February Madness

As many teachers know, teaching seniors can be tricky. On one hand, senior teachers should help the students achieve their ultimate goal of high school graduation. On the other hand, senior teachers must prepare them to leave high school and join the adulthood. So for the past several months, I have been "hard" on my seniors by giving them zeros and not letting them turn in late work. I hate being that teacher who won't extend the deadline, but I am noticing a trend.

Why is it that the students will not turn in the assignments on time if they realize that the teacher will give extra time? I have been patient. I have been kind. I have even been flexible. But some of my students do not seem to utilize the opportunites given to them correctly. It is so frustrating to see why my students would continue to miss their deadlines. 

Having said that, I see now that some of my students are learning a lot of useful skills. They are writing better. They know how to work with others.