Get Your Students Hired
We make attendance a very important part of college life. The paces and goals that these students set now will follow them to their jobs and we know that attendance is very important in the working world and this can't be stressed enough.
Jon,
This is a common issue. The best strategy for getting students to come to class is to make the class valuable. If we reward the behaviors we want through class policies that emphasize participation while in the room, we are on our way there. If too many students can pass without being there, we need to look at the value we are providing.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Student attendance trends are established early in school. In my case the protocol is too leanient. Students are allowed to miss 10.0 hrs every 3 weeks and not attendance fail. It does affect their attendance grade as well as productivity and efficiency. Once they realize they can miss and still pass in most cases, this becomes their new trend and they start to push the envelop. Attendance is closely monitored and advisement are submitted with any tardies or lost attendance. The emphasis I choose when talking with students is the importance of maintaining attendance as a student will better enable them to find employment within the industry. If you dont come to school, you probably wont show up for work.
I have been lucky with my students, they have always called me and left a message that they will not be in. I return their call the same day with the assignments missed and schedule a time for make up, and to see how they are.
If I passed handouts the day they missed I put their copies in accordion folder on my cart and it is their responsibilty to pull their folder out and take the handouts and my objectives from the day they missed if I was not able to reach them.
In my other classes I have a few students that just don't care. They come and go as they please, they have a poor attitude, and they just want to do the bare minimal work to just pass. Most instructors would have given up on them. I couldn't. But I can say, it is really hard to work with those type of students. Every so often, I will hear another student say that I spend way to much time with those students who don't care. When I hear that, I usually approach them and explain that everyone needs a chance and some need a little extra. Its like these students do want to come in, they just make bad choices and don't show up for class. But then you do eventually have to draw a line, but when and where do you draw that line. OUt of those "lazy" students, several of them have a zero for attendance, but they know that the attendance doesn't affect them that much becuase they do soo well in their test and homework. Its sometimes hard to keep the students coming on a daily basis.
I have limits on how I interact with my students. I do not want them to become too comfortable with me. However, I love to have fun in my classroom. I constantly tell jokes, we play educational type games, we watch videos pertaining to the topic on hand, and occasionally I play music for them. They love it and in my one class, I have 100% attendance rate.
Joseph,
Our adult students are usually balancing many things in their lives that sometimes make it difficult to attend classes all of the time. What are some things you do to help students who miss a class or two to get caught up?
Jeffrey Schillinger
Attendance is one of the first things service manages are looking at when taking to students.
and your right if you do not show up for school than are you going to show up for work.
i talk about this in each class and stress the point.
Hi Donna,
Our school also makes attendance a priority for the same reasons as your school. Many students in today's world to not have the same upbringing as we did. I try to be understanding with the students and help them to see that even though they may have been absent from school, it is important to contact your instructor to let them know you will not be in class. This helps them get ready for the real-world application. I let them know that setting good habits in school carries over into the real-world career. You would need to take the right steps as to letting your employer know why you will not be in to work that day. You cannot leave a message on the voicemail or send a text message or email. You must follow the office's specific protocol. Personal contact is always the best message. This way the student takes responisibility for their absence.
Dennis,
Ideally, students would be in class every minute the teacher is there. Most career college students are adults with many responsibilities. Perfect attendance is not always possible. What do you do for to help students who have to miss class meetings for legitimate reasons?
Jeffrey Schillinger
I agree that the student should be in class every day if they are going to get the most out of the subject being taught.This is the same expectation the employer will have when the student goes to work.
Shawn,
All we can do as teachers is to establish an environment, both inside and outside the classroom, that encourages our students to make the choices that will lead them to their goals. We are accountable for that.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I can't be personally held accountable for a Student that never show's up to my Class. I can't be held responsible for a student that has personal issues at Home or his current job causing him to time out. I can however reflect positively on a student and encourage him to be here to learn as much as he/she possibly can allowing them to be the Best of the Best.
Jennifer,
Thanks for this post. It is nice to see that you recognize that our students often have conflicting responsibilities and that you 'show mercy." Being flexible without being a pushover is the sign of a caring teacher.
Jeffrey Schillinger
I have often had my students tell me they show up all the time because they want to see what I will do next. I try to keep the classes open and friendly and keep the students interested by doing the unexpected. I work a lot outside of class time with students who are absent because of issues they have no control over. For the ones who choose to not attend class, I show mercy when I can and work to get them on the right path.
Darren,
It is interesting that education is one area in which we are willing to accept less than we pay for. I used to talk about how much an hour a studwent was giving away by not attending. perfect attendance may not always be achievable for an adult student who is also a parent, spouse and employee, but good attendance is. The trick is for schools to create a compelling place to go to school so that students are inspired to attend versus punished for not attending.
Jeffrey Schillinger
Attendance will change your future, if you will not show up for what you are paying for, how do you convince an employer you will come to work?
Also how do you learn the class material if you are not there?
No. They are given 3 points each class so it is theirs to lose if they cannot conduct themselves in a resposible fashion. For example, if a student misses a class and does not contact me, they lose their EC. Imgine what would happen if they missed work and didn't call in. If they contact me, I consider this like "calling in sick" and they receive all of their ECs. Most of my students receive all EC points every class. This is an easy 5% of their grade.