IOU

The classroom vibe was tranquil today. About one third of my students were off on a band trip so it was a good day for catching up on missing assignments and for getting ahead on next week's work.

I have three or four kids this year that rarely complete assignments on time. Overall, I don't give much homework, but with a tight schedule to finish the novel we're studying I've had to assign nightly reading on a regular basis. I've learned to leave 15 minutes or so at the end of class to allow for reading time and have given each student an assignment calendar for the remainder of the school year.

Still I can pretty much count on the same four kids to show up without their work. Their work completion problems are not limited to my class; they have missing assignments in at least two other classes. Teachers and counselor have met with their parents over the course of the school year to discuss the problem, come up with a plan to ensure homework completion and seen minimal success. As a team we have continued to call and email parents regarding lack of work and have seen...minimal success.

The school year is coming to a close, so yesterday I handed out missing work memos with next Friday as the deadline to turn in the work they owe. I've offered up my classroom as a lunchtime workroom. I know I can't make them do the work...but I sure hope they do.