I use a couple of rules of thumb on granting extensions or other concessions. I show students this handy flowchart about the time that the excuses start flooding in. It seems to eliminate a lot of confusion:
(By "documentation" I mean "a note from a doctor, a counsellor, a priest, whatever, depending on your crisis". This means I don't have to make the decision myself - some expert has done it for me.)
Wow, your flowchart is great! I hope you realize that very few students will be able to follow its logic, but that's kind of an advantage, since you can. Also, shouldn't "Can I" be "May I"? It's always good to set a good example.
ReplyDeleteI love the way the "slept in / time management issue" line moves toward "Sure" -- but then zips over to "Sorry". Nice.
ReplyDeleteHere's my flowchart:
ReplyDelete(80% of student questions) May I have special treatment/dodge a requirement/have something for nothing?--->no.
Brilliant! But to be nitpicky like Dr. Frankenstien, I do find it harder to read with all boxes.
ReplyDeleteMy own system is not a flowchart, but similar. I grade one full grade down for every day an assignment is late. Here are the things I will accept as an exemption from that policy: a funeral notice with the dates you are gone, a doctor's or counselor's note, the cover sheet from a hospital discharge, or a police record in which you are listed as the victim of a crime.
ReplyDeleteWhy such a meanie? Because I set aside time to grade papers and return them promptly. After that, I'm done. I don't wander in and say I didn't manage to prepare a lesson for them, and they don't get to wander in and say they didn't prepare a paper for me. The. End.
Sure, Dr. Frank, it should be "May I" rather than "Can I" in a perfect world. But the way I read this chart, these boxes contain STUDENT requests in STUDENT language. Rare is the student who uses our language correctly.
ReplyDeleteStacy - yes, that was my point. I can count on one hand the students who have ever said "May I ...?"
ReplyDelete