It’s Time to Institute a New Rule.
Day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year… Dylan just isn’t taking responsibility for his own work.
He’s finally talking to his teachers after class, and he’s turning things in within 24 hours after they show up as LATE on the online gradebook. (Sometimes this is weeks after the assignment is due.) But, I thought, at least he was trying.
Then I got an email from his teacher, who casually mentioned a homework assignment.
“Yesterday, I extended a deadline for him on an assignment (initially due Wed but I allowed him one additional day). He did not have it completed and I even asked him to stay during lunch to turn it in. He did not, and turned it in today. However, I had already told him yesterday that I would not be accepting it past yesterday. So unfortunately this assignment (which will show up in a week or so in the gradebook) will be a 0.”
So it’s time to institute a new rule. The new rule is: Dylan no longer has access to his phone for more than one hour per weekday. He will not be taking his phone to school. He wasn’t using it for reminders anyway. He will not be using it after school. Dylan gets his phone from 8:00 to 9:00 p.m., and Friday night and Saturday.
If he wants his phone on Sunday, all of his homework needs to be done by Saturday night. So he worked for two hours on Saturday night and was able to keep his phone on Sunday.
He worked hard. He actually did a lot of work.
It’s the kind of thing he should do all the time, to stay ahead instead of constantly playing catch-up with his work.
We discussed this.
Still, the new rule is in place. Homework club three days a week. No phone at school, no phone after school. He is not happy.
But maybe now he will have nothing else to do except step up and be responsible for himself.