My 7th graders never do their physics homework. They have my class once a week, so they have an entire week to do their homework. I was so upset last week, that I told them this weeks homework would count as a project grade. I told them that "I don't understand" is not an excuse as they have an entire week to come to me during breaks and ask questions. Not a single kid completed it (their excuse- I didn't understand), and 3 (out of a class of 12) didn't do it at all. And you know what? I'm not giving extra chances. Those 0s are going in the grade book and their grade is going down. They're lazy and they need to learn a lesson.
Can you print out progress reports showing how not doing the homework is affecting their grades? One of my coworkers does this around midterm progress report time, and copies on the back some "reflection" questions that they need to answer about their performance and how to do better. The student and parent/guardian both need to sign off on it and return it to the teacher.
Holy moly! Kind of a sour-puss attitude dontcha think? Maybe you need to do some reteaching. If the whole class says they don't get it, then maybe they really don't get it. Perhaps they can't stay after school for help or they're embarrassed? Overall, it's way too early in the year to be grumbling! Find the silver lining and stay upbeat!
MsB...give the OP just a little credit ..."dontcha think"? Lucy, I'd take out my grade book and write those zeroes down in front of the kids...they'll get the message. It's only one grade...they have time to make it up.
Just seems a little over the top. Of course, perhaps this group of students needs the tough love approach and the zero is the rude awakening they need to get them back in gear with doing their homework.
Maybe it's not the beginning of the school year in Costa Rica. I've been frustrated like that too--many times. I would always think I had laid out everything they needed for an assignment and made it perfectly clear that they could come to me for help if they didn't understand. Still, I would get a lot of assignments not done because the students didn't really care or get that it'll effect their grade. Usually if I let the parents know, it would help a lot more then though. Still some didn't finish, but then I had to work with them on organizing issues.
Can you let the students who do their homework have a fun lab day while the other students do the homework? It is not lucybell's beginning of the year.
A factor I never truly took into consideration is the SES of the student. In the lower SES, there is not a great deal of support for school work at home. Many kids today have horrific home lives due to parent's marital issues/drug issues. Many kids go home and take over the child care of younger siblings while the parents go out to work second or third shift. It was hard to swallow, but research seems to show that we need to complete as much work in school either in class or after school, as we can because so many kids just can't do the work at home. We can't judge the OP. We don't know her students' behavior, attitude, etc. I would probably record the grade, but if work improves, I'd probably drop it before the final grade.
