If a student is consistently late to your class,
how would you handle the situation? How do you give your students
recognition? Do you think a student can have too much recognition?
Since I teach first period, I have quite a few students
who are repeat offenders of the tardy policy. Sadly, some of these students are
at the mercy of older siblings or even parents who do not bring them to school
on time. While I sympathize, I am always adamant about accurately marking
students as tardy. The school has a tardy policy in place, which unfortunately
I do not find very effective. Some teachers have taken to locking their
classroom door and keeping their students outside for the same amount of time
that they are late. However, I do not subscribe to this method. While I am sure
fear is a strong motivator to show up on time, I hate to sacrifice more of the
students learning time because of their poor habits.
I am a big believe in giving recognition to students who
do things well. I feel that it is important to show students that their peers
have found ways to be successful in the course, because I hope that it inspires
all of my students to work harder. For instance, last week when my students
gave PowerPoint presentations, I had one student who did an exceptional job of
making her PowerPoint slide. It followed all directions and exceeded
expectations for this level of education. She also did an excellent job
presenting, and I feel her PowerPoint slide was one of the reasons. After her
group’s presentation I told the class how impressed I was and how pleased I was
with her work. I also did this, not only to recognize this student, but also to
demonstrate to the class, what exceptional work looks like to a teacher. I feel
that students benefit from this type of modeling which is realistic. I feel that
a teacher can only give too much recognition if the teacher is failing to
acknowledge multiple students. If a teacher consistently uses the same student
as a model of excellence, the students become disengaged and disinterested in
the recognition.
Great observations!
ReplyDeleteThe school should take care of tardiness - not the teacher. I agree that locking the students out of the classroom is not the answer. Maybe some sort of special award or recognition on a weekly basis for those who have been on time every day.
ReplyDeletePraise and encouragement are essential. A student will work harder if they are told they are doing a good job. As you said, a teacher must be careful to be fair and equitable in their praise and encouragement.