Halftime Hope Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 (edited) I have a small, once a week co-op class of juniors and seniors that I'm teaching. Some of the kids have not been turning in their work on time, while others are doing their work diligently. The students all heard a verbal reminder and warning about points off for late work in class on Wednesday. Some have missed turning in work (repeatedly), and even though I gave each student a list of their missing work, nothing has been turned in online (they can do it any time) since class. Should I just let the points do the talking? should I involve the parents? if you were a parent of teens, how much "rope" would you want me to allow a student without telling me? Remember, these are juniors and seniors. They need to get a clue. The next step after me is dual credit or college. We talked about this and about, how in college classes, there is no one to hand hold you day to day. Again, let me say that the majority of the class is doing fine. My worry is disproportionate to the total class picture. WWYD? Edited September 16, 2011 by Valerie(TX) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sebastian (a lady) Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 What understanding do you have with the parents about grading and homework? Have you communicated to them what you've communicated to the students? Is it possible that some of the families consider the work with you to be supplemental or optional. That they will be assigning their own grades for what their kids do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 As a parent, I would want to know. The local high school sends home notes, puts kids on academic probation, etc., why wouldn't a coop (smaller, friendlier?) If you want the parents' support, you have to keep them in the loop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I would e-mail the parents a one time e-mail with the information you gave the students and "points to date" tally. Then I would just let the points do the talking after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I would notify the parents. These are homeschooling parents, they will definitely want to know. The kids are still minors, so there are no privacy concerns (it would be different if they were in college) I would still take off the points, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I have a small, once a week co-op class of juniors and seniors that I'm teaching. Some of the kids have not been turning in their work on time, while others are doing their work diligently. The students all heard a verbal reminder and warning about points off for late work in class on Wednesday. Some have missed turning in work (repeatedly), and even though I gave each student a list of their missing work, nothing has been turned in online (they can do it any time) since class. Should I just let the points do the talking? should I involve the parents? if you were a parent of teens, how much "rope" would you want me to allow a student without telling me? Remember, these are juniors and seniors. They need to get a clue. The next step after me is dual credit or college. We talked about this and about, how in college classes, there is no one to hand hold you day to day. Again, let me say that the majority of the class is doing fine. My worry is disproportionate to the total class picture. WWYD? As a courtesy, I would send an email to the parents of all offending students, stating that work is not being done and if work is not turned in within 3 days (or whatever you pick), deductiions shall begin, if you feel generous. If you don't, then simply tell them that deductions have been taken and shall continue, resulting in a possibility of failing the class. Then I'd just do it. You are right; this is appalling for Juniors and Seniors to still be so clueless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie in CA Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 As a courtesy, I would send an email to the parents of all offending students, stating that work is not being done and if work is not turned in within 3 days (or whatever you pick), deductiions shall begin, if you feel generous. If you don't, then simply tell them that deductions have been taken and shall continue, resulting in a possibility of failing the class. Then I'd just do it. You are right; this is appalling for Juniors and Seniors to still be so clueless. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Is the course graded? To a certain extent it is best for the students to face the consequences while the consequences are as small as they are going to be. On the other hand, they are not in college yet, and as a parent I would want to know so that I could stress the importance of turning in work. Instead of singling anyone out, maybe send an e-mail to all the parents. An update on what you have been doing so far in class. Then at the end say that you have been having problems with some students not turning in their work, and that you have recently given each student a list of any work that is overdue. If any parents want to contact you to find out how their student is doing, please feel free to do so. Just a thought. Nicole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6packofun Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I agree. Do your best to motivate *students* to do the work and manage their time wisely. Lay down the law to parents once, as clearly as you can, and then focus on the kids. Even in a graded course, if it's not an official school or accredited program, parents can turn around and give their child any grade that THEY want. I've seen it happen many times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirty ethel rackham Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 As a parent, I would want to know. The local high school sends home notes, puts kids on academic probation, etc., why wouldn't a coop (smaller, friendlier?) If you want the parents' support, you have to keep them in the loop. :iagree: Around here, parents of teens attending our local high school can log on and see grades for every single assignment. I would communicate the grading policy to parents and students and let them know that deductions have and will be made for work that isn't timely. Can you give progress reports to make sure that parents know how their child is doing? Some kids can be good at avoiding reality and some parents may not be doing their due diligence at keeping up with how their children are doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 My senior is in a co-op that requires parents to sign the weekly homework sheet confirming the work has been completed to the parents' satisfaction. The English teacher also communicates weekly via email (engrade.) It's a lot of work for her to do so and I appreciate that she takes the time to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I would call each parent rather than email. That's the way I handled it when I taught those grades. Unfortunately, I found that many parents just didn't care. If I failed a kid, they'd just give them an A or B on their transcript...it really didn't matter what their kid did because they made it look good. I was totally disgusted. I hope the parents you deal with are more responsible than the ones I dealt with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lang Syne Boardie Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I would call each parent rather than email. That's the way I handled it when I taught those grades. Unfortunately, I found that many parents just didn't care. If I failed a kid, they'd just give them an A or B on their transcript...it really didn't matter what their kid did because they made it look good. I was totally disgusted. I hope the parents you deal with are more responsible than the ones I dealt with. :blink: That is totally disgusting. Why did they bother with the charade, I wonder? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ria Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 :blink: That is totally disgusting. Why did they bother with the charade, I wonder? They liked the idea of their kids being taught (probably so they didn't have to do it). They did not want anything to do with being responsible for their children's education...and that seemed to include making the kids do the work. I gave one kid a few F's and his mom basically told me that it didn't matter...he tried hard (her opinion, certainly not mine) and spent time in class, therefore he was at least average and she would not fail him on the transcript. The sad reality of my last experience teaching hoemschoolers was that 99% of the high school students were so far behind that they couldn't have passed 8th grade English. The majority of the parents were not concerned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 They liked the idea of their kids being taught (probably so they didn't have to do it). They did not want anything to do with being responsible for their children's education...and that seemed to include making the kids do the work. I gave one kid a few F's and his mom basically told me that it didn't matter...he tried hard (her opinion, certainly not mine) and spent time in class, therefore he was at least average and she would not fail him on the transcript. The sad reality of my last experience teaching hoemschoolers was that 99% of the high school students were so far behind that they couldn't have passed 8th grade English. The majority of the parents were not concerned. The thing is, the charade is often continued in the sense that the course is listed as being taught by an outside teacher so that the grade has more weight as not being a "Mommy grade". But yet, the grade was not what was given by the outside teacher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I think the fact that *soon* they won't have teachers who contact their parents doesn't mean that should start treating them that way *now*. "Now" is the time to learn, so that "soon" the kids will be able to handle getting all of the work done on their own. If these kids were in traditional school, a teacher might well send home a progress report ("Jezebel-Jane has interesting remarks to add to our classroom discussions, but seems to have difficulty turning her work in on time. I've included a list of missing homework. Without those assignments, her grade is currently a 17.") Or parents would have access to an online report listing grades and assignments. So yes, contact the parents directly, whether via email or phone. I love, love, love that one of ds' teachers generates a progress report that's updated with every assignment. It tells me when every assignment is due for the year and lists the grade for that assignment once it's turned in. I can glance at any time and know exactly what's been graded, how well ds is doing, and if everything is turned in on time. That said, Ria is assuredly right about some parents. Another parent of a child in a class with the teacher mentioned above had *no*idea* last year that her son was 4+ months behind on his assignments. Not until students from the class let it slip. I'm really not sure *how* she had missed the information -- but clearly she'd opted out of involvement and was simply accepting her son's word that he was "doing great" and "it's easy". :blink: Other parents though will be thrilled to get an update and may step in to redirect their students and have some serious heart-to-hearts about getting work done in a timely manner. Better to have those conversations now than later! So yes, generate some type of report listing missing work and give copies to both the parents *and* the students. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photo Ninja Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 I would email the parents of the students who have missing assignments and matter of factly list the assignments that are missing and their due dates. I would also remind the parents of the policy and how many points are deducted for late or missing assignments. This way the parents are aware (and as a parent, I would want to know!) and can take whatever steps they choose to deal with it. I would also stick to the policy and deduct the appropriate number of points should the assignments be turned in late. This is a lesson in responsibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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