Trick Question

As I sit, bleary-eyed, trying to figure out what I will write, my mind wanders to what I expected to encounter in August and what realities of the classroom I have come to face since. All kinds of memories, good and bad, come to mind. I have left each day with many things to ponder, and the hour-long drive home makes that easier. I have never had more to digest than after my mock interview with the department chair at my school.

Mr. Black: “Tell me, what is your policy on late work? How do you handle that in your classroom?”

Finally, a question I feel half-confident about. I could just spout off what my CT has told me to do about late work, but what do I WANT to do in MY classroom?

Me: “Since I do teach seniors, I find it important for them to learn how to honor and stick to deadlines. It’s simply part of being a functioning adult. I do not accept late homework from students, however, I would need to consider the circumstances of each student, especially if they have consistent issues with turning in work on time. I am willing to be flexible with my students if they are willing to be open and honest with me. For minor and major assessments, I take off ten points for each day the assignment is late.”

Ok, yeah, that sounded good, not too idiotic. I consider students’ needs, and want to teach my kids valuable skills about being held accountable. What else did I miss?

After the hour long (ok, fifteen minutes, but it felt like an hour) interrogation interview, Mr. Black gives me feed back on my responses. And boy, did he have an issue with my response to this question.

Mr. Black: “Now, normally in school, it is ideal to stick to a schedule and have students turn in work on time. Time management, prioritizing, these are the soft skills we wish we could teach students. However, this is not the main part of our job. If a student is struggling with content or a specific strategy and falls behind, what motivation do they get from submitting a late assignment when they know they will still receive a failing grade?”

Me: “None?”

Blink. Blink. I wasn’t getting it. 

Mr. Black: “We want students to stick to deadlines, sure, but what is really important is that the student demonstrates mastery of the standard being assessed. Should they really be penalized for it?”

Excuse me? Standards? Now? In all of my time at this school, I have never heard one whisper of a standard or standards-based assessments, grading, nada. 

Have you ever taught a senior class, Mr. Black?

I think about his feedback on the long ride home.

No, he hasn’t. I know this for a fact. Mr. Black is a department chair with less than eight years of teaching experience, and since he is the chair, he decides which teachers will teach which courses for the year. Including himself.

What has he taught? Ninth and Tenth grade. Honors. No upperclassmen. No on-level students. Ever.

Ever, y’all.

While I care deeply about my students meeting the beloved standards, do you really think a senior gives a crap about anything going on in class? At school in general? HELL NO! If I gave my students all the time they needed to complete assessments based on their ability to “master the standards,” I would have a literal mountain of grading to do at the last. possible. minute. Because seniors. If I have learned anything from seniors, it is that they will ride the clock until they cannot possibly put if off a second longer. Sometimes it’s even impressive what they are able to do at the last minute.

Where is the line between mastery and meeting deadlines? In the real world, will their landlord or mortgage company allow them to have extra time to pay their bills if they don’t have the money on the due date? What would I be teaching my students, especially those hard to reach kids, about getting done what you need to do? What would this say about how I regard my assignments and class time?

I have struggled with having a severely jaded CT, and now I have a department chair with his head in the clouds.

I can’t wait until I have a room of my own.

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