students as far as due dates. I was accepting almost anything from the students as an excuse and felt that if I asked for any sort of documentation for the absence, they would view me as a middle or high school teacher. I don't want to go that route again, but I also do not want to be so strict about policies that my students fear or despise me. How do we build a relationship in which the student recognizes his or her role by meeting due dates and assignment guidelines?
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2 comments:
I'll tell you what, Casey, it doesn't matter what you do. You can't please everyone. The only thing you can do is explain to them why you need to turn stuff in on time. Tell them that when you get papers late, it cuts into your free time because you have already allotted so much time for grading. Ask them how strict they think you are going to be if you have to grade their paper on your free time. And if that doesn't work, then when they come up to you offer an excuse, punch them in the face. Nobody likes getting punched in the face and that will stop the late papers.
Seriously, though, when they hand you a late paper, just smile and say thanks. Then take off points for being late. Hand the papers back with the same smile. If they want to think you are a jerk because you are adhering to the rules you set up for the class, then they are the jerk for wanting to take advantage of you. You can't worry about that stuff.
Great insight, Ruck. Especially the part about punching. Maybe a street fight is necessary to show them I mean business! Haha!
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