What Can Schools Do to Prevent Tardiness Essay Example

What Can Schools Do to Prevent Tardiness? Essay Students who arrive late to class are often disruptive to the class; they may also miss valuable instructions from teachers. School administrators, teachers and other school staff members can implement various policies and techniques designed to reduce the amount of student tardiness. Establish Rules * Establish clear rules at the beginning of the school year regarding the schools attendance and punctuality policy. Outline a clear plan on the consequences for unexcused absences and late arrivals. Be consistent with the rules, as students typically will notice otherwise. Involve the Parents For frequently tardy students, address the matter with the students parent. Some parents are at fault for their childs frequent tardiness. Involve the parents by asking for their help and explaining the school policy on tardiness. Tardy Report Card * Draw up an individual contract to motivate a frequently tardy student to improve her behavior. Use a daily or weekly tardiness report card. Reward stu dents who are obviously making an effort to reduce their tardiness with recognition. Make the subject of school attendance and punctuality an important one to give students the motivation to attend school on time. Detention * Issue a tardy detention for continuously tardy students. Give a detention for each tardy; have the student serve the detention on breaks and after school. Send home a notice of the reason for the detention to the parents; require the student to return the notice signed by the parent. Withhold Credits * Communicate with students and parents about how school attendance and punctuality are required to earn the credits for the class. A teachers instructions are necessary and important for a students learning; they should not be missed or interrupted by a student arriving late. Avoid Morning Downtime * Begin working immediately at the time class is to start. Late students who miss only a few minutes of downtime may not see the point in arriving to class on time; however, missing important information can motivate some students to avoid being tardy. Require Tardy Slips * Require late students to go to the school office and request a tardy slip before they can join the class. Keep track of each tardy and address your concerns with the student, the parent and the principal of the school. We will write a custom essay sample on What Can Schools Do to Prevent Tardiness? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on What Can Schools Do to Prevent Tardiness? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on What Can Schools Do to Prevent Tardiness? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In most cases, this process is motivating for students to arrive to class on time. Students come to class late. When students come to class late, it can disrupt the flow of a lecture or discussion, distract other students, impede learning, and generally erode class morale. Moreover, if left unchecked, lateness can become chronic and spread throughout the class. Because there are a number of possible reasons students arrive to class late, considering which causes are at the root of the problem can help guide instructors to appropriate responses and strategies. Understanding the reasons, however, does not require tolerating the behavior. Students lack interest or motivation. - Students see little value in the course or its content. Regardless of the objective value of an activity or topic, if students do not recognize its value, they may not be motivated to expend effort. However, if students clearly see how coursework connects to their goals, interests, and concerns, they will be more likely to value it, and thus more motivated to invest time and effort. Strategies: Clearly articulate learning goals. * Show relevance to students’ academic lives. * Demonstrate relevance to students’ professional lives. * Highlight real-world applications of knowledge and skills. * Connect to students’ personal interests. * Allow students some degree of choice. * Show your own passion and enthusiasm. Clearly articulate learning goals. Students will be more motivated to work if they know what goals they are working towards. Thus, it is a good idea not only to articulate goals for the course, but also for specific lectures, discussions, and assignments. For example, before beginning a lecture, an instructor might write on the board the skills, knowledge, and perspectives students will gain that day (with appropriate effort), using concrete, student-centered language—for example, â€Å"When you leave today, you should be able to debate the pros and cons of a single-payer health plan; apply a particular economic framework to make predictions about interest rates; identify, illustrate and compare three theoretical approaches in child development. Articulating learning goals is important for a variety of reasons, but it plays a key role in motivation by showing students the specific value they will derive from a particular course, unit, or activity. Show relevance to students’ academic lives. Students will be more motivated to work hard if they see the value of what they are learning to their overall course of study. Consequently, it is important to explain to students how your course will help prepare them for subsequent courses (e. g. a mathematics professor might help to motivate psychology students by explaining how the math skills they learn will help them in quantitative courses for their major). This gives students a better appreciation of the combined value of the courses they take and lets them see how each contributes to their overall education. It is also helpful to point out when students are learning skills that will help them later in the same course—especially when the material is difficult and potentially frustrating (e. g. an instructor might help encourage students who are struggling with a concept by saying, â€Å"This is a difficult idea, but a crucial one, and you’re going to be very glad you learned it when we begin analyzing negotiation cases in Unit 3†). Seeing the value of the material within a broader academic framework can help students sustain motivation and persist through challenges and setbacks. Demonstrate relevance to students’ professiona l lives. Students are more likely to exert effort in a course if they anticipate an eventual payoff in terms of their future professional lives. Consequently, instructors can enhance motivation by linking their course content to students’ intended professions, pointing out how the skills and knowledge students are gaining in class will help them after they graduate. An information systems instructor, for example, can motivate students to learn information systems principles by pointing to real-life database failures that resulted when these principles were not applied. A theater instructor might motivate acting students to study dramaturgy by explaining how a rich understanding of a play’s context will contribute to their understanding of character. It is especially important to highlight the professional relevance of higher-level skills such as quantitative reasoning, public speaking, persuasive writing, and teamwork, because students do not always recognize their importance in the work world. Highlight real-world applications of knowledge and skills. One effective way to harness student motivation is to have students apply what they are learning to real-world contexts. For example, a marketing professor might use a real-world industry case study to give students practice applying marketing principles to complex, contextualized problems. Similarly, in an information systems course, the instructor might assign a service-learning project in which students must build a database for a non-profit community organization. This kind of task allows students to work within authentic constraints, interact with real clients, and explore possible professions. Such assignments may also create possibilities for future internships or jobs. All of these factors are likely to increase student motivation. Even in courses that are more theoretical than applied, instructors can convey the relevance of course content simply by pointing out its significance in the real world. For example, a mathematics professor teaching optimization might point out that financial institutions use optimization techniques to maximize trade efficiency. Connect to students’ personal interests. Motivation is often enhanced when instructors connect course material to students’ personal interests. For example, a chemistry professor might link a lesson on chemical transformations of carbohydrates to students’ interest in cooking. A history instructor might motivate interest in colonial history by showing how it helps to explain contemporary geopolitical conflicts or environmental problems. Similarly, well-constructed courses that tap into issues that are important to students (e. g. , The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Philosophy and the Matrix [a popular film], The Statistics of Sexual Orientation) can capitalize on students’ motivation without sacrificing intellectual or disciplinary rigor. Allow students some degree of choice. One possible way to enhance student motivation is to allow students to choose topics for papers and projects that connect the course content to their outside interests and passions. For example, a physics instructor might allow a student who plays different sports to do a project comparing the spin, rotation, and acceleration of differently shaped balls. A history instructor teaching about immigration might allow students to write about their own family’s immigration experience in relation to the course content. However, while flexibility and choice can be motivating, it is also important to recognize that weighing and choosing among alternatives requires cognitive effort and can create an extra burden for students. Thus, instructors might want to provide a restricted set of options and sufficient time to choose among them. This can enhance motivation without overwhelming students with too many choices. Show your own passion and enthusiasm. Your own enthusiasm about the course content can be powerful and contagious. Even if students are not initially attracted to or interested in the material, by clearly demonstrating your own enthusiasm, you can often raise students’ curiosity and motivate them to find out what excites you about the subject. This can lead them to engage more deeply than they had initially planned and to discover value they had overlooked. The causes of absenteeism of students are 1. Lack of Subject Interest 2. Lack of Personal Interest in studies. 3. Available opportunities for entertainment like malls, movie halls etc. 4. The mental capacity of a students does not matches with the the course opted. 5. Too much Pamperness from family. 6. The poor teaching skills of a teacher also keep away student from the school. 7. Lack of confidence 8. Ragging also cause absenteeism 9. Lack of allied activities also causes absenteeism like no sports program,no freshers or farewell parties ,no annual day celebration etc. How to Deal With Tardy Students Teachers sometimes have to deal with students who are tardy to their class. While some students occasionally come to class late because they miss the bus, others are chronically tardy. Dealing with students who are constantly tardy becomes frustrating for many teachers. Students who show up late disrupt a teachers lecture and slow the class down. Teachers should not handle tardiness lightly and properly discipline students who continuously come to class late. Instructions 1 Treat the tardy student with respect. Do not embarrass the late student in front of the class by making a big deal about her tardiness. She will likely feel bad the rest of the class period and wont appreciate your attempt to humiliate her. In addition, making a big deal about her tardiness will also distract the other students from learning. 2 Talk to the tardy student in private after class. Tell him that you dont appreciate his tardiness because it disrupts the class. Ask him why he has been tardy and give him advice on how to be on time. Express to him that his tardiness wont be tolerated by telling him his next tardy will result in a detention. 3 Give the student an after school detention if she continues to come late to class. Require her to sit quietly at her desk and complete her homework during her detention. A detention may deter her from being late again because she likely would rather spend time at home or with her friends than sit in a classroom after school. If she takes the bus home, call her parents ahead of time to tell them about the situation. 4 Call the students parents if he still continues to be late. Arrange to have a meeting with the parents and the tardy student after school. Explain to them that you warned him about his tardiness, but he continues to come late to class. If his parents understand the seriousness of the situation, they will likely take proper disciplinary measures at home to ensure he isnt late again. Dealing with Excessive Absences 1. Make sure students note the departmental policy regarding unexcused absences. . After the first absence beyond what you consider tolerable (this depends upon how many days per week your course meets, whether the student has been in touch with you, etc. ) speak to the student at the first opportunity. Make clear that you are , indeed, maintaining attendance records and that you have noted his/her absences and will permit no more absences without serious cause. Make a note of the d ate on which you spoke to the student. 3. After the third absence beyond a tolerable limit (second after you have spoken with the student) send the student a letter by regular mail or lectronic mail (messenger mail can be very slow) and copy to the students association dean and the Language Program Director. Keep a copy for your own files. Be sure to refer to the discussion you had with the student and mention the date of this discussion. 4. If this does not produce results, send the next letter to the students dean and then get on with more important things. Send a copy of the letter to the Language Program Director and keep one for your files. 5. If the student indeed misses 8 [6/3] classes, get in touch with the students dean or ask the Language Program Director to take over from there. You may not drop students from your class list after the last day to drop classes. Students who exceed the total number of allowed absences after the drop date may receive a 0 in participation or in the course. This decision should be handled case-by-case, in consultation with the students association dean. How to Stop Failing a Class Relax. First you need to relax and think to yourself why you are failing this class. Are there too many distractions? Does the teacher not explain the work well? Or are you just not understanding any of it? Think about this and ways you could minimize it. Study. Studying is probably the most important thing you could do! Not studying could be a big reason why you arent passing the class. When studying, make sure you rid the room of ALL distractions! turn off things such as the TV, stereo, and even your cell phone! if you are tempted to turn any of these things on then move to another comfortable and quiet place in your home that has less distractions. Take breaks. Take a break once in a while when studying. Working non-stop wont help you that much and may make it more difficult to remember things. Stop and grab a snack but dont turn on ANY of the distractions that are around you for you may end up not going back to study or even remember what you have just studied. Studies have shown that doing some exercising or just simply walking around keeps your brain going and you have energy. this will help your memory. Take advantage. Take advantage of things at your school. If your teacher stays after school on certain days for extra help make sure you talk to them about that. you need all the help you can get. if you want, you could even consider a tutor. Use your class time. While in class, make sure you get rid of any distractions as well. Since you dont own the classroom, you cant just walk around and hide things or turn them off. but make your workspace clean and with no distractions at all! make sure you have all of the supplies you need before the class starts. taking the time to find paper or a pen or even the homework could cause you to miss something important. Listen. Make sure you are listening to what is going on in the class. Studies have shown that looking at the teacher while they are talking helps when it comes to listening. ont fiddle around with you pen/pencil and also dont draw on the side of your papers. (i have a huge habit of drawing on almost all of my papers during classes). Pay attention to what your teacher is saying so you understand. Ask. Dont be afraid to ask questions when you dont understand something. if you didnt understand the problem the teacher just did on the board, ask if they could do it again and explain it to you. Asking is very important. Again, ask the teacher if you could come at lunch to be tutored or to stay after school for extra help. Doing this isnt embarrassing so dont mind if your friends tease you. Hey, youll be the one laughing when you friends are failing a class and your out hanging with other friends! Use time at home. When at home and doing your homework or studying, make sure its quiet and again, no distractions. If you dont understand a problem on the homework, call up a friend to ask or look back into a text book or even ask your parents! the internet can be useful but most websites might not have accurate explanations or even answers! dont go on there unless you dont have any other choice. Take care of yourself. Be healthy too! be happy and healthy has a big part when it comes to learning. make sure you get enough sleep which should be at least 8 hours. Eat breakfast in the morning even if its a simple granola bar or even an apple! eating and sleeping help you stay focused throughout the day! and remember, you still have classes after lunch so make sure you eat well there too! make sure you are in a good mood too. you dont want a negative attitude or a lot of things on your mind while trying to pay attention to the lesson or when taking a test. clear your mind of distractions before class starts.