“Students should not come to class late.” ??
.
Rika Usami ~ World Karate Champion
.
When students come to class late, it can disrupt the flow of the lesson, distract other students, impede learning, and generally erode class morale. Moreover, if left unchecked, lateness can become chronic and spread throughout the class.
.
There are some students who don’t take responsibility for themselves. While the majority of students (and parents) are responsible and mature, there are some who fail to do what they need to do; e.g. set an alarm clock, allow sufficient time to get ready in the morning, fail to allow for traffic delays, in order to get to class on time. They may also not recognize that it is their responsibility to communicate with instructors when they are unable to meet their obligations.
.
Students fail to realize the level of disruption that coming in late creates for their fellow students and for the instructors.
.
When students arrive late, they detract from other students who may already be learning and interrupt the instructor’s train of thought. Often this occurs at the beginning of class, when the instructor is making connections to previous lessons and framing the day’s content in terms of key questions or points. When students come in late they not only miss that important framing information, but the distraction they create may cause other students to miss it too. Instructors may interpret lateness as disrespect and fellow students may become annoyed.
.
There are those who don’t perceive the beginning of class as important. The first few minutes of class are often the most critical, since this is when instructors share important information, present the lesson agenda and frame the content, connect the current content to past content, and so forth. Yet students may not recognize this.
.
The beginning of class is important. Like the beginning of a film, or the introduction to a book; the beginning of class provides students with time to warm up, ask questions, practice their syllabus, and have critical background and information necessary for a deeper understanding. When students miss this framing information their learning suffers.
.
The beginning of class is meaningful. There is a clear benefit for students who are on time, by getting started on time and beginning with important, relevant material. Don’t waste the first few minutes of class; DO NOT BE LATE…. DON’T BE DISRESPECTFUL…
.
BEING EARLY IS ON TIME!