On Tough Love and Second Chances

Tomorrow is the last day of first quarter at the middle school where I teach, and I am not looking forward to the last-minute grading frenzy before grades must be posted for progress reports. Yes, I am allowing my students to turn in missing assignments up until tomorrow. Yes, the steady stream of crumpled papers featuring forgotten work that has been showing up on my desk all week will become a fire hose of frantically-completed assignments. And then it will all be FINISHED!

The pile of unclaimed no-name papers will be spilled into the wastebasket.
The list of students who haven't made up quizzes will be erased.
The leftover copies of everything since the first day of school will be filed away.

And then it's gonna get real.

Sure, I was lenient this first quarter, but no longer. You forgot your work at home? Well, then it's late and you can turn it in tomorrow for 10% off your grade. You were absent on a Friday? Well, then come in at lunch to make up the quiz you missed. No name papers will be dumped every two weeks. Lunch detentions will be issued for projects that are left incomplete after the due date.

This may seem harsh for a group of 12-year olds who have trouble just remembering what period they go to after my class, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I do my job to uphold my end of the teacher-student bargain:

We fill out a weekly agenda every Monday detailing the assignments and due dates.
We don't assign homework. Homework is unfinished classwork.
Time in class is given for EVERYTHING. The room is open at lunch as well.
There is a visual checklist of things that have been turned in on the board.
I grade all essays and projects within two weeks and pass them back.
All Friday quizzes are entered into the grade book by Monday.
Grades are updated often and can be checked online by students or parents.
Just in case online isn't enough, grade reports are sent home every two weeks.

And still, I am going to have students failing my class thus far due to missing work.
And it's time for a little tough love.

I die a little inside when I see the overwhelming amount of orange in the grade book at the end of each week. Orange means missing assignments. I also cringe when I hear other teachers at school talking about the amount of work their own kids receive in grades below what I teach, and how they are rising to the challenge like champs.

Seventh graders, it's time to step it up. Because I care about you.

I get that the struggle is real for your developing adolescent brains, but a brain can't develop without a bit of challenge or a bit of accountability. And it's time to be responsible for the very basics of school: You get an assignment, you do the assignment, you turn in the assignment.

Because I can't do my job if you don't do yours. I can't help you become a better writer if you don't turn in an essay. I can't see your progress if you've missed the last several quizzes. If there's a problem, let me know. If you need help, ask. If your life is falling apart and you can't get your work done, ask for an extension. Because you'll get one. I understand.

It's time for tough love now because there won't always be second chances. There will be that boss with no tolerance for tardiness. There will be that manager who expects things to be done on time. There will be no patience for attitudes or eye-rolling. An F won't mean you're failing. It will mean that you're fired.

All of that seems so far away right now. There is still time for you to figure all of this out. But you never will unless someone starts expecting greatness from you, not just recognizing your potential. Good habits take years to cultivate, so start now.

Your second chance is still available, so take advantage.