this is the homework assignment that you missed last week

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How to Catch Up on Missed Schoolwork Quickly

Last Updated: April 5, 2024 Approved

This article was co-authored by Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed. . Alexander Ruiz is an Educational Consultant and the Educational Director of Link Educational Institute, a tutoring business based in Claremont, California that provides customizable educational plans, subject and test prep tutoring, and college application consulting. With over a decade and a half of experience in the education industry, Alexander coaches students to increase their self-awareness and emotional intelligence while achieving skills and the goal of achieving skills and higher education. He holds a BA in Psychology from Florida International University and an MA in Education from Georgia Southern University. There are 9 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. In this case, 80% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 118,989 times.

When you miss class, the work can start to pile up quickly. All those assignments and deadlines can be pretty overwhelming, but don’t panic. Talk to your teachers and friends about what you missed. Then, make a plan for tackling your workload, prioritizing the most pressing assignments. Take breaks, reward yourself, and stay positive to boost your productivity. Catching up on missed schoolwork isn’t easy, but with a little organization and strategy, you’ll be better equipped to handle the challenges that come your way.

Talking to Teachers and Friends

• Say something like, “I’m sorry, but I’ll be out of class tomorrow for a family reunion. Please let me know what I need to do to stay on top of my work.”
• You may need to provide a note from a doctor or parent. Check with your school administration to find out.

• Say something like, “I’m so sorry I was out yesterday with the flu. I’m doing my best to get back on schedule. Is there anything important that I missed?”

• You might say, “I’m sorry, I’ve been really busy with soccer lately and I’ve fallen behind on some assignments. I want to do everything I can to catch up. What would you recommend that I do?”

• While talking to students is helpful, it shouldn’t be a substitute for communicating with your teacher. Ideally, you should do both.

• You may be able to meet with your teacher before or after class for extra help.
• Keep in mind that your teacher probably won’t have time to re-explain the entire lecture. Look over all your notes and materials beforehand so you’re as prepared as possible. It may be helpful to come in with a list of questions.

Making a Plan

• Break down big assignments into smaller sub-steps, and nest these under the big assignments on your checklist.
• Don’t forget to check off items when you complete them! It’ll feel super satisfying.

• Put a star next to your top items or highlight them.
• You can color code by priority, underlining the most pressing items in red, the moderately pressing ones in yellow, and the least urgent ones in green.
• If you’re having trouble determining a top priority, ask yourself, “If I only had time to complete one assignment, which one would it be?”

• If you need even more structure, you might schedule your workload by time of day (morning, afternoon, and evening) or even by the hour.
• Input your schedule into a planner or online calendar and refer to it regularly.
• Consider turning a weekend into a “Homework Retreat”. Schedule out an entire weekend to do the assignments you missed. However, don’t overstretch yourself, and make sure to schedule breaks, snacks and other things to keep you energized.

Being Productive

• Say to yourself, “I’ve got this. I’ve caught up on work in the past, and I can do it again.”
• It may help to do something fun before you buckle down, like going for ice cream with friends or taking your dog on a walk.

• You should do something completely unrelated to your work during your breaks. Look at funny memes, take a walk, grab a snack, or chat with a friend. [9] X Research source

• Make sure your rewards are appropriate. Don’t give yourself a huge reward for finishing a relatively small task, and don’t select an insignificant reward for a major task.
• Make your rewards meaningful, specific, and immediate. For example, you might reward yourself with a quick trip to your favorite restaurant for lunch.

• It's fun to laugh and joke with friends, but do your best not to get distracted. Take turns reminding each other to stay focused.

• Teens need around eight to ten hours of sleep each night. For better sleep , try to go to bed around the same time everyday. Staying up late on the weekends can hurt sleep quality. [13] X Research source
• Eat a balanced diet containing lots of fruits and veggies, whole grains, and lean proteins, like chicken. Always eat breakfast, and drink water throughout the day to stay hydrated. [14] X Trustworthy Source HelpGuide Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. Go to source

• Do your best to balance your social life, extracurriculars, and schoolwork.

Expert Q&A

• Be honest with your teacher if you think a deadline is unreasonable. They may give you an extension once you explain your situation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you have a ton of work to finish, it’s easy to get paralyzed. However, remember that it’s always better to work on something than nothing. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If this missed work was avoidable, think about ways you can stay on top of your work in the future. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Cutting class can be tempting, especially for college students, but it can lead to hours of missed school work and stress down the line. Thanks Helpful 26 Not Helpful 2

You Might Also Like

Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about catching up on school, check out our in-depth interview with Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed. .

• ↑ http://www.students.org/2013/09/25/miss-day-school/
• ↑ https://childdevelopmentinfo.com/learning/tips-help-child-get-back-track-missing-school/#.WXpe4DYqteB
• ↑ http://www.parents.com/kids/education/homework/catch-up-on-homework/
• ↑ http://time.com/2933971/how-to-motivate-yourself-3-steps-backed-by-science/
• ↑ https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-rule-of-52-and-17-its-random-but-it-ups-your-productivity
• ↑ https://hbr.org/2011/05/the-power-of-small-wins
• ↑ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814050009
• ↑ https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep
• ↑ https://www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.htm

About This Article

If you’re behind on schoolwork and need to catch up quickly, start by creating a chart or checklist of the assignments you need to accomplish including their due dates. Next, use highlighters to color code the assignments by priority by underlining the most pressing items in red, moderately pressing ones in yellow, and the least urgent ones in green. Once you know what needs to be done, create a detailed schedule you can follow. Just don’t forget to give yourself time for a 20-minute break every hour or so. It might seem counter-intuitive, but rest actually increases productivity! For more tips on catching up on missed schoolwork, including how to approach the situation with a positive attitude, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How strict should you be? A guide to assignment due dates.

Colleges typically require instructors to include a calendar of assignment due dates in every course syllabus. But most syllabi also include a disclaimer that assignment deadlines are subject to change.  

So, how flexible should deadlines really be in a college course? 

Be Flexible, or be Rigid, but Always be Consistent 

Be consistent in your approach to deadline flexibility, whether you never accept late work or are always willing to make an exception. Nothing irritates strong students more than their instructor announcing, “Since so many of you asked for more time on the assignment that was due today, I’m extending its deadline to next week.”  

Syllabi should always include a clearly stated policy about the circumstances under which late work might be accepted, if at all.  

But should this policy be applied equally to low-stakes and high-stakes assignments? 

Low-Stakes Assessments  

If a course has many low-stakes assessments, like quizzes or homework problems, those assignments are usually due on the same day each week.  

For example, if class meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays, there might a reading quiz due every Monday, to ensure that students are prepared for the week’s in-class discussions, and a homework problem due every Friday, to verify understanding of the week’s concepts. 

Here are three solid approaches to deadline flexibility for low-stakes assessments: 

1. Not flexible: Late work is never accepted  

If a student misses a deadline, they receive zero points on that assignment. 

This approach works best in courses that have many low-stakes assignments, such as reading quizzes on every textbook chapter, where missing one or two deadlines will not jeopardize a student’s understanding of the core concepts nor greatly impact their final letter grade. 

2. Somewhat flexible: Late work is accepted, at a penalty  

If a student misses a deadline, they can submit the assignment late, but their score will be penalized a specified amount (e.g. -5 points). 

This approach works best in courses where content acquisition is scaffolded such that missing one assignment will negatively impact a student’s understanding of core concepts and successful completion of future assignments. In this case, students who miss deadlines should be permitted to complete the missed assignments, but with a small scoring penalty to encourage on-time submissions in future weeks. 

3. Very flexible: Late work is made up, with instructor permission 

If a student misses a deadline, they must contact the instructor and arrange an alternate way to complete the assignment (e.g. by taking a make-up quiz during the instructor’s office hours). 

This approach works best in courses where low-stakes assessments are considered part of a student’s participation grade. In this case, missing a deadline is like missing a class meeting. Students should be encouraged to initiate contact with the instructor to arrange a way to verify their understanding of the missed assignment’s concepts.  

High-Stakes Assessments  

Every course has one or more high-stakes assessments, such as exams or research papers. These assessments are weighted more heavily (worth more of the overall course grade) than lower-stakes assessments because these are higher-level demonstrations of students’ proficiency in the course outcomes. Failure to successfully complete high-stakes assessments generally leads to failure of the entire course. 

What kind of flexibility is appropriate then for key, high-stakes course assessments? 

1. Not flexible: Deadlines do not change, under any circumstances  

If a student misses a deadline, they receive zero points on that assessment. 

This is the most common approach to deadlines for high-stakes assessments. It is rare for a college instructor to permit students to make up a missed midterm or final exam because students making up an exam would receive the unfair advantage of more time to prepare for the exam. Also, many final exams are scheduled for the very end of term, when there is no time remaining for make-up testing before instructors must report course grades to the college. 

2. Somewhat flexible: Deadlines are extended, at a penalty 

If a student misses a deadline, they can submit the assessment late, but their score will be penalized a specified amount (e.g. one letter grade per day). 

This approach is more common for midterm assessments, or for courses with single high-stakes assessments, such as a research paper that students work on throughout the term. If students who miss the deadline for a high-stakes assessment can still submit their work, but their score is heavily penalized, the course grades will accurately reflect the students’ term-long proficiency in the course outcomes. For example, a student who earned “A” scores all term but submitted their final paper one day late could still finish the course with a “B” grade. 

Remember, flexibility around assignments should be geared towards what makes sense in your course and for your students. While there are a lot of possible variations in regards to policy, the most critical element is to be clear and upfront with your students early in the term. This will help avoid confusion and complaints – and help you keep your sanity at the end of the term when students come looking for extra chances to make up missed work! 

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to do homework: 15 expert tips and tricks.

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Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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5 Keys to Successful Homework Assignments During Remote Learning

While students and their families are coping with so much, teachers should be mindful to assign only homework that’s truly meaningful. 

How can homework be reimagined during remote or hybrid learning? Are students already spending too much time on their screen—why assign more screen time? What is the purpose of the assignment?

As a middle school instructional coach, I often work with teachers who are unsure of how much to give and what to give. They’re also inevitably worried about finding the time to grade it. As a parent, I know how stressful it can be to balance your own work while also helping your own children with homework.

Since remote learning began in March, some schools have banned homework or modified homework policies, but if you’re a teacher who’s allowed to assign homework or an administrator who sets homework policy, the following suggestions may help.

5 Keys to Making Homework More Meaningful

1. Off-screen reading:  Books, books, books. Whether your students are reading books they chose or assigned novels, quiet reading time (or time listening to audiobooks) is a welcome assignment in most homes—I say this as a mom myself. Students can be held accountable for their reading through Harkness discussions in class or on Zoom, journal entries (written or in Flipgrid-style video), or old-fashioned sticky-note annotations in the book itself.

2. Less is more: Unfortunately, math teachers have the reputation of assigning something like “problems 1 through 45” (OK, maybe I’m exaggerating). Do students need to repeat the same skill over and over? Consider how much time you have in class the next day to actually review several problems. Instead, can you choose four or five rich multistep problems that provide practice and application of the skills? Or, alternatively, offer student choice: “Choose five out of these 10 problems.”

In a humanities or science class, can students answer one extended compare-and-contrast question rather than the chapter review in the textbook?

3. Personalized homework: Many students (and adults alike) love to talk about themselves. If students can make the assignment personal to them, they might feel more motivated to complete it. An example might be to compare the protagonist of the assigned reading with themselves in a Venn diagram. In a language class, they can describe a fictitious superhero using descriptive vocabulary in the language they’re studying. Or assign students to make a Flipgrid-style dance or song describing the scientific method (this example was inspired by TikTok).

4. Family involvement: Use this option carefully, especially now when many parents and guardians are stretched thin. Before making family assignments, be sure to get a feel for your students’ family situations to avoid putting anyone at a disadvantage. Give families a heads-up and plenty of time for such assignments.

If you feel it’s appropriate to proceed, ask students to take a video of themselves teaching a new concept to a family member. To practice operations with fractions, students can bring in a favorite family recipe with the measurements adjusted for fewer servings or multiple servings. Assign a riddle or math puzzle for students to discuss with the family, and ask them to write down the various answers they hear.

Whatever you assign, keep it light, low-stakes, and infrequent.

5. Flipped homework: In my experience, students get tired of watching instructional videos, but a few short, well-planned videos can be useful to assign the night before to spark discussion the next day in class. Follow the video with a short Google Form to ask the student to reflect and/or ask initial questions about what they watched. Use flipped learning sparingly to keep it novel and unique.

What about the grading? With shared docs, older students can easily share their work with their peers for review. Take some time to educate students on how to constructively comment on each other’s work. If a student’s assignment is missing, their partner will let them know, which takes some of the burden off of the teacher. This method should not be used for graded summative assessments and should be monitored by the teacher. Peer review can also serve as a differentiation strategy by grouping students by readiness and ability when applicable.

If your school’s homework policies allow, be creative with your assignments. As you create your assignments, consider the following:

• What will a student learn or gain from this work?
• Is it worth their time?
• Is it creating more home stress?

If we reimagine homework, students might actually cheer instead of groan when it’s assigned. OK, that’s wishful thinking, but they should definitely get more out of their assignments. 

Top 10 Strategies For Catching Up on Missed Schoolwork and Ending The Year Successfully

It’s that time of year when many of the sessions in my private practice involves a discussion with my child or teen clients about strategizing ways to catch up a long list of missed assignments and end the school year successfully.

As a child psychologist and Modern Parenting Expert, I’ve unfortunately seen this scenario play out with many of my clients every year and it breaks my heart. It makes sense that many kids find themselves overwhelmed by late work in the second half of the school year. The first half of the year takes off slowly, allowing the child or teen to ease on in to homework, projects, and the material. Then, Christmas break happens and the child gets used to a slower pace for a while, and then January hits with a BANG!

Teachers mean business after the holidays are over. There is no more easing into the material and work, and the expectations are very high when it comes to producing work. In addition to this less-understanding attitude of the teacher, the academic material naturally becomes more complex and intense too. This scenario oftentimes creates a situation where it becomes very easy for kids and teens of become overwhelmed by the new demands of the second half of the school year.

But I have good news for you: even if your child is SUPER behind in their schoolwork, they can still end the school year on a positive note (and pass all of their classes!) by using the 10 strategies below. These are the same exact strategies that I use with all of my private practice clients, and I’ve seen many families rejoice with relief at the end of the year when their child brings home their well-deserved good grades.

The Strategies

Strategy #1: If you haven’t already, talk to your child’s teacher(s) to get an accurate accounting of the missed assignments and ask for extra time to get these assignments turned in.

For younger kids, the parent definitely needs to take control of this. Kids who are in elementary, middle school, and  junior high just don’t have the communication skills necessary to have this important conversation with their teacher(s) and then report accurately back to mom and dad. Do yourself a favor, and take charge of this conversation yourself.

For kids who are in high school, these older kids can be encouraged to have this discussion on their own; however, if your child has a history of procrastination, lying, or academic anxiety, then it is probably better than you get involved in this conversation as well.

The point of this conversation is to get an accurate accounting of what assignments are actually missing. I know that when both my kids were in school, the online grading programs were not always accurate (we used Aries), so talking to the teacher(s) is the only way to ensure that you are getting an accurate idea of the amount of work that needs to be made up.

In addition to discussing which assignments are due, also see if the teacher is on board with your child turning in the assignments late. I’ve found that most teachers (even the grumpy ones) would rather a student turn in their work late than not at all, so most teachers will work with you on a new timeline for missing work.

Strategy #2: Make a realistic weekday AND weekend plan for completing missing assignments.

Now that you know exactly what you child is up against, sit down with them and create a realistic plan for getting it all done. What does realistic mean? It means that both you and your child need to come to terms with the fact that this won’t get fixed overnight. This will take time.

I recommend starting off slow because most kids at this point are so overwhelmed with the idea of making up so much work, that they need to first see that they are capable of tackling this big task. Many parents (and sometimes kids) want to start off by planning that the child or teen will spend all of their free time on homework.

This is just setting your child up for failure.

Look at your list of missing assignments and due dates. Plan to have your child work on 2-4 missing assignments per day on the weekday and more on the weekend (depedning on weekend family activities). Don’t expect your child to complete more that this even if they were able to complete 4 assignments in a half an hour and they have tons of time left in the day. Make a plan and stick to it. The point is to help your child see that they can take a problem, devise a solution, and work consistently on the solution successfully.

Especially with kids and teens who also experience anxiety, this step of the plan helps to manage the anxiety surrounding the missed work. When kids are using all of their cognitive capacity to worry about their academic work, they don’t have much cognitive energy left to actually work on their assignments. By creating a realistic plan, managing the anxiety surrounding the academic stress, and then plugging away every day at the plan, your child or teen will actually be able to work on their assignments more efficiently.

Strategy #3: Go For The Quick Win.

This step is counterintuitive to what most parents instinctively want to do. I’ve seen many parents set their child or teen up for failure when they encourage their child to work on hard assignments first, but this ALWAYS backfires.

For example, let’s say your plan is to have your teenager tackle 3 missing assignments per day and you tell your child to work on a science report that is worth a lot of points as 1 of their assignments for the day. More than likely, this assignment takes a long time to complete because it is really involved. Many kids and teens get discouraged at this point because they don’t see the plan working.

Instead of going for those larger projects first (and I totally understand the reasoning behind why you would want them to start with these projects) start with the “easy wins” first. Choose short assignments, Or assignments in the classes that your child likes or finds easier than other classes.

The point here is to allow your child to experience progress and success. If  they see the plan working, then they are more likely to continue with the plan and have a better attitude about working on their missing assignments.

Strategy #4: Create a New Habit Routine – And Don’t Forget The Reward Phase.

Scientific research shows us that creating a “Habit Loop” is the best way of establishing – and keeping – positive behavior patterns. The image below illustrates Charles Duhigg’s Habit Loop. A new behavior needs a reminder (like a particular time of the day) which influences the desired behavior. In order to keep the habit going, the subject must experience some kind of reward after performing the behavior such as some well-earned video game time, the ability to facetime a friend, etc.

Most of the time, I recommend that the reward be something that the child likes to do in their down time. 

For more on the Habit Loop, check out THIS ARTICLE on my Parenting The Modern Family blog .

Strategy #5: Take Care of HALTS Before Starting Homework.

It’s hard for anyone to concentrate if they are Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired, or Stressed; as such, be sure these common discomforts are addressed. I always recommend that kids should have a snack before starting homework – and research backs me up here. A healthy and quick snack increases their glucose level (the energy needed for your child’s brain to function well), so ensuring they are not hungry goes a long way in helping them get their missing assignments done.

If your child or teen seems angry – or bothered by any other negative emotion – then allow them to deal with that emotion. For example, if your child is angry that they need to do homework instead of play outside with their friends, allow them to talk about their anger and then have a positive discussion with them that they can play with their friend as soon as their homework for the day is finished. If you allow your child to “push down” their emotions, then they’ll just sit there giving cognitive energy to their emotions instead of their homework.

Likewise, if your child is lonely, offer to sit with them while they work – or have the family dog or cat keep them company. If they are tired, re-evaluate their bedtime. Maybe they need to go to bed a half hour earlier. And if they are stressed about their homework, help them decrease their stress levels by using this technique .

As you can see, taking care of your child or teen’s physical and emotional needs goes a long way in meeting the goal of catching up with their missed assignments.

Strategy #6: Consider Pausing Extracurriculars For a While.

If your child or teen has a long list of work that needs to be made up, it might make sense to pause their extracurricular activities. This really isn’t meant to be a punishment per se, but it is a natural consequence of taking care of major responsibilities first. You know your child and the situation regarding their extracurriculars best, so if it makes sense to “pause” their extracurriculars, then go ahead and do so.

Strategy #7: Deal With The Overwhelm.

Dealing with overwhelm is a life skill that most kids haven’t learned yet. Yes – this is a LEARNED SKILL.

It can be very frustrating working with a child or teen who only focus on the goal (getting all the missing assignments completed) and not the small steps in attaining that goal (working on one task at a time). Many young clients sit in my office and focus only on the overwhelming idea of a mountain of work that must be done. When I begin working with them about developing a plan to address their missing work, they shut down and can’t seem to even concentrate on thinking of a plan. They tell me, “That will never work – I have too much to do,” and I have to remind them, “Yes, but you can’t do it all at once. You can only do one task at a time, so which task should you concentrate on first?”.

When your child starts “spiraling” at the thought of so much work that needs to be done, bring them back to reality by reminding them that they can’t do every task right now. Ask them to choose only 1 task to think about (and try to make it a quick win – see strategy #3 above).

Strategy # 8: Get Educational Support For Your Child.

Many kids ignore assignments because they are too difficult for them. Every child has their own unique strengths and weaknesses, which means that most kids won’t be great at every class. If your child is struggling with a particular subject (especially in the last half of the year when the subject matter becomes more complex and difficult) then consider a tutor.

Now, a tutor can mean several things. One type of tutor is someone who has been trained in education and makes a living helping kids overcome their educational struggles. This can be very expensive though. I often ask parents if they have a teenage or college-age person in the family who might be able to come and work with the child for a short period of time. Older kids often like mentoring younger family members. Not only is this a cheaper alternative, but I’ve seen this situation really be effective.

If you need to, get creative with looking for someone to act as a tutor for your child.

Strategy #9: Remember To Take Breaks.

Adults have learned to “power through” things, but kids and most teens still have not developed this life skill yet. Because of this, they will need to take frequent breaks when working on long session of homework. I recommend that kids and teens should take a break every 45 minutes, take a 10-15 minute break, and then get back to work again.

A great technique is the pomodoro method, and this method has some scientific backing that it is very useful. All you have to do is set a timer (there are even tons of pomodoro apps for your phone!) for 45 minutes. When the timer goes off, let your child take a break. They can look at their phones, watch a short Youtube video, go to the bathroom, etc. Set the timer for again for the break time (10 or 15 minutes). When the timer goes off again, that’s the signal that it’s back to work. Set the timer again for 45 minutes and repeat.

You can even challenge your child or teen to work through several pomodoro sessions. This method works well because the timer never lies, and the child learns to take their cues from the sound of the timer.

Strategy #10: Contact a Child Therapist To Help Your Child Work Through Difficult Feelings That Are Holding Them Back From Achieving Their True Potential.

There’s nothing I hate more than seeing kids or teens not living up to their full potential, but this happens a lot when they are also dealing with feelings of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, or difficulties with concentration (such as ADHD). The only way for your child or teen to move past these feelings that are sidelining them is to deal with them in therapy.

In my private practice, I am passionate about helping kids reach their goals. As a child psychologist and Modern Parenting Expert, I have specific training in helping kids overcome obstacles that are common to this generation of young people. I have helped kids and teens overcome problems with motivation, low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and many other issues.

Call (909) 326-2562 today to schedule a free 20-minute phone consultation to see if I am a good fit in working with your child. Or click here to use my online scheduler to schedule the phone consultation today.

Your child or teen CAN overcome any obstacle with the right support!

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End the Unfinished Work Battle: Catch-Ups and Pickles

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Are your students struggling to complete their work? Up to your eyeballs in missing or unfinished work assignments? Then you might need to institute a “Catch-up and Pickles” routine in your classroom as a way to win the missing or incomplete work battle! This is seriously my favorite unfinished work routine!

A few weeks ago, I posted a Reel on Instagram about some of my more “controversial ” grading practices. Between you and me… they really aren’t that controversial… just good teaching! But folks LOST THEIR MINDS! And honestly, it shed light on a bigger problem: the struggle of incomplete work.

Controversial Grading Practices

You’re probably wondering what those controversial grading practices were. I’ll let you watch the IG Reel to see all three, but the one that had most teachers up in arms was the belief of not putting anything less than 50% in the grade book.

This one line led to me being called many things, but most teachers asked, “What about missing or incomplete work?”

To which I responded that I rarely struggled with incomplete or missing work. I can think of one time I had to put a zero in the grade book because of a missing assignment – ONCE – in 13 years of teaching. Those are some pretty good odds!

Unfinished Work Routine

So, how can this be?

First, let’s clear up some things:

• No – I didn’t have perfect students who completed every assignment without asking.
• No – I didn’t work at fancy schools with high volumes of parents involved who made sure the work was completed at home.
• And, no – I didn’t work myself to death chasing down students.

I rarely had missing or incomplete work because I planned time in my week for students to work on missing or incomplete assignments.

Today, I’m sharing this simple yet HIGHLY effective routine that basically eliminated the struggle to get students to complete missing or incomplete assignments.

This magical weekly routine that solves the missing work problem is fondly called, “ Catch-up and Pickles. ” But, that’s really just a fancy name for a time set aside on a Friday morning so students can work on unfinished work.

What is Catch-Up and Pickles?

I shared about this concept a while ago in my “Small Group Time Exposed” post , but I feel like after all the hoopla that Reel caused, it warranted its own place on the blog!

Each day, I had 60 minutes of time built into my schedule for small group rotations. That worked great Monday through Thursday. But, I noticed that Fridays were a bit cramped. Not only did we have our spelling and vocabulary test that day but we would also have a reading comprehension assessment. Time is needed to complete all these assessments, and that ate into a portion of our small group time.

Rather than try and stuff the small group instruction into the 30 minutes that were left after completing everything else, I decided to transform that awkward time slot into productive work time.

So at the end of the week, instead of formal center rotations, I did a “Catch-Ups and Pickles” routine. Students who had not finished their work used this time to “Catch-Up,” while those who were done were allowed to “Pickles” a reading-based activity to complete.

For students, this time was dedicated to completing their work or choosing a preferred activity to complete.

For the teacher, this routine provided time to reteach lessons, pull students for  assessments , or conference with students one on one.

And let me just say… this was a wildly popular time in my classroom!

How to Find Time?

So the big question here is, how do you find the time? Everything you are required to teach in a day leaves very little time in your schedule for “makeup work,” but like I shared before… I was able to find time by reallocating the time I was using for reading centers. It wasn’t working for us on Fridays, so we changed it up.

I suggest you take a look at your schedule. Do you have some awkward or weird times?

I like the idea of doing Catch-up and Pickles on a Friday, so it’s easier to track the work that needs to be completed. But maybe Fridays don’t work for you. Look for a block of time (at least 20 mins!) and see if it works. If it doesn’t, restructure or choose a different time. This could even be something you do at the end of a unit in reading or math or on the last school day of the month.

Warning:  I wouldn’t do this one day a quarter… that’s too big a chunk of time to complete everything. Doing that is like saving all your laundry for a month and trying to do it all in one day. Someone will get overwhelmed, and it’s not going to get done.

How to Get Started with Catch Up and Pickles

Once you’ve found your time, it’s time to plan the “Catch-Up and Pickles” activities.

In my classroom, I allowed students to “catch up” on any work, whether it be math, reading, or something else entirely. You need to select what students will be working on. Maybe it’s just reading, so you do only reading makeup work.

Whatever you decide, be specific. The unstructured nature of this routine means that chaos could happen at any minute. Being clear on what students should be working on at this time (and reinforcing it each time you have a Catch-up and Pickles session) can help keep the crazies at bay.

Who is a Catch-Up and Who is a Pickle?

From there, you’ll need a system for knowing who is a “catch-up” and who is a “pickle.”

Right before we started, I’d scan my grade book for any missing assignments. Those students with missing work would go on my “catch up” list.

Another way I identified students was through their “Unfinished Work” folder. Any classwork that didn’t get completed went in there (not tests or quizzes, just classwork). Right before we’d begin, students would pull out their folders and check to make sure there wasn’t any work that needed to be completed. If there was, they were on the “catch-up” list.

Let me just say, just even having an “Unfinished Work” folder helped a great deal with handling incomplete work! It was much easier for students to keep track of their work. If they finished an assignment early, they could either grab a book to read or work on unfinished work from their folder. The finished work folder lived in their desk, and I always told them, “If you aren’t done, put it in your finished work folder!”

You can read more about the unfinished work folder here !

I kept this routine real simple, guys! No fancy slide shows…just a whiteboard and names. In one column, I’d write “catch-up” with the students’ names and a list of work they needed to complete. In the other column, I’d write “Pickles” with the names of students who had completed all their work. When a student completed assignments and turned them in, they could erase their name and put it under the “pickles” side instead.

Activity Idea for Pickles

Now, remember, the name of any student who had completed all their work or their I-Ready minutes would be placed in the Pickles column.

My students loved being a pickle! They loved the idea of choosing their own activities (even if they were reading-based).

Some activities my students could pick from:

• Writing and illustrating stories – Pretty popular! Especially the illustrating. I showed students how to make a mini-book with lined paper folded and stapled together.
• Playing an educational computer game – Probably the most popular!
• Creating or playing on the IPad – Don’t worry, I was very clear about which apps they could use during this time!
• Completing a reading center game – Students could do this with their friends. I’d put any stations we had completed that week in an area towards the back of the classroom, and students could grab one to play. This also worked well for any student who needed to complete a station activity for their “catch-up” activity. Need reading center ideas? These were always a hit !
• Free choice reading – They could choose their own book and where they’d like to sit and read. They could also read with a buddy.
• Helping a friend complete their work – This one was pretty popular! I allowed it as long as they weren’t just telling their buddies the answers. Honestly, it was a win-win: The student got help, and the student helping was learning more! Bonus- it freed me up to complete DRAs, fluency checks, or reteach skills as needed.
• Teacher assistant – Sometimes I needed help, so if they were done and didn’t want to do one of the other activities, I’d put them to work, helping to organize papers or filling the mailboxes with returned work.

Unfinished Work Routine- Catch-up and Pickles

So there you have it, teacher friends. This is the simple, routine way I kept my students on top of their work. I mean, what teacher wants to feel like they are constantly chasing students around trying to get them to finish their work? NOT ME! Now you don’t have to!

Free Catch Up and Pickles Download

Want to grab a few resources to help you get started? Click below and have this resource sent straight to your inbox! Now you can easily implement a Catch-up and Pickles routine in your classroom this week! This free download includes printable tracking sheets, whiteboard labels, and an editable PowerPoint file.

More Great Ideas!

Check out these other great ideas to try in your classroom!

• 5 Tips for Dealing with a Chatty Class
• How to Organize Your Google Classroom for 2nd Grade
• Help Students Take Ownership of Their Learning without a Data Notebook
• End of the Year Survival Tips
• Categories: Classroom , Classroom management

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A Better Way to Handle Missing Assignments

Published: November 04, 2022

In a perfect world, all students would submit their work on time. However, for a variety of reasons, this is rarely the case.

Google Classroom is great for allowing teachers to assign work and for students to submit work. As a classroom teacher, I enjoy the convenience of finding student work organized in Google Classroom rather than trying to manage a stack of papers for each assignment. However, I run into the challenge of providing a list of what a student still needs to complete.

Missing Assignments Report

Google Classroom lacks a missing assignments report. When a parent or guardian requests a list of what their student is missing, I cannot send the list from Classroom. In a particular class, I can go to the People tab and drill down to a student, filter for Missing Assignments and then copy and paste that information into an email. 

Customizable Missing Assignments Reports

Fortunately, there is a free and better way to share a list of missing assignments. Schoolytics allows teachers to sync their Google Classroom classes. After logging in, a “Missing Assignments” report is easily accessed.

Create a Filter

Do you just want a list of what a student is missing this week? Or maybe just homework assignments that are missing? Schoolytics allows you to use the filter options at the top to customize the information you want to share. Change the date range from the default “Last 30 days” or filter for class or grading category.

Post to the Stream

If you want to communicate with students about their missing assignments, the Stream is a great option. When selecting to message student assignments the options are “Email” and “Stream.” Click on the Stream to send a list of live links that only the student can view. This shows up right in Google Classroom. The note, either for Email or the Stream, is customizable.

Share with Guardians

Use the 3 dots menu throughout the Schoolytics platform to export information to a Google Doc, Sheets or PDF. Selecting “Save to Drive” creates an editable and customizable missing assignments report that you can send to a parent or guardian. As a classroom teacher, I particularly love this feature since I have control over what information is being shared rather than a generic report that might generate more questions than it answers. 

CC Guardians

A district-wide Schoolytics plan allows you to directly share missing assignments reports with parents and guardians. Under the email option, there is a checkbox to allow you to CC Guardians. 

• Select the email option.
• Checkbox CC Guardians to send a list of missing assignments.
• Customize the email subject line.
• Customize the assignment message. The list of missing assignments will be dynamically generated for each student.
• Document that you notified students and their guardians of their missing assignments.
• Bulk send to students and guardians the report

Save Time with Schoolytics

I save hours of time each week by using Schoolytics to gain insights into student performance, quickly know which assignments have been submitted, and creating reports for better communication about student performance. Schoolytics is a tool that enhances my use of Google Classroom and saves me time. 

About the Author

Alice Keeler is a teacher and author of the book “Stepping Up to Google Classroom.” Find her on Twitter @alicekeeler and on her blog, alicekeeler.com . 

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Home » Resources » How to Manage Your Homework Deadlines

How to Manage Your Homework Deadlines

• December 11, 2017

As students transition from middle school to high school, they will have to manage a large load of assigned work with competing deadlines. At this point, the “what’s in front of me is what’s most important” approach falls apart; while some assignments can be completed overnight, an English essay can’t be written well in just one day!

Many students (like many adults!) conflate the processes of planning and working. This means that they are simultaneously making decisions about what needs to happen next and trying to execute that plan. This presents students with significant challenges:

Students don’t have a good sense of how to use their time. We often see students spend too much time on a less-important assignment, and run out of time for a project that significantly impacts their grade.

Students must constantly decide what to do next. As students get deeper into a work session, they become more fatigued by this constant decision-making, and will get hung up on the choices themselves rather than being able to swiftly move from one assignment to the next.

Students may not have all the resources necessary to complete the appropriate assignments. Failure to plan ahead may mean being without the right textbook or study notes, which makes study or homework time less productive.

Students may finish a work session and realize they’ve missed something really big. Without an overview of everything that needs to be accomplished, students may get lost in the moment and forget a crucial assignment or project that needs to be worked on.

As you can see, “diving right in” is not the best way to keep your head above water!

The antidote to this problem is to manage your effort and time in a way that addresses everything from small assignments to large semester-long projects. Enter the methodology of “plan your work, work your plan.” This method can successfully break any project down into logical pieces which can then be executed in a clear sequential order. This can apply to something as small as a set of math problems to something as big as a term paper.

Plan Your Work

Students tend to work on either assignments that are the easiest/most fun, or the assignments that are weighing on them the most. Instead, ask yourself the following questions to determine priorities.

• What assignment is due first?
• How long will it take to finish each assignment?
• What makes sense given the time and resources I have available right now?
• What is the most effective outcome that meets the requirements and that I’ll be happy with?

As you plan your work, you’ll want to scheduling out your evening in order to minimize distractions and avoid spending too much time on items that are not high-priority. We suggest pacing your homework sessions up into manageable chunks of time and allowing for adequate breaks. This will prevent you from going down a rabbit hole on just one assignment and ensures that even those long-term projects get addressed over a period of days, weeks, or months.

As you go through this process, write out a thorough, deliberate plan for that particular work session. What this plan looks like is highly variable; you may need to experiment to find what works best for you. Some students will find success with this method right away, while others may find it challenging or unnatural. This is a skill that gets easier with practice, but if you find you need additional assistance, please reach out to us and we’ll connect you with one of our coaches who can walk you through the process.

Work Your Plan

Once you’ve gone through your priorities and sequenced assignments, all that’s left is to do the work according to the predetermined order you set out! In general, we encourage sticking with the plan, even if you feel uncomfortable or challenged. Seeing the work session through to the end and noting how it went provides concrete feedback that will help you adjust your plans in the future. If you give up the first time the plan feels hard, it will be difficult for this process to ever become second nature, which is the ultimate goal.

However, there are times when adjusting your plan might be appropriate. You might realize that a particular assignment is taking a lot longer than you anticipated, that a particular project doesn’t suit your current mental state, or that long-term projects keep getting neglected. In these cases, it’s better to alter the plan for the sake of productivity, but this information should also be considered feedback to help you adjust your planning for the future. With practice, you’ll get better at estimating how long assignments will take and at recognizing which resources you’ll need on hand to complete a particular task.

The Bigger Picture

Once you’re working effectively, you’ll have fewer last-minute cram sessions. This will provide the space to start planning a week at a time instead of one day at a time, which will ultimately increase productivity and reduce stress.

Another great benefit: the “Plan Your Work, Work Your Plan” approach applies to extracurriculars and even the college process. We know you have many more responsibilities than just academic ones: you’ll be balancing extracurricular activities (practices, games, meetings, conferences, competitions) along with your schoolwork. Fortunately, this approach works equally well for non-academic pursuits.

If you learn and implement this technique now, you’ll have a much easier time once the college application process kicks into high gear. Standardized testing, college visits, filling out applications, and writing essays all take time and effort and need to be planned out. By adopting this technique, you’re preparing yourself not merely for success in high school, but for a long-term increase in efficiency and corresponding decrease in stress.

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The 10 Most Common Homework Excuses Teacher's Receive (And How to Come up with Better Ones)

• Trent Lorcher
• Categories : Study & learning tips for parents & students
• Tags : Homework help & study guides

You might wonder why a teacher would want to help you with “I forgot my homework” excuses. It’s simple. I’m tired of hearing the same excuses every time I collect an assignment. I want you to be more creative. The top homework excuses of the past no longer give me the thrill of detective work like they used to. I’ve already figured out a way to shoot them down, to humiliate you, and make you feel silly. I feel like General Zaroff must have felt in “The Most Dangerous Game.” I need a new challenge, so here’s a list of top homework excuses, why you should never use them, and subtle changes you can make to be more effective.

10 Most Common Excuses & How to Improve Them

• I forgot my homework : That’s weak! You can do better than “I forgot my homework,” Can’t you? Even if you did forget your homework, come up with something more creative than this. Here’s a little trick: “I forgot my homework, but my mom said she’ll bring it in during lunch/after school.” This will buy you a few hours. Do the assignment during lunch and bring it in after school.
• My printer doesn’t work : Come on! Did your printer work last week? Did it work the day before yesterday? Or did it mysteriously stop working right when you were about to print out your assignment? There are millions of functioning printers in the world. There are probably several at your school, including one in your teacher’s classroom. They’re not going to buy this. Try this one instead: “My printer ran out of ink last night. Can I e-mail it to you when I get home?” This will buy you some time and your teacher isn’t going to check too closely. Just have it e-mailed before 5:00 and you’re safe.
• I didn’t know it was due today : Are you serious? It’s been on the board for a week-and-a-half. It’s been mentioned every day at the start of class. It’s on the class website. The other 36 kids in the class knew it was due today. Don’t ever try this one. Even if you didn’t know it was due, you should have.
• I lost it: Try using that one with the power company. Try “my backpack was stolen” or “I left my binder on the bus.”
• I was absent: Yea, you were sick 5 days ago when I assigned it, but you’ve been here every day since. Didn’t it occur to you that you needed to find out what you missed before it was due. Try “I was really sick last night and was unable to finish it. If you want, I can bring a note from my Mom.”
• Start crying : This is actually really effective if you’re a girl. If you’re not a girl, don’t try this, nor should you try its sister excuse: “it’s that time of the month.”
• I cleaned out my notebook and threw it away : Maybe you should clean out your head before using this classic. Nobody believes you threw anything out of your notebook because it’s exploding with papers. Use the “I got my notebook stolen” instead.
• I didn’t do it : Some teachers may give you some points for honesty, but they already know you didn’t do it.
• I had a game last night : Most teachers will give you the “so, you think ___________ (name of sport) is more important than _______ (name of class)?” response. If you’re teacher is a huge sports fan and if your team won and if you played an integral role in the victory, you may get a break.
• I never got the homework: The 38 other students in class all got the assignment and began working on it immediately, but you neither got the assignment nor bothered to ask what the rest of the class was doing?

As you can see, teachers have wised up to your antics. No longer are the traditional excuses gonna cut it. It’s time to evolve into the next generation and challenge your teacher to keep up with your creative homework dodging.

This post is part of the series: Homework Excuses

Find the best, the worst, the most popular, and the funniest homework excuses with just a few clicks of the mouse.

• The 10 Best Homework Excuses
• The 10 Most Common “I Forgot my Homework” Excuses
• Funny Homework Excuses

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Strategies for reaching out to students who have gone missing or are falling behind

by Harry on February 19, 2016

A friend writes:

I am putting together a teaching workshop in my department that will focus on strategies for reaching out to students who have gone missing or are falling behind. Any suggestions of short things to read that I could circulate ahead of time?

I don’t know of any short readings, but thought that some CTers might and that, even if not, a post might generate a discussion worth reflecting on.

All I have are anecdotes and I’m inhibited from telling them because the people involved might recognise themselves — the more detailed the anecdote, the more useful, but also the more likely they are to recognise themselves. My main strategy, if you can call it that, is to write gentle emails to students who are persistently absent, in a tone that invites them back to class without bugging them or being harsh. This almost always elicits a response, and several students have observed, later, that the tone of the email was important because the student had missed enough classes that they were embarrassed to come back, and some of their absence was just caused by previous absences. Here’s one that I feel confident the student in question will recognize, but will be fine with:

“Are you doing ok? I’m just writing because you missed class last week, and I wondered if you’re doing ok. Don’t worry, I’m not giving you a hard time: mainly I want to nudge you to be sure you’re in class on Tuesday because it will be fun, and you’ll make good contributions.”

Obviously, the final phrase is only there because it is sincere (I knew she would make good contributions if she came to class, and in this case knew that she probably knew that too). Occasionally such an email prompts much deeper interaction — obviously, some persistently absent students are just absent, but others have real problems that they are not handling well, and need help with. But even though such emails usually get a response, and always a friendly one, they are not all successful — in the class from which the above email is taken another student persisted in absenteeism, and wouldn’t get help.

Anyway — if you can recommend reading that’d be great, and if you can’t, but have stories that of things that have worked, or haven’t worked, that’d be great too.

Share this:

{ 67 comments }

chris y 02.19.16 at 3:48 pm

Put a Glock to their heads.

AcademicLurker 02.19.16 at 4:19 pm

If Mount St. Mary’s doesn’t adopt a bunny holding a Glock as their new mascot, I’ll be terribly disappointed.

Sumana Harihareswara 02.19.16 at 5:01 pm

Harry, in my experience as a teacher and as a manager, I can’t think of anything more effective (in a broad-spectrum way) than the kind of email you suggested, in an explicitly nonjudgmental tone. If I’m close enough to the person, as in a seminar or an employer-employee relationship, I might add a phone call after an initial email has not been answered for about two days.

When I was doing my bachelor’s and I flaked on an undergrad research assistant gig, I was embarrassed to get back in touch with the professor after what felt like a super long time had passed, and I would have welcomed the kind of note you mention.

Trivial 02.19.16 at 5:09 pm

Your individual *nudge* usually *gets a response,* but both frequently and infrequently (depending on the class) such a message is met with silence. I usually send listserv reminders to the students and, if a student initially provides documentation, a follow-up message. That said, your individual message seems to spur attendance. I’ll mull over more examples from my own limited experience.

RNB 02.19.16 at 5:39 pm

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-to-improve-your-life-with-story-editing/ “For example, I did a study with first-year college students who were not doing well academically. They were at risk of adopting a negative, self-defeating thinking pattern in which they blamed themselves and concluded that they weren’t “college material.” We randomly divided the students into two groups. One group got information indicating that many people do poorly their first year but do better after they learn the ropes, and watched videotaped interviews of upperclass students who reinforced this message. The idea was to encourage students to change how they interpreted their own academic difficulties, redirecting them away from the negative, self-defeating idea that they weren’t cut out for college, to a more positive interpretation that they needed to learn how to do better. It worked: This group of students, compared to the control group (who got no information), achieved better grades the next semester and were less likely to drop out of college.”

Philip 02.19.16 at 5:40 pm

I am thinking more of ESOL for adults in the UK, than HE but reinforcing that being absent is okay but you need to let the tutor know what is happening. If one session is missed with no explanation then ask why and if everything is okay and give a reminder that you should let the tutor know before the session or if you can’t then as soon as possible. If it is more than a couple of sessions then a gentle email or phone call to see if everything is okay and reassure them that they haven’t missed too much or what they need to catch up. Mainly it is about having a good relationship with the students so they will communicate what is happening. Obviously this will be different in large HE classes. I would imagine more institutional support, from induction materials, student services etc. would be needed to reinforce the message that attendance is important but if you are absent tutors want to know, understand if it is a good reason, and try and help you.

Bloix 02.19.16 at 6:38 pm

And when there’s no reply to the email? In that case, you are watching a slow-motion fall from a ten-story roof.

A human being needs to talk to the student, in person, about the effect of failing a class. Promptly. This can be you or someone else.

Find out if the student participates in an activity. A club sport? A music-acting-debate-journalism-tutoring-student government activity? Ask the coach or whatever to help. This person can impose consequences. (Before you get on the bus for the away meet, you need to talk to Prof B.)

Is there a dorm mommy/daddy? Or does the kid belong to a Newman Club? Hillel?

If nothing is working, go to the dean for student affairs. Someone needs to tell the student that s/he is in danger of being asked to leave. Someone needs to say, which will be more embarrassing – talking to Prof B, or telling your parents that you flunked out? Someone needs to see if the kid is clinically depressed or has overwhelming financial, substance abuse/video game addiction (seriously!), relationship, or other difficulties.

Aside from the effects on the kid’s future – Starbucks, here we come! with $50,000 debt and no degree! – a failed class is $5000 down the toilet. Saving that kind of money is worth a vigorous intervention.

Trivial 02.19.16 at 7:22 pm

I also review academic dates during the initial weeks of the course, including refund and registration deadlines. After three or four weeks, my particular institution requires instructors to submit final rosters with no-show notations. This procedure shifts responsibility for silence, distinguished from limited responses, to administration. By mid-semester, however, administration provides instructors with a roster form that similarly includes grade-check notations (assume grades address participation rather than compulsory attendance). Instructors resubmit the roster, at which time an administration representative emails noted students with a grade-check message. This procedure, however, in no way precludes instructor advocacy for all students aa well as an individual student with prior documentation.

Lisa 02.19.16 at 7:47 pm

I like the way you keep it concerned but light. I wouldn’t say ‘don’t worry I’m not giving you a hard time…’ because I’d worry they’d get the idea their lack of attendance won’t affect their grade. I try to shoot for kind but firm– ‘just checking in…let me know if you need help with …midterm is in 2 weeks…’ I think keeping a tiny edge in there but showing you care is better because they may be looking for a reason why it’s OK to stay home. Totally made up figures but I’d say they respond about 80% of the time and about 50% return from their wanderings when given a breadcrumb trail to complete the course.

If they keep not showing up I say they have to meet with me or withdraw because they won’t pass without attending class–while also giving them that one last chance to catch up when this is possible.

A second suggestion is to talk to student advising. They sometimes have strategies to contact students and offer them more personalized assistance than is appropriate from a professor.

Some of my most brilliant students had periods of very poor attendance or bad grades. Usually it is due to life circumstances but it is also common for people of high ability and potential to become perfectionists and choke under pressure–both within and outside of school. Often it is temporary and they pull it together. I’ve even seen students go on to do wonderfully after a very serious bump in the road that required a leave for poor grades.

You should never shoot bunnies but I doubt anyone can perfectly identify bunnies in one semester or even in Freshman year. And even the bunnies may turn out very well.

Collin Street 02.19.16 at 8:31 pm

No, they really, really don’t, Bloix.

A communication is only useful if it contains information not known to both parties; having failed more than a few classes in my time, and knowing people who’ve done the same, I can assure you that by and large students who fail classes are fully aware of the consequences of that failure, and so communicating that.. well, it can’t be communicated because it’s information all parties already know, isn’t it.

What students don’t generally know, what Harry is trying to communicate to the students, and what you are opposed to Harry trying to communicate to the students is the possibilities and the pathways to not failing: that missing a few classes still leaves them in a recoverable position, that from where they are now failing out of the class is not the only option and attempting to catch up is not futile. Reducing the barriers to getting the student to turn up next time, reducing the stress — and thus cognitive burden, &c — on the student.

Telling students things they’re already perfectly aware of — what you’re proposing — adds stress to the students and so does not “help”. It makes things worse. If someone’s in a hole, they need a pathway out of the hole: they do not need to be told, and it is not helpful to tell them, that they are in a hole.

[to communicate effectively you need to put yourself in the position of the person you are communicating with to see the information that you have that a person in their position would want.]

TheSophist 02.19.16 at 8:37 pm

Many years ago I failed out of an ivy league school at the end of my sophomore year. Looking back on it now, it’s easy to see that after I’d missed a handful of classes due to hung over sleeping in/wanting just one more bong hit on the way out of the door/ just being lazy I got to the point where I was just plain embarrassed to show up, and so I didn’t. I think an email similar in tone to the one in the OP might have done wonders for me, in that it would “give me permission” to return to class without feeling too humiliated. Of course this was so long ago that email wasn’t a thing yet, so a prof might have had to make a phone call – an interaction that I suspect neither I nor the professors would have relished.

Best of luck to your friend with this. Sincerely.

T 02.19.16 at 8:56 pm

What you’re suggesting is standard operating procedure at some US liberal arts schools. I strongly encourage you and your friend to adopt this approach. Sometimes the issue is too many bong hits as noted by TheSophist. Other times it is depression. In either case, having a faculty member or dean show interest can be very helpful. In my experience, large public universities are terrible at this sort of thing, especially in cases of depression where a call or email might help the student reach out. So kudos to you for raising this issue and good luck to your friend.

harry b 02.19.16 at 9:21 pm

I’m basically technophobic, but TheSophist’s last point about emails and phone calls is something I have often thought about (and thought about blogging about) — I can’t imagine making a phone call with the content of the email I described, and, furthermore, I can’t imagine it prompting the valuable kind of correspondence I have sometimes had as a result. Email facilitates a different kind of communication in other words.

In addition to the fact that there are pathways to passing I am trying to communicate something else in the emails– without being too explicit (and thus seemingly pushy) about it I am trying to signal openness to hearing about the reasons for absence, which in some cases has been successful, with very nice outcomes. Students often have problems that are much more easily mitigated than they think; its just that they need to find the people who have the resources to help (and, often, professors know what those resources are, even if they don’t always know how to get the students to them!)

engels 02.19.16 at 9:29 pm

a prof might have had to make a phone call

Or written a note?

Bloix 02.19.16 at 9:31 pm

“No, they really, really don’t, Bloix.” Yes, really, really, they do, Collin Street.

“A communication is only useful if it contains information not known to both parties.”

I cannot begin to count the ways that this is a false statement. A husband says “I love you” to his wife. Is that a non-useful communication? And we can go from there.

“by and large students who fail classes are fully aware of the consequences”

That by and large is doing a hell of a lot of work there.

engels 02.19.16 at 9:34 pm

I can remember missing a couple of classes once at college (for complicated health reasons) and getting a very aggressive response. The dynamic this set in motion was definitely not a positive one (although it wasn’t ultimately fatal).

harry b 02.19.16 at 10:20 pm

Before email, in fact, we had no way of contacting student, now I think of it — neither addresses nor phone numbers were available to faculty (here). I guess you could have gathered them at the beginning of the semester, but I’d bet that would have seemed creepy (as, eg, collecting phone numbers still would have 5 years ago, though I’d guess it would be just fine now — and, indeed, I do sometimes ask for phone numbers, especially from students who are bad emailers)

PJW 02.19.16 at 11:06 pm

I tentatively approached a professor in 1983 at the University of Iowa after missing three lectures in the hope of receiving some guidance about getting caught up in the class and they spoke to me as angrily and harshly as anyone ever had in my life before or since. I just quit going to class altogether and took the mid-term and final exams. I have always regretted her behavior and mine.

engels 02.19.16 at 11:49 pm

Before email, in fact, we had no way of contacting student, now I think of it

I’m surprised to hear that – I was assuming they had pigeon holes or similar (like we did).

harry b 02.20.16 at 12:01 am

I know! I’d forgotten. At a small liberal arts college I know they had voicemail addresses, and pigeonholes, but at the large institutions I’ve worked in — nothing at all! Probably not that hard to track down a kid living in a dorm, but impossible to track down anyone else. Maybe, of course, this made students more attentive. But I guess email is a boon to communication between professors and the kinds of students who don’t just automatically come and talk to them.

Alan White 02.20.16 at 12:08 am

Harry your approach seems very reasonable and charitable (in contrast to PJW@18’s experience!) .

One anecdatum about students’ reluctance to contact professors. . .

Many years ago when we were first using an electronic means of entering final grades on an institutional platform, I received a call from the mother of one of my best students about three weeks after the semester. She inquired on behalf of her child why s/he had received an F. I immediately replied, that’s not possible–the student got an A. She said, no–my child got an F. I assured her that was wrong and I’d look into it.

Consulting student services quickly revealed it was my entry error: a student who had stopped coming to my class early on was listed on the electronic roll just before my A student. That student, not having dropped the course, of course had an F. Somehow I not only gave the missing student an F–I accidentally also gave the following A student an F too! Even though I reviewed my entries, I’d missed the mistake.

Here’s the kicker–the A student just assumed the s/he had failed the final! (Even though had s/he done so, s/he had enough points for a solid C, and should have known that.) S/he refused to contact me because s/he was so convinced I was a diligent professional that failure on the final was the only plausible hypothesis!

(Of course the irony for this thread is that a missing student became a factor in all this.)

Thank heavens the Mom called me and had enough confidence in her child to step up and ask. Believe me–I now triple check my final grade entries.

So students can have a number of reasons for failing to contact professors–including over-confidence in the conduct of their professors’ professional lives.

Maybe we sometimes need to remind students we are not perfect, even while we also try to model strong intellectual values about responsible learning. Humility seems a nice addition to the mix.

magari 02.20.16 at 12:36 am

Interesting post. Is this evidence of a broader shift in the perceived responsibility of what faculty members owe their students?

Trivial 02.20.16 at 1:19 am

At my particular institution, procedural mechanisms attempt to address both employment guidelines and legal or otherwise behavioral modes of conduct for the fulfillment of Instructor responsibilities. But procedure does not necessarily *preclude instructor advocacy for all students as well as an individual student with prior documentation.*

harry b 02.20.16 at 4:29 am

I have a story like yours Alan — longer ago, when entry was done at the registrar’s office. An A was either mis-entered or misread as a D. It was changed ONLY because the student in question told a friend of hers she was disappointed and he came and asked me what was up. It wasn’t my error, but I had no way of knowing (because we were never given the final entered grades to compare with our grade sheets). My handwriting immediately improved, though only for grade recording purposes. (I’m slightly unnerved that I remember her name, as well — she graduated in 1995, according to linkedin…)

Bloix 02.20.16 at 5:44 am

“Before email, in fact, we had no way of contacting student,”

Anyone know Mr Jones? Ms Smith, you do? Would you please see me after class? Thanks.

“the perceived responsibility of what faculty members owe their students”

The employees of an institution that is selling a service that costs $50,000 per year, knowing full well that the money is borrowed and that failure to receive the service can ruin the recipient’s life, perhaps have the responsibility to make an effort to deliver that service.

Bloix 02.20.16 at 5:51 am

@21 – “a student who had stopped coming to my class early … not having dropped the course, of course had an F.” Of course. And the missing student who got an F for failure to complete a trivial administrative task just dropped out of your life. You have no idea what happened to him or her and it has never bothered you for a moment. After all, he or she was an adult, right?

Collin Street 02.20.16 at 6:14 am

Shorter Bloix: the best way to deal with students who have gone missing or are falling behind is to threaten or belittle them; assistance and guidance are neither useful nor advisable.

harry b 02.20.16 at 12:23 pm

Bloix — that might work for some kids. But, thinking about the class in which I sent that particular email, out of 20 students only 5 knew others in the class until I forced them to get to know each other (see earlier post); which is pretty typical, except of my Freshman class. Now, even though they don’t know each other, facebook would come to the rescue if I lacked email. But not then.

magari 02.20.16 at 2:18 pm

I show up, I deliver. I can email repeat absentees to remind them they are welcome in the class, but aren’t there possible negative knock-on effects to this type of hand-holding? I understand the urge to care for students, they are fellow human beings, and I do actually care about education. And I understand that as education “democratizes” it brings in students who, for a variety of reasons, have a difficult time applying themselves to something with no immediate pay-off. Some are working a lot of hours, some have family responsibilities, and some may end up in college just because there wasn’t anything else to do. I understand that the academic teacher-student relation, including expected duties on both sides, was founded in an era when students were relatively privileged. But what Harry is referring to strikes me as part of the general swing in the academic relation towards customer service. Not sure how I feel about this.

Bloix 02.20.16 at 3:23 pm

@27 – Shorter Collin Street: I show up, I talk, I go back to my little office to write articles no one will ever read. If some of the poor schmucks who have mortgaged their lives to pay my salary get fucked, hey! that’s their fault! They trusted us!

mdc 02.20.16 at 3:38 pm

I like being able to run into students in the hall or on the quad ‘by chance’, and take them aside for a quick check-in. (This is one advantage of a tiny school.)

One question is whether there is a shared understanding between faculty and students as to the educational significance of attending classes. At some schools, this understanding and its corresponding expectations might differ vastly between different departments, or even within a department.

jake the antisoshul soshulist 02.20.16 at 3:45 pm

I recommend against chewing them out for not coming to glass. At least not in the way that one English professor (department head, actually) did to me for dropping his class. Not that his points were particularly incorrect, but he certainly did not motivate me to take another of his classes. It was true that I could have gotten my lazy self-indugent body up earlier to get to his 8 o’clock, but in my defense, I was an immature 18 year old at the time.

Alan White 02.20.16 at 3:46 pm

Bloix–

All missing students are informed at midterm by email and snail mail if they are below a C, with a request to please drop the course. It works about 3/4 of the time.

harry b 02.20.16 at 5:30 pm

There is NO agreement about the value of attending class, and I am sure that many classes are worth missing regularly — and I am fine with people missing mine from time to time, as they have other things on their mind. But I try hard to make sure that there is lots of learning to be gotten out of taking my class. At my institution it is rare to run into someone by chance… especially between Thanksgiving and Spring break for obvious reasons.

I don’t think of this as customer service. They are not adults as far as I am concerned, and even those that are took my class voluntarily, and so have subjected themselves to my regime. My job is to try and get them to learn a particular set of skills and content. Most of them can’t do that if they are not in my class. Some combination of their parents, their future selves (as Bloix reminds us) and the state are funding this, so I have some sort of duty to intervene in ways that will help make them both more productive contributors to society and more successful people (not necessarily financially, but all-things-considered).

On the possible negative effects of hand-holding. Sure. Bu I judge that few of my students are at risk of becoming delicate flowers due to excessive handholding. I’m much more worried about severe depressions, people getting lost, and people never getting excited about learning. However their parents treat them, very few have experience of being praised by professors. You’d be surprised how often I hear someone say “I came to Madison assuming that no professor would ever know my name”, and how many have roommates or friends still don’t have a professor that they can talk to. Might be different at a SLAC.

harry b 02.20.16 at 5:34 pm

And — I do not perceive a general swing in the academic relation toward customer service at all! But obviously, its really hard to know what’s going on!

RNB 02.20.16 at 6:22 pm

I’ve had three students thank me for having contacted students services to check whether the student was abusing drugs or alcohol. I am always so wary about doing this as I could be misreading the signs. But I tried to observe the students over some time before making the call, and I present counter-evidence to my suspicion. But I do think it is our job as teachers to make such reports, though I imagine that some here would challenge me; and I am open to hearing the other side. Again let me emphasize–abusing drugs and alcohol in the sense that the student’s speech is slurred or manic, eyes are blurred, temper seems overly sensitive. I am lucky that at my University we have very good professionals who follow up on these calls. And I know that their intervention helped to turn around the lives of at least three of my students. I was also worried about a student becoming suicidal after writing to tell me that she could not write a paper because her boyfriend had made life not worth living after having broken up with her. I immediately called because the student had suggested to me in a previous year that she may have tried to take her life before. The professional on the other side of the call was very happy that I made the call even though the student’s comment could have been nothing but an excuse for the lateness of the assignment. I encourage teachers to know the phone numbers and emails of the mental health professionals who support students at your school.

RNB 02.20.16 at 6:45 pm

No one really picked up on what Tim Wilson said @5. But I loved seeing confirmed what I thought was one of my important roles as an academic adviser to a struggling student–story editing. I reinforce to transfer students how well they have done in their first semester as a transfer even though they may received lower grades than ever before in their life. I tell them that the only mistake they made was not taking a reduced course load in their first semester. I tell more or less true stories of students who struggled until they found a path for themselves and went on to do great things. I validate their alienation from scholarly pursuits, underlining that university learning is indeed only one way of learning about the world and only one way of achieving distinction; but that there is still great value within these limits. If I sense the student’s alienation may have class determinants, I share with them Annette Lareau’s findings about why students from the middle class already having had many encounters with tutors are much more comfortable with professors than working class students who were not whisked to one private lesson after another as kids. There is no set list here; the challenge is getting to know students well enough to motivate them…when you are teaching seven courses a year, writing countless letters of recommendation, developing new courses, trying to write down new ideas, raising kids, and writing comments at CT.

Metatone 02.20.16 at 7:12 pm

As someone who teaches, but was also an imperfect student in my time, I have to second the emphasis on helping students not be embarrassed. Shame is a huge part of the problem for some students who have gotten into a vicious circle.

For me, I think the email approach is good, but it is worth trying to make contact in other ways too. If only to say “I noticed and will try to help.”

Glenn 02.20.16 at 7:34 pm

I’m in agreement with harry b @34 that hand-holding is less concerning than depression or low self-esteem. I remember plenty of people (myself included) who suffered from feelings of isolation and of futility during undergrad. Just knowing that someone cares about your progress and wants you to succeed can make an enormous difference.

Trivial 02.20.16 at 9:56 pm

Different educational institutions may (or may not) serve different purposes, but regulatory procedures for both *teaching* and *customer service* do not always foreclose iterations of advocacy, student or otherwise.

OSweetMrMath 02.20.16 at 11:27 pm

Bloix takes the position that (a) students do not appreciate the consequences of failing and (b) professors who do not threaten the students with these consequences do not care about the students.

I wonder whether Bloix has teaching experience, and if so, whether these methods were successful.

I’d also like Bloix’s input into a teaching experience of mine: Student comes to me during the first week of class to say that they need this class to graduate, have already failed it twice, and have a job which is contingent on graduating (and therefore, on passing this class). I say, “okay then, come to class, do your homework, come to my office hours, work hard.”

The student does not do homework, come to office hours, or work hard. After the second exam, they come to me to say they are concerned about their grade. I say, “well, you failed both exams, but I’m still willing to give you a passing grade if you work hard and do better on the final.” Their grade on the final is the same as on the previous exams.

My question for Bloix is, did this student fail because they were unaware about the consequences of failure, or because I did not care enough about the student to make the consequences clear?

As for what works, I don’t have a lot of experience, but all I can offer is compassion. My sense is that students who are doing poorly are usually some combination of terrified and in denial. What they need is reassurance that they can in fact do this stuff, and that you are willing to help them if they ask for it.

I was a wildly inconsistent student and now I’m on the other side. My belief is that we need to help students to build good work habits, including an ability to recover from mistakes. This means grading their homework, factoring attendance into their grade, and giving in class quizzes. You can’t let them think that because homework or attendance doesn’t directly affect their grade, they don’t have to do it.

To help them recover from mistakes, you have to be open and flexible. Didn’t do your homework? No problem, make sure you do the homework for next week. Skipped a week of class? Make some effort, get the lecture notes from another student, read the sections in the textbook, and come to my office hours to go over it with me. Have a really dumb question in class? Ask it. It may be less dumb than you think. Other students probably have the same dumb question. I may not have taught a concept clearly, and I may not know that unless people start asking dumb questions about it. Failed an exam? It’s just one exam, you can compute its effect on your course grade. If it’s still early, maybe you should drop the course and try again next time. Or if you can do well enough for the rest of the course, you can convince me it was a fluke and I might discount it when computing your final grade. Either way, the standards for this course are now clear, and you can judge how hard you have to work to get the grade you want.

For the course I’m teaching this semester, the discussion sections are to go over homework problems they should have already done. The standard I’m trying to set is that they don’t have to walk in with the right answers, as long as they’ve walked in having worked on the problems. I want them to be comfortable saying that they don’t know, or even that they didn’t try, if I call on them about a particular problem. They’re not the only student in the room who doesn’t understand the problem. If they are willing to talk about what they don’t understand, then we can discuss it collectively and hopefully elevate everyone’s understanding.

One line I’ve been using a lot this semester is, “you probably saw this in a previous class. If you’re like me, you saw it and have since forgotten about it. Let’s review it.” The goal is to say that it’s okay to forget things or to not understand things the first time. Relearning and trying things again is a necessary part of the learning process.

So far I’ve had mixed results. Some people are clearly extremely uncomfortable admitting that they don’t understand. They don’t come to the discussions, or if they do come, they refuse to answer or just shut down if I try to get them to talk through the problems.

Others have jumped at the opportunity, and will volunteer to answer problems and then lead off by saying they didn’t get all of it but this is what they started with. Some students will also cut in to help other students, even if it’s just to say that they think they know the next step, but they don’t know where to go from there.

I have been trying to encourage the students for any response at all, even just saying that they don’t know, in hopes that more students will become more comfortable speaking up as the semester goes on. I also remind them in the lectures that attending the discussions is mandatory. (This doesn’t help for students who also don’t come to the lectures.)

I’m trying for a carrot and stick approach. Sticks: Discussion attendance is mandatory. If you don’t do the homework, you will be embarrassed in discussion when I ask you how to do the problem. Carrots: Any response at all in discussion is acceptable. If you say you haven’t done the problem, I will thank you for any contribution you can make and then move on. You may feel bad for not knowing the answer, but I will do my best to not focus on the fact that you don’t know. I want to keep the focus on the problems and answers, not on whether particular students know the answers.

Another carrot is that the problems we go over in discussion tend to be closely tied to the exam problems. Coming to the discussions and studying the solutions to the problems covered there goes hand in hand with doing well on the exams.

Not every student is going to do well. But I believe that more students will try to do well if you communicate to them that you do not expect them to be perfect and that you are committed to helping them to learn, even after they make mistakes.

OSweetMrMath 02.21.16 at 12:15 am

As a reference, the book “Teaching Mathematics in Colleges and Universities: Case Studies for Today’s Classroom” by Solomon Friedberg, published by the American Mathematical Society, has some discussion on handling struggling students. Case Study 9 may be most relevant, although the focus is more on a student who is not completing the work rather than absenteeism.

Another reference I’ve used for teaching generally is “How to Teach Mathematics” by Steven Krantz, also published by the American Mathematical Society. There’s not much in the book about absenteeism, but I’ve found its discussion of the psychology of teaching to be helpful. Relevant here is the need to convince the students that you care about the course and about them in order to encourage their motivation in the course.

Bloix 02.21.16 at 12:58 am

@34 – “I have some sort of duty to intervene in ways that will help make them both more productive contributors to society and more successful people”

Yes. Thank you. As I’ve said in response to other posts (forgive me for not saying it earlier on this thread) I have nothing but admiration for your efforts to do so.

Alan White 02.21.16 at 3:37 am

And I thank you Bloix for your apology to harry.

Now I have to deal with a student who professed severe psychological problems in a paper I read today–including self-harm–because of course I don’t care.

Stop commenting on people and situations you are ill equipped to evaluate except by sweeping self-confident generalization.

Alan White 02.21.16 at 4:32 am

BTW OSweetMrMath–terrific comments.

Philip 02.21.16 at 10:13 am

As an undergraduate I missed quite a few lectures and seminars but always did enough not to give concern to lecturers. I could have missed some of the sessions with no problems but a word from someone to give me a bit of a kick up the arse might have helped me. Other situations will need a bit of support, gentle encouragement, or reasurance, so to me the important thing is having students communicate what is going on so you can figure out how to respond. This will require effort from both sides to work.

Val 02.21.16 at 12:45 pm

Thanks Harry for this, I appreciate it. Unfortunately I don’t have suggestions, just a problem, but I’d like to mention it in case anyone has ideas or similar experiences. I have to be a bit discreet but it’s difficult – anyway in the undergraduate courses I teach in, it’s normal for teaching staff to contact students if they are not meeting attendance requirements or handing in assignments, and I think we would usually do it pretty supportively. However once a student gets behind, they usually need ‘special consideration’ in order to overcome the regulations around missing due dates etc, and to get that they have to go through an administrative process. This seems to be where they fall out.

It’s frustrating, because you can, for example, have a student who has completed quite a bit of the work, then misses an assignment. You contact them, find out what the problem is, tell them that with special consideration they can still lodge the assignment, and that even if they don’t get a very good mark they can still pass the unit, tell them how to complete the form and where to lodge it, etc – and then you don’t hear any more, a couple of weeks pass, it’s end of semester and you get caught up in assessment, and next thing is results are closing and you have to fail that student.

I think that in some cases it’s the administrative process, or the administrator, that is the block for some students, rather than the teachers. It seems there may at that point be a concern for the letter of the law rather than the spirit, if I can put it that way. It’s hard to know what to do about it though without getting drawn into some major conflict.

Philip 02.21.16 at 3:07 pm

Val, the one time I asked for special consideration was during my MA and my grandad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He died when I was writing up my dissertation and I got a two week extension. Earlier in the course a lecturer had made a comment about students claiming a grandparent had died, in order to get an extension. That made me put in a copy of his death certificate with my special consideration form, which was a hassle I could have done without, especially asking my parents for the certificate but there had been that implication the reason would be disbelieved. I have been lucky and always been on courses with low numbers of students so got to know staff a bit in seminars. I got on well with my dissertation tutor so I had no problem going to him to ask for some help.

My general feeling is that there needs to be an environment where students are encouraged to contact staff if they have any problems. That would help give time and clear any admin hurdles and you would also need flexibility on the admin side for genuine emergencies and unforeseen problems. The message needs to be consistent and can’t just be delivered by academic staff, especially in large courses where you can’t get that individual relationship with each student. It needs to come from support and admin staff and general information given to students so they know they can get help and where from before they run into problems.

kidneystones 02.21.16 at 3:24 pm

All students in classes where attendance is monitored are required to take the cell phone numbers and email addresses of at least two other students. This exchange occurs in-class under my supervision during the first two weeks of class. We repeat this activity for the first four classes to ensure that all students have the contact information. It is then the students’ responsibility to come to class. If students choose to absent themselves from class for any reason, they alone are responsible for learning from other students what they missed and ensuring that they come to class prepared with the missing assignments completed and in-hand.

Like others (many, perhaps), I have been confronted by students who are burdened by health issues (physical or mental). My responsibility is to ensure that the administration is made aware of this fact, so that the students receive professional care/counseling. Once I have done that, I concentrate on ensuring that the students who are trying to improve receive all the support I can provide. Teaching practices and class activities are designed to re-enforce through peer-review, peer-teaching, and task activities designed to reveal concept error. Some students self-select for failure. That’s their decision to make and I respect their right to make that choice.

harry b 02.21.16 at 3:32 pm

Is there an actuary reading. Here’s a puzzle:

If you are teaching a class of 100 students for a whole semester (16 weeks), how many of them, on average, will have a close relative or close friend die, or become seriously ill — or a not quite so close friend die in tragic/traumatic circumstances — during that time? At least one, surely? I am surprised, to be honest, how rarely it seems to happen.

I usually, in large classes, make a comment early on saying that I know that a bunch of people are going to be dealing with difficult things over the 16 week period.

Bloix 02.21.16 at 4:33 pm

@44 – I’m not apologizing to Harry. I liked the OP and it’s not my problem if you’ve read me so carelessly that you don’t understand that. What I do not like – what fills me with rage, in point of fact – is universities that fleece their students and professors who don’t much care. Harry is not one of them. And yes, I understand that you’ve got no choice but to deal with a student who has announced to you that s/he’s going to kill him or herself. You’d be sued if you didn’t. But how many of your students simply disappear?

@50 – in one three-month period an uncle, a grandparent, and a very close friend died. Three funerals and one four-day bedside vigil. I didn’t flunk any classes but it wasn’t my best semester.

harry b 02.21.16 at 7:09 pm

That’s awful. When I wrote #50 I thought about the kid who lost his father in early March a couple of years ago. His mother and father weren’t talking, and his mother offered no help. No will. A younger brother. He had to do everything including the funeral. He only told me because two of his friends knew me well enough to know I’d be sympathetic, and they bugged him to talk to me (or, maybe, told me to talk to him, I can’t remember).

Phillip @#48’s story suggests something that is very hard, actually, to process and internalize — that off-hand, seemingly insignificant, comments can have quite bad unintended and undesired consequences. During one of the times that Charlie Sheen was making a fool of himself in public, I made an offhand, humorous, negative comments about him. Later on that day a student who was dealing with pretty serious mental health issues very sharply pulled me up on it — “He’s bi-polar; you shouldn’t have said that”. I was pleased that an 18 year old kid felt comfortable enough to be so sharp with me; and I became more careful (but I am sure not careful enough).

Collin Street 02.21.16 at 7:38 pm

> @44 – I’m not apologizing to Harry.

You really, really ought to. Harry told you that he had no way to contact students; you rather flippantly proposed a method. Which is to say, you rejected his direct claim, denied the reality of what he says he experienced. “I can’t do this”. “Yes you can”, when you don’t have the knowledge or experience to override what harry was saying to you.

In context this meant that you were calling Harry a liar . This is, fundamentally, disrespectful; if you had reason to believe that harry were a fantasist or liable to miss obvious things, then you could do this without needing to apologise then your disrespect would be justified, but I can’t see anything like that and you haven’t mentioned anything either.

[which is to say: people think less of you precisely because you won’t apologise; it shows that you’re bad at spotting when you’ve made mistakes and dogmatic about your own correctness. This will severely impact the interactions you have with others… except I, and probably others, worked this out about you years ago, so this particular incident won’t have any huge effect.]

RNB 02.21.16 at 8:11 pm

“worked this out about you years ago” Did these previous exchanges happen under other noms du plume (assuming that these are that)?

Philip 02.21.16 at 9:11 pm

Harry, yeah I think the comment was about undergrads trying to blag an extension and not serious students like us but it still stuck. From my ESOL experience classes had people of all ages from 16 to older adults. One tutor planned a lesson on the topic of families and a student, I think she was 17, left the class upset because her parents in Germany were getting divorced, so it can happen with something totally innocuous. Also there would be asylum seekers and refugees in the class where you wouldn’t know their history, so you would try and be careful around some subjects but might not know if something hit a nerve. Another one I read on a blog was a teacher playing hangman at the end of a lesson, a common EFL activity, and one of the pupil’s parents had been hung.

Alan White 02.21.16 at 10:55 pm

Thank you CS @ 53–some lessons on charitable reading certainly could be learned– and harry I apologize for inadvertently diverting discussion. I didn’t sleep much last night.

harry b 02.22.16 at 1:01 am

Just to say Bloix doesn’t need to apologize to me — Bloix has been very complimentary about my pedagogical threads, so I take his good will (toward me at least) as read, and I know where he is coming from. We both know this, and his “I am not apologizing” is not a refusal to apologize (as it might look to other people) but a signal that he knows I know where he’s coming from due to other interactions.

The hangman thing is so awful.

harry b 02.22.16 at 1:04 am

Phillip — its something a number of colleagues have said to me, and I have (rather humorlessly) gone through the actuarial probabilities with them. Alan — i hope its ok, You didn’t divert anything!! Looking forward to seeing you in a week or so!

Alan White 02.22.16 at 1:39 am

Thanks harry–I’ll borrow your forgiving attitude since I certainly cannot know the ins and outs of others’ lives and should model my own pleas for epistemic/judgmental humility. I’ve been reading for our get-together and still have a way to go!

Val 02.22.16 at 1:59 am

Phillip @ 48, thanks for that example, it illustrates how easily an unsympathetic atmosphere can be created as well as the hurdles students have to jump over the meet the admin requirements.

I had all sorts of family problems in my undergraduate days but I never talked to anyone about them – one of my tutors did once ask me if everything was all right, but only after he had failed me on an essay and given me a tongue lashing – by that time I would never have spoken to him about anything personal, I was just trying not to cry in front of him.

In later years a friend of mine (similar age) told me that when father died in her second year at University, she never spoke to any of the academic staff about it, just ‘sort of dropped out’ – she was doing commerce, which in those days was quite male dominated, and said she never felt like she belonged anyway – there was no way she would have tried to discuss it with any of the academic staff.

I think things are somewhat better in principle now, but in the system in the large university where I am, it is important that everyone – tutors, unit coordinators and administration staff – is on the same page and that’s hard to achieve, especially when everyone tends to be overloaded anyway and ‘just wants to get things done’.

magari 02.22.16 at 2:30 am

There is one big issue that hasn’t been addressed yet: people of color and people from poorer backgrounds are much less likely to privately engage the professor when they are having moments of difficulty. Growing up in a social setting where you have no entitlements, plus a racial order that moves against you–many don’t even think/know special arrangements are an option. White students from middle class and higher backgrounds are much more assertive, by contrast.

Matt 02.22.16 at 2:50 am

At Penn, where I have done most (but not all) of my teaching, there is a very active and supportive student services program that helps students who are having all sorts of problems – from the fairly mundane to the unusual or serious. If anything, they may be slightly too ready to help students and to reach out to professors on behalf of the students, asking for accommodations of all sorts. (I think I have always granted them when asked.) It is the exact opposite of who Bloix sees many universities as acting. I cannot say for sure if this is unusual.

At the start of all of my classes, I make a point of noting to the students that these services are available to them, and that Penn is greatly committed to their doing well. I tell them that if they have problems of any sort during the semester, they can go to student services, and they will provide help. Importantly, they will contact all of the students professors, try to arrange (or sometimes demand) accommodations, and pass on only needed information. That last part is something I emphasis. Typically, I do not need nor want to know the personal problems of my students. If they go to student services, I will have no need to know them, but will just be told that the student needs an accommodation for some broadly stated reasons (health, or family, etc.) This seems preferable to me. Sometimes students still approach me, of course, and I’m happy to work with them, but the centralized system works nicely.

(I’ll note that I’ve sent out an email like Harry suggests to a student just a day or so ago as well, to a student who was missing many classes in a class where that is likely to be a serious problem.)

harry b 02.22.16 at 4:17 am

Magari’s right — and that’s a reason for professors to be proactive and purposeful about interactions with students. Such students are also, in my experience, less likely to feel comfortable going to a mental health professional, and once they exhaust student health services they are more likely not to want their parents to see on their medical insurance bills that they visited a counselor. And, of course, much more inhibited about it, because it typically costs their parents (who have worse insurance, or no insurance) more money, which they can less well afford.

RNB 02.23.16 at 12:41 am

@61. May be interested in Annette Lareau whom I cited above. Many of my students have told me how interesting they find her work; she is one of the respondents along with harry b to James Heckman in a short book on early childhood education. Here is a brief discussion of her work. http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/02/explaining-annette-lareau-or-why-parenting-style-ensures-inequality/253156/

harry b 02.23.16 at 4:21 am

One student, about Unequal Childhoods, which we read when she had been a freshman for 6 weeks, said, 2 years later: “I have thought about that book every day since we read it”. That’s only the most vociferous of many endorsements from students I’ve read it with.

Meredith 02.23.16 at 6:34 am

This post and comments put me in mind of the double accusative verbs of teaching take in Latin and Greek. (What’s may be going on in English is obscured by the shared morphology of dative and accusative.) Each student and the subject and skills we teach are intertwined in a complicated way. It’s all about the student (otherwise, why bother?). It’s all about what we’re teaching them (otherwise, why bother?). If a student doesn’t even show up, the intertwined connection is broken.

The Penn comment above: student services are so pervasive in my life at a small liberal arts college that, if anything, they threaten to displace my relationship with my students. But still, does any professor these days not have access to useful, professional resources beyond emails (in the olden days, handwritten notes sent by campus mail)? I mean deans, psychologists….

Several have commented that they failed out or had bad semesters from too much partying or when family/personal problems even briefly disrupted things. So, we can learn from our mistakes and overcome stuff life deals us. Let us remember to give our own students such space for learning and overcoming. Each and every student does not have to produce a fine looking transcript to be of value as a person, or to have benefitted from the courses they took, or half-took.

Just some thoughts.

Ronan(rf) 02.23.16 at 8:26 am

I wonder if we overdo the class/gender (and I guess in theUS race) stuff. I went to college from a relatively privileged (middle class) background, and a lot of these things (asking for help, approaching lecturers for non academic advice etc) would never have occurred to me. I would also have found class participation or presenting relatively discomforting (although I’m not overly shy, it just took a long time to develop any sort of comfort in them.) I understand badly remembered anecdotes really only go so far, but I can certainly recall a number of people I Knew from what you might call working class backgrounds who hit the ground running (joining everything , getting involved , speechifying in college politics etc) Also related to other parts of this conversation. My brother died when I was in second year, and approaching student services (or anyone) would have been the last thing I would have wanted to do. That worked okay for me, and retrospectively I still think it was the option that best suited my personality. I think at times we try to hard to cram square pegs into round holes by adopting general principles about how a person should cope with such a thing , and instead should adopt something more skin to a horses for courses approach . Though, one lecturer did put me up to a passing grade so I wouldn’t have to repeat the exam over the summer (the death happened a few weeks before exams, though I probably would have failed anyway ) I’m Obviousky not trying to contradict Harry or anyone who works in this area, my memory and skewed perspective on myself doesn’t really match up toa professionals experience and research. It just always struck me a little that a lot of the stronger claims in this area (about class, or gender , or I guess race) suffered a little from selection Bias and taking these categories as too homogenous

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What to Say (and Not Say) When Handing in Late Assignments, According to Professors

No matter how hard you try to manage your time, you will probably end up being late on an assignment at some point in your academic (or professional) career. In times of stress and panic, your initial reaction may be to lie or go one the defense. It might seem reasonable to claim you had an emergency or swear you sent in the required documents, and did they check the spam filter?  But professors and bosses can probably tell when you’re fibbing, especially if it isn’t the first time. Instead, it’s better to face the problem head-on. Be proactive, and ask for an extension—or at least explain your lateness in a way that won’t ruin their opinion of you. Here’s how to do it, according to college profs themselves.

Kim Crowley, PhD, who teaches English at Bismarck State College, said the first mistake a student can make when asking for an extension (or even reporting a planned absence) is not being respectful or professional in their communication. Don’t dash off a text or email. Choose your words carefully, and use correct capitalization, punctuation, and grammar when sending these messages, which will show you understand you’re asking for serious consideration. Authority figures aren’t your friends.

Keep in mind that while you’re stressing about this one class or assignment, the professor is overseeing any number of other students or coworkers who might be in similar situations, so “identifying [yourself] is a big plus,” Crowley said. Even if they recognize your name, they might not quite remember which section you’re in. Helping them out there will decrease the amount of work they have to do to help you solve your problem, which could earn you some points—or at least not cost you any.

Finally, check the syllabus to figure out what is missing. Don’t ask the professor a vague question, like whether you are missing “anything important” or what you still haven’t handed in. Open up that document they gave you at the beginning of the semester and check the assignment schedule. Skipping this step will definitely not impress them. Instead, be straightforward: “I’m missing [this specific assignment] because I missed class. I’m going to send it shortly, but is there anything we went over in person I need to know first?”

Know the professor’s penalties

Every professor has a different set of rules governing late work. You might even notice that older, more seasoned teachers are a little more chill after years in the business (but don’t count on it). Carl Coulanges, who teaches at Suffolk Community College, said he’s “gotten softer” over the years and doesn’t mind an assignment being a day or two late, but, “once it goes beyond a week it starts to impact the grade. Two weeks, then it’s an automatic 50%.”

Late work penalties are almost always noted in the syllabus, and it’s hard to fight a grade reduction when things are clearly laid out in writing well before the homework is due. You can try, though—and if you do, Coulanges recommends being honest, and avoiding “BS excuses.”

“I always tell my students, ‘Listen, if there’s a real-life situation and you need the extension, that’s fine and I’ll work with you. Let’s figure out what works, but when you don’t speak up and don’t say anything, then I can’t help,’” he explained.

While Crowley said giving a detailed explanation of why you’re missing work or class is optional, it might be beneficial to do so if you’re aiming for the honesty Coulanges recommends. If you miss a class because of a medical situation or even a stressful life event, you can relay that information without getting too personal. Try framing that references the event while avoiding the intimate details, which can come off as an attempt to engender their sympathy.

The straightforward approach—“Professor, I missed Wednesday’s class and wasn’t able to submit the homework because of a private health concern. I know from the syllabus that this will result in a 10% grade reduction, which I accept, but I wanted to let you know the assignment will be in next week”—might or might not earn you an assurance that they won’t dock your score, but you might be able to use the same approach to successfully ask for an extension.  

They’re not your friends , but professors are people. They know what it’s like to fall behind on work, and they may be willing to share resources that can help you out. If you fail their class, it reflects poorly on them, too, so they may consider it in their own best interests to show a degree of flexibility. Give them the opportunity to do that by making it easy for them to understand why you’re late, and empathize with you.

Dealing With Missing Homework

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In the spring, a young teacher’s fancy turns to thoughts of . . . homework? That’s what happened in the TLN forum discussion group last week, when a fifth-year middle school teacher asked her colleagues: “What’s your feeling about students who won’t or don’t do work outside of school?”

She went on to explain:

I carefully plan my class so that the homework I give is meaningful. Basically, I ask students to continue the reading process we begin in school. Home reading is a valuable habit for them to develop, and practical since I can’t devote enough class time to silent reading for my students to get through books in a timely manner.

Much of the time they have chosen their own books and by October most of my students are reading in class and for homework. But I have a few students who just hold out on me. They read in class, but no matter what, it seems they won’t read at home. These are students who also don’t do any work outside of school in any of their other classes. It’s true they go home to chaotic environments and some have lots of household duties. But does this mean they truly can’t work outside of school? Or are they simply refusing? Is it okay? How hard should a teacher push on this?

My close colleague grew up with both her parents working long hours and she basically raised her four younger brothers and sisters. She was exhausted, but she did her school work despite it and she excelled in school. She is a great teacher and has no sympathy for students who don’t do work outside of school. She believes it’s necessary for students to take responsibility for their education and she refuses to “make excuses for them.” She has the highest number of failing students in the building. Nonetheless, students say they learn a lot from her and come back to visit her, saying she prepared them for high school (we both teach 8th grade).

Where do you stand on students working on assignments outside of school? What about those few that don’t?

A suburban high school English teacher replied:

There are a variety of aspects to consider: the students’ ages, individual circumstances, the expectations of the school and department, the expectations in their high schools, and any relevant standards you operate within.

I’m sure you appreciate the importance of communicating one-to-one with these students and showing that you value them and want to understand the relevant factors that prevent them from doing work. At the same time, you can use that interaction to communicate the importance of what you’re asking—how it will serve them well in the future, that it’s not an arbitrary requirement you cooked up to torture students. Beyond that, I’m not sure what the consequences should be for that age group, in your context.

Working with high school students in the context that I do, I have a clear expectation, consistent with my department, school, and district, that students must do work on their own outside of school. Like you, I aim to keep it relevant and valuable—no busy work. When students don’t do the work, I talk to them, and offer support and flexibility on the amount or timing of work as warranted—but there’s not much chance of getting around the basic expectation of reading and writing outside of school hours.

When students say they just can’t do it, I’m comfortable saying that they also can’t expect a grade of C or higher in the class. I try to present it as a matter of providing evidence. They may very well be capable of satisfactory completion of a high school English class, but if, for whatever reason, they can’t demonstrate it at this time, the grade is unfortunately reflecting that there’s no evidence to warrant a more desirable grade.

Another middle school teacher, in a small midwestern town, wondered: “Should failure be an option?”

I teach 7th grade math and try not to assign homework as such. However, math is very skill-oriented and there are assignments each day. Students who use class time wisely usually have little or no work to complete outside of class. I plan my assignments so students can complete them during class time because I want to be available to help them if they are struggling.

Unfortunately, the students who struggle most tend to be either slow workers or those who care very little about their grades anyway. These students seldom finish their assignments in OR out of class, and consequently, their grades suffer. I have a fairly liberal grading policy. Homework not turned in does not count against students. However, students who do not complete daily work have little chance of being successful on assessments.

I am not sure what the solution is. I have tried working with individual students, writing contracts with parents/students, offering to stay after school to help, whatever. But for some students (and their parents) school is simply not a priority. While I understand that other things interfere with students and time to complete assignments, I also feel that school should be their number one priority right now and somehow we need to make them understand this.

An upper elementary teacher in New York state wrote:

I see great value in the concept of meaningful homework for a variety of reasons. Obviously, it’s valuable for the transfer of content and strategies along with the positive effects of practice and reinforcement. I also think it is a perfect way to provide opportunities to build character in terms of responsibility and personal accountability—skills that can go a long way in life.

A high school teacher in the rural deep south remembered:

I once visited the home of a student who almost never did his homework. I discovered that he lived in a trailer (not double-wide) with five siblings, two cousins, and three adults. There were two light bulbs in the entire trailer: one in the bathroom, the other over the kitchen area. I started making arrangements for him to do his homework in my room after school or early in the morning.

Our local youth ministry operates a homework club that provides space and support for members to do homework a couple of nights each week. We have many parents who are illiterate or semi-illiterate. Some push their children to get an education; others are intimidated by anything from school and embarrassed that they can’t help their children. Consequently, I’ve become much less rigid about work done outside of school. It’s always optional, although I stress the value of it for the doer.

A teacher in California questioned whether there is evidence that homework actually improves learning.

I recently read an article stating that homework had little or no impact on student achievement in content. Other research I’ve read supports that thinking as well. It’s one of those sacred cows that would be worth discussing and learning more about.

Do my kids do work at home? Yes. But mostly they do it on their own terms based on what they need in order to accomplish projects by a certain date. Reading is an expectation too, but it’s always their choice of book. Work completion and quality have risen since I ceased assigning “homework,” and I see how much more serious they are about the work we do in class together.

Rick Wormeli, a TLN forum member who writes and speaks about homework issues frequently as a professional development consultant, had this to say:

Some teachers see homework as evidence of learning. This is true, but it’s formative evidence at best. As such, it is never to be used in the final summative grade, or if used, it should be used with an extremely small influence on the overall grade—2 percent, 5 percent, or similar. Most experts will cringe even at this concession. We should use any evidence gained in assessing homework assignments to provide feedback to students and revise instruction, not as the final declaration of what a child knows and is able to do regarding a standard or outcome.

Homework is definitely practice. In fact, in my middle school classes, we called it what it was—"practice.” The phrasing I used was, “Students, your science practice tonight will be...,” or, “For practice tonight in English, please do the following....” This kept both students and me mindful of homework’s true role in learning (and its weight in grading) and removed a lot of the emotional baggage associated with the term “homework.”

Nowhere else in the world do we grade practice. We don’t give the gold medal to Olympians who trained well and worked hard, we give it to those who achieve the highest results. Homework is the time to practice and wrestle with the ideas, try out hunches, and explore the topic. If the score on our practice work counts for much of our grade, we don’t have the freedom to explore without fear of labeling and rejection.

This, perhaps, is the change in metaphor we need to consider: Grades are not compensation. They never were. Grades are reports of what happened—that’s it. They are communication, and as such, they must be accurate.

If we include such factors as homework performance; the number of days he used a quiet, indoor voice; whether she brought her supplies in a timely manner; if she completed tasks assigned, met deadlines, or brought in canned food for food drives; or a host of other distorting factors, we remove all validity in the initial report of what the students knows and can do regarding the standards/outcomes. Now the grade can no longer be used to inform academic decisions, document progress, or provide accurate feedback. Our enterprise is undermined.

Some suggest that doing homework builds character and therefore should be counted in the grade. I agree that doing assigned tasks, meeting deadlines, managing time, and sticking it out to finish an assignment when you’d rather be watching television all have their place in building character. But responding with inappropriate grading policies is not the way to build moral fiber. Hold students accountable for doing homework and following through on requests from the adults in their lives, but don’t do it through your grading practices. Grades are very poor teachers.

One last thing: There are numerous research reports regarding the impact of homework on student achievement in school, and the correlations are nothing or next to nothing for primary and elementary grades. In middle school there is a small bump, and in high school a slightly higher bump, but the correlation is still stunningly low. We have to accept the fact that while homework is one tool for learning a topic, it is only that—one tool. We have hundreds of other ways to teach students.

If the homework door is closed for whatever reason, it’s not the end of learning. Consider how you would teach if you didn’t have homework assignments to rely upon. When I did this earlier in my career, it changed what I did the classroom. My instruction improved as a result.

So how about you? Is homework important? Do you include it in your grading system? Have your views changed over time?

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Late work that actually works

Posted by Stacie Williams | 12 comments

How to approach late work with students in online classes is a topic I’ve discussed many times with my colleagues. My own thoughts and practices around late work have changed significantly over the years.

What have I tried?

• No late work unless extenuating circumstances (this hurt completion and morale).
• 50% deduction for work submitted up to a week late (students seemed to think it wasn’t worth doing the late work).
• 10% deduction for work submitted up to a week late (this did work better because a 90% was still possible).
• No due dates at all, but I kept suggested due dates (this worked for some students, but many students fell really far behind and tried to do seven weeks of work in the last two weeks of the term).

One of the questions that has guided my thinking is this: “is submitting the work ‘on time’ more important than submitting the work?” I teach because I love to see students learn and grow, not because I like to micromanage due dates.

I understand the argument of teaching students to manage their time and be accountable for deadlines because that’s an important workplace skill. But I’m a professional in the workplace, and I don’t get everything done by every deadline all the time.

As an instructor I had to ask myself, do I  always return grades and provide feedback by the time I say I will? Honestly, no. Sometimes my daughter gets sick and my schedule is thrown by a day or two. Sometimes an unexpected need for a committee or project pops up and I fall a little behind on grading. In these situations I expect grace from my students. So I believe that I should extend grace to students who also need it.

I’m going to share the most current iteration of my late work policy. And I invite you to share yours in the comments, and offer me some new ways of thinking about my policy.

What does my syllabus say?

Unit reflections and homework assignments can be submitted up to one week late without any deduction- no questions asked and no judgment given! Assignment folders close at 11:59pm one week after the due date. Discussions must be completed on time, and the final reflection cannot be submitted late because it’s due in finals week.

What does my policy look like in practice?

The day after an assignment was due (Monday morning), I go into the grade book and enter a 0 (or the word “Ignored” because I use contract grading). I then add a note like this:

“Oops- looks like you didn’t get a chance to submit this assignment. But don’t worry! You have until 4/24 at 11:59pm to submit this assignment- no questions asked! Let me know if I can do anything to help.”

What if a student needs even more time? I extend extra grace when needed. Sometimes a student needs an extra day or two, and that’s okay with me. If a student wants to do the work, and I think that the assignment deepens their learning, then a little extra time seems like a valuable way to support learning and equitable student success.

I do have a creative (unadvertised) way for students to make up a missed discussion, and I offer that to any student who needs to get caught up as we enter the last third of the term. Most students take me up on it, which means they got yet another important opportunity to engage with our course content.

How has this approach been working?

Really well! Most students end up submitting their work within just a couple of days after I notify them via the grade book that they can still submit an assignment. Completion is up – I see students persisting in the class more than I did with my previous policies.

I also have received notes from students thanking me for the reminder and ability to submit the assignment late. And overall, I find that students are more likely to reach out via email when they have a question about completing their late work. That open dialogue between us makes such a difference.

I’m happy with my current policy because I can be empathic and show grace while having a schedule and structure for completing coursework. But will I change my late work policy in the future? Probably. I’m always looking for ways to grow and do better for my students.

About Stacie Williams

I'm the Faculty Department Chair for Communication Studies at the Rock Creek Campus, and I also serve as an Online Faculty Mentor for Communication Studies and Journalism. I love learning new things about teaching online, and seeing student... more »

There are 12 comment for this article. If you see something that doesn't belong, please click the x and report it.

Stacie, how do you handle making up a missed discussion?

I have to admit I struggle with late homework, I really like this approach. I am going to try it! I didn’t see what the reduction is once the end of the “late week” ended. I would put it at 15% meaning they could not achieve an A on that particular assignment.

Hi Stacie – I have implemented a similar policy in my courses and have found a lot of success with it! I am passing along your post to our SAC as we are implementing and studying some grading policy changes next year!

Great post. I’d love to hear more about your creative way to make up discussion posts. Those are tricky as timely engagement is so important to the learning. Thanks for sharing!

We all fight the battle of “who’s getting trained” where homework is concerned. Do students learn to turn it in by the due date or does the teacher use their personal time to review and give credit for late work. My current policy for my remote classes is to have a due date with a 24 hour extension. If a student contacts me, I am happy to accept late assignments from them after that time, but there must be communication. I do limit the homework to pre-midterm and post-midterm. I have spent too much time in my career going over a terms worth of homework at the end of the term. After the midterm I do not accept homework from the first half of the term. The requests for submitting late homework come only from a few students each term. 80% submit their assignments on time but I believe homework is important and I don’t want my policy to hinder its submission. Students know that but respect my time as well.

Thanks for sharing what works for you, Stacie! I’ve been doing something similar, but a bit differently, and it also seems to work fairly well. I advertise a due date and it shows as the due date on the Assignments page, but it isn’t enforced. They can still submit the assignment after the due date. I also put in a zero, which gets their attention, and in the comments I say that it is a temporary grade until I receive the assignment as well as encouraging them to contact me if they want help. I don’t actually block the assignment folders until a week before the end of the class. Most students submit the work on time, but some trickle in over a week or more afterwards. I haven’t tried a “no judgement given” message in the Syllabus and the grading comments, which I think is a good idea! I do think that some students feel embarrassed to contact the instructor if their work is late. I’m curious: what is your ‘creative (unadvertised) way for students to make up a missed discussion’?

I do some similar things as well, deducting 10% or 20% for late work so that students can still get an A or B.

Here’s how I handle weekly discussions in D2L, which are time-sensitive. I set a hard due date of Wednesday night at 11:59PM so that it appears in the D2L calendar. Then on Thursday morning, I go through and score the posts that were on time. I then reopen the discussion and post feedback for students who didn’t post: “I am putting zeros in the gradebook but have reopened the discussion if you would like to post for half credit.”

I usually have a hard deadline around midterm (say, Monday of Week 6) for any late work from weeks 1-4, then an absolute hard deadline at the end of the term (say, Monday of Week 11) for any late work from Weeks 6-9. It helps compartmentalize things.

Thanks for sharing. I really like the method you’re using and plan on starting to emulate it next term! I wonder if there is a way to have D2L automatically send students that message you’re putting in the comment section of the gradebook to students as well. That way they’re seeing it twice.

Ron, I use pretty much exactly the same approach, and it works really well! The zero gets people’s attention, but I stress that this is only until the assignment is submitted. I never remove points for lateness. There is a hard deadline of Friday Week 9 for submissions and revisions, though, to avoid the folks who try to do a term of work in the last week.

Jessica, you can’t automate it, but there is a fairly painless way to send out the “You have a temporary 0 because you haven’t submitted X yet” message: when you’re viewing the submissions in the Assignments tab, there is a “Email Users Without Submissions” button right on top. It takes a minute to compose and send, but you can contact all these students with a single email. I usually get “Thank you so much for reminding me!” responses and good follow-up.

I worked more than half-time all through university and grad school, and I was not raised to have any time management awareness. The few times my own instructors extended me this grace back then were really crucial to keeping me going. I *so* appreciate hearing my colleagues rethinking this issue.

This is a really interesting read. I have suggested (but not enforced) deadlines. Like you, I have noticed that a significant number of students often put off their work until the last minute, then struggle to catch up. One term this resulted in me having the majority of students submitting all their work for the term pretty much on the last day of class, which was a grading nightmare, and I also don’t think this provides a good learning experience for students. This has definitely given me some food for thought!

Thanks for sharing your strategy. I do something similar with a due date and an end date in D2L. Instead of putting a zero in the gradebook, I use D2L’s Assignment folder feature that allows you to email all students who haven’t submitted an assignment. I do this just after the due date (the next morning if the assignment was due at 11:59pm). The email is just a short reminder that the assignment was due last night, but that they can still submit it within [time period] to get credit. I have had students email me back to thank me for the reminder, sometimes saying that they had completed the assignment by got side tracked and forgot to submit. So it has been very helpful. Of course, the email doesn’t do much in cases where students aren’t checking their PCC email accounts. I’ll consider trying your strategy of inserting a zero with a note in the gradebook as an attention grabber in the future in addition to the email.

I am in complete support of this approach to teaching with compassion. I do the same thing, realizing that this is a very challenging time for most of our students, and they will benefit from the lessons learned and pass it on to others, in their own lives.

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Missed College Assignment

In one of my classes, I missed homework assignment(s) that were 14% of my grade, so my A dropped to a C in the class. Although my TA didn't verbally describe the assignment, it was my fault for not reading the syllabus. I was informed of the assignment by my TA in the final day of class, and I immediately completed the semester's worth of homework that day. I also reached out to meet with the Dean. However, my TA and Course Coordinator refuse to accept the late work.

Have you guys had similar experiences, and what did you do in this situation? I don't really know what else to do and feel pretty helpless!

Update: The dean didn’t accept late work. However, my TA gave me a great grade on my last essay, raising my final grade to a b-. This is a learning experience, so I’m gonna try to not be too hard on myself and read the syllabus like 20xs in the future 🙃

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So You Want To Teach?

Hope for educators, student absences & make-up work…what do you do.

I was recently asked about how I handle student absences and make-up work. As a band director, generally an absence simply means they missed out on a rehearsal and we don’t have a lot of make-up work to assign. This gives me limited experience dealing with the issue. I am confident that most of the readers of this blog have far more experience in this realm. So it got me thinking, and I want to throw some questions out you you.

• How do you handle make-up work for students?
• What steps do you take for students with excessive absences?
• What criteria do you use to determine any exceptions to this policy, if any?

The discussion continues at Make-up Work and Absences « The Doc Is In

Joel Wagner

Joel Wagner ( @sywtt ) began teaching band in 2002. Though he had a lot of information, his classes were out of control. He found himself tired, frustrated, disrespected by students, lonely, and on the brink of quitting. He had had enough. He resigned from his school district right before spring break of his second year and made it his personal mission to learn to be a great teacher. So You Want To Teach? is the ongoing story of that quest for educational excellence.

11 thoughts on “ Student Absences & Make-Up Work…What Do You Do? ”

1 I have a website and forums (secured for student/family use only) where the homework assignments are posted daily. The homework is posted by another student. The posting student earns a few points of extra credit (usually the equivalent of one homework assignment)and the poster rotates every 2-3 weeks. Kids who want this position have to apply/ask for it or I arrange for it to happen for with a student who wants more class connection or needs a little extra connection to class.

2. “Excessive” absences seem to be determined by district or building policy based on my last district compared to my current. In my previous district, students with greater than 20 days of absence (excused or not) do not receive credit per district provision. This erases teacher influence or responsibility (many sides to this) with both pros/cons to the results. My current district has no set policy and it is measured and reviewed on an individual basis. It tends to drive all of us crazy as we have had students miss 90+ days of our 182 day school year and there is some bizarre expectation that we, the teachers, MUST accomodate or help this student pass/make up work. It’s simply not possible, especially when courses are cumulative like math, language, etc. I look forward to reading other people’s responses.

3. We look at medical, health, family, emergency, etc in order to see what we (as a school) can do to help students with extensive absences. Often times it means an adjustment in their schedules (taken out of AP classes, etc) or for kids who are absence for ongoing medical issues we’ve arranged for them to receive a grade of “Pass/Fail” versus a letter grade with the provision that they retake the course (if required) the next school year or when their medical issues allow.

@kate – (1) Like Kate, I also have a website with daily agenda / assignments / projects posted. Last year, I also started keeping a folder on my podium where I wrote down the names of absent students as I took attendance. (Our attendance is online now, but I still like to keep a hard copy in case of questions later on.) The next day, I would conference with the previously absent students and cross their names off my attendance list with the date I spoke to them. I would also give them 2 days (including that day) to make up the work. (2) Excessive absences are also determined by our district. It also depends if the absences are excused or unexcused. Technically, I don’t have to allow truant students to make up the work, but I usually conference with them to find out their side of the story. (3) Our school / district also has a similar policy in regards to exceptions such as Kate wrote.

@kate and @Missy – You people are fast! I love how you’ve both linked to your class blogs.

Another question to throw some wood on the fire perhaps:

4. If the purpose of make-up work is to get the students to do the work, how does lowering the grade for someone who does the work but turns it in late encourage them to do the work? To wit, we would seem to be lowering their grade because they are responsible, rather than because they haven’t learned the material.

I’m not saying I have a problem one way or the other with it, but I wonder what are some ways we can address this very real concern?

@Joel – I still figuring out what works, but I’ll tell you what I know. We have the choice of having a homework page which hasn’t proven helpful for me, and I also have a class Wiki that I may (unless I set up a separate class blog) use more regularly on the weekly basis rather that just for specialized assignments. We also have required tutorial/extra help hours which work well for being able to cover class material. What worked for me best in the Spring that I didn’t do 1st semester was having unit packets for some course work and are alternate assignments that covered the same material, which I could always send to ISS or to parents for frequent offenders. To that end and for your next question, those who have excused absences will generally get/do what they need, and those who do the lip service thing usually end up doing mediocre parts or doing nothing, but are probably not in class enough anyway. We should report frequent absences (6+) to an AP or the Principal who generally then create what can be a bigger problem of assigning ISS, detention, or otherwise depending on severity. GOOD-those who fall into this category generally prefer ISS than being in class because they’d rather skip class anyway. BAD-If the offense was absence, how does them being forced out of class help when they are trying to succeed? In addition, students with excused absences are allowed 3 days to complete work with no penalty. Bad part about that is that “excused” is vague. We can each decide our late policy–and oddly Joel what worked best was taking 10% off per day (no credit after two weeks) for classwork and homework–was never a problem for those who didn’t have exccessive absences. Nearing the end of the semester (when everyone magically had great or better attendance) I would always offer major projects that are not extra, but require serious work (covering major concepts) to add to additional course testing prep that we may be doing. As far as these or any of my packets, etc. the “bad” part I noticed about this was some frequent offenders thinking they could just come to class whenever and get a bunch of work that they could do on their own (as if I didn’t teach), and this would allow them to pass.

Always open to suggestions as I’m ever learning and still refining my sure fire things, but I LOVE Kate’s idea of students post the assignments–I was already considering recruiting “interns” (they need service hours) for things like this, but your idea simplified my thinking–for that, at least. :)

1. How do you handle make-up work for students? I have my own website where I post daily assignments and downloadable copies of worksheets and other materials. I also have a While You Were Out binder in my classroom that has weekly assignments. Students know they can find missed work in either place. Students have 2 days for every 1 day they were absent to make up work (that goes for tests, too) or they receive a 0 on the missed assignment.

2. What steps do you take for students with excessive absences? Students with more than 5 unexcused absences in a semester are referred to the school social worker. The social worker conducts a home visit and develops a “plan” with the parents. If I notice a student is absent from school a few times, I will email his/her parents and see what’s up. Many times, parents don’t even know their kids are absent.

3. What criteria do you use to determine any exceptions to this policy, if any? The 5 unexcused absences thing is a schoolwide policy. I have no say. I don’t really make exceptions to the parent contact, either. I am big on parent communication, even if it’s just to say the students are doing a great job. My makeup policy is pretty set in stone, but if a student is out a few days due to an excused absence, I may allow more time to make up work (it depends on the excuse and the assignment).

1. How do you handle make-up work for students?

A good question, and one that I’m not sure I do very well. We get quite a few (authorised) absences at certain times of the year, particularly with my more sporty or musical students, and I’m not sure that I coped very well with setting make-up work this year. If I knew a lot of people would be out, I made sure that I emailed them with the details of the work, but apart from that I relied a lot on reviews in lessons, and getting them to look at the work of their fellow students informally.

I like the idea of using websites/forums to record the work done, and I particularly like the idea (which I’ve found in several different blogs) of making the students responsible for updating this record…

One issue is that my school is not currently the best adapted for collaborative use of IT. It’s something I need to badger them about next year!

2. What steps do you take for students with excessive absences?

Teaching in a boarding school, we are supposed to give an automatic weekend detention to anyone who misses our lessons if we were not notified beforehand.

3. What criteria do you use to determine any exceptions to this policy, if any?

Of course, while students are supposed to notify us of their absences, and any authorised absences are supposed to be on our magic all-encompassing computer system, this frequently doesn’t happen. My first port of call is to contact their housemasters/tutors, and see whether they have any valid reason for missing my class. If they don’t, we move on from there.

4. If the purpose of make-up work is to get the students to do the work, how does lowering the grade for someone who does the work but turns it in late encourage them to do the work?

In my school, and in UK schools in general, work in class has no direct influence on their final grade, which is completely determined by their performance in public examinations such as GCSEs (for 16 year olds) and A-levels (for 18 year olds)… so we have fewer levers than you have in the US, where you seem to have work for credit almost all the time.

The GCSE mathematics course used to have a 10/15% coursework element, but that has recently been removed due to rampant cheating and the perception that it was socially unfair.

Great idea for a post! I also posted my response on my site with a link to yours.

I have a couple systems in place in my classroom. Besides having an online calendar with every assignment posted and ready for a download, I also keep every hand-out and any board notes in a tray in my classroom. Each class has its own hand-outs tray. I have a quick list of instructions for students to follow when they return from an absence detailing my procedures:

* Ask a neighbor first what occurred in class the day before. * Retrieve any hand-outs from the appropriate tray. * If needed, go to my website and download any missed information or assignments. * Ask three before me. (I have students talk to three others about how to complete the previous day’s work. If those three cannot do so, I need to reteach the concept.) * Make an appointment for individual assistance if time is not available during class.

Because of my website, many students download their assignments or the day’s activities prior to leaving for trips, which is also helpful.

Generally, students cannot pass my English classes if not in class. However, I want everyone to attend. After three days I call or e-mail the home, though after five days school procedures must be followed and the counseling department and the administrators take over for me.

Students who are absent for long durations of time (medical reasons and the like) must keep abreast of the course’s activities online and through study buddies from class. Most often students will e-mail or call regularly to keep up with the work. Unfortunately, I can’t recreate in-class experiences, so students have an extra incentive to return as soon as possible.

I have found that my approach with students brings them back into the classroom if their absences are not medical or vacationing ones. I sit down the student and simply ask why he/she isn’t attending. Almost every time I do this, the student will return. Only the most extreme cases refuse to return, and these students are usually having major issues outside the classroom which are outside of my control. Relationships are critical.

In truth, I have stated policies (basically, a week to make up work) but really do not follow them because I want everyone to complete the work. Since classwork and homework only makes up 10% of a student’s grade, I don’t worry about students turning in late work. Plus, if students don’t participate in class this shows up on the tests, in the papers, and in the projects.

I do not punish students by taking away points for assignment tardiness. I believe any score entered should be a reflection of the students’ abilities and not their work ethic. The only exception to this are missing major assignments (tests, quizzes, projects, and papers), which must be completed without exception, essentially course requirements.

Classwork and homework is somewhat optional. If a student can pass major assignments without turning in the practices, I will excuse the practices because the culminating activities are really the focus and the telling assignments. Otherwise, I have the student go back and make up the missed work and redo the culminating activity.

@DrPezz – Outstanding. Thanks for linking to this article from your blog. I added it up there in the article.

So for everyone who does online stuff (and it looks like that’s a lot of you), what do you do with those kids who don’t have internet at home? I know a few have mentioned the additional steps you take as far as keeping a “missed assignment” basket or whatever. Are these pretty common?

@Joel – For the kids who don’t have internet at home, I have the While You Were Out binder that lists weekly assignments, and I also have students write their assignments in their agendas every day (parents sign the agendas each night, and the agendas are checked weekly for parent signatures). Like Dr. Pezz, I have the C3B4Me rule, so students are to ask 3 other students before they come to me. If a student misses a day and does not check the WYWO binder, he/she can ask another student for missed assignment. “I didn’t know I had work to make up” doesn’t fly in my class. There really is no excuse.

I allow at least as many days as the kid was out to make up work without penalty. Later than that, and I assign a penalty (about half credit). Later than that, and I take more. At no point do I refuse homework.

The value in homework is doing it to prepare the next day’s work. It loses value when it is not ready for that next day’s discussion. It loses more value when it is no longer connected to our current classwork. But it always has some value, as it may help a kid understand a previous topic.

So the credit awarded and the educational value are roughly congruent.

@Joel – students who miss work with me stay after school to finish it on their return. No lost marks. No questions asked, they come to my classroom after school for a kind of ‘homework club’. If they fail to appear, then I start asking questions and docking marks – I call them responsibility marks. Then I may get the student to call home (depending on home situation…) in front of me to explain the situation. Helps to add to the responsibility thing. oh yeah – all of this is clearly outlined at the beginning of the school year and repeated often.

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