I know it's Thailand, but...
Students at my uni regularly show up late for class. Even the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Freshies. And by late I mean 20, 30, even 40 minutes late for a 2 hour session. Some were walking in 20 minutes late today (to a 1 hour class) and it was a test day. Yesterday, a girl walked in 20 minutes late for her exam and left early. She didn't even stay long enough to cheat, managing a neat 50%.
I'm normally pretty laid back about things, (being on time, in the jungle, in rainy season, on a motorbike is no cakewalk), but it's not accidental any more - they often miss the class immediately following an exam, because they know they won't be tested that day. I asked one girl why she was late every day and with a sickly-sweet smile she said "Because teacher is kind." So, in other words, instead of rewarding my kindness with respect, her modus operandi is to milk it for all it's worth. Even showing up late on exam days- I mean, really, WTF?
I'm thinking next semester I'll make a rule that if they're not actually in their seat at the designated time, they'll be marked absent. More than x absences - they fail. If they turn up late for an exam, they miss the exam. It's not like they can turn up 20 minutes late for a flight, a job interview, a dentist's appointment, or even a haircut and expect service. Even in Thailand.
Anyone tried any other strategies?
There are few problems in life that cannot be solved with toast.
One of them, however, is opening a can of corned beef with that stupid key. This cannot easily be done at the best of times, and toast is of surprisingly little use in resolving the issue.
...what a martinet!Originally Posted by WilliamBlake
...You might discourage them from attending class at all...or force them to disrespect their cultural norms...or change the habits of a lifetime...
...majestically enthroned amid the vulgar herd...
Yeah, that was my problem as well. Nothing you can do about it, softie.
How long have you lived here?
Keep a roll, or better yet make them keep their own roll, sign in for class. Lock the door 5 minutes after class begins.
Make attendance worth 10% of overall grade.
Stage surprise tests and feed plenty of rumors that the test is next class.
Buy a cattle prod.
We could all sit outside on banana lounges discussing the best way to rebuild a 4WD transmission and agree, through shared stories of conquests supporting our assertions, that there is no basis to the proposition that those least assured of their persuasions are the first to condemn others for theirs.
Cry
......
I lock the door at a certain time, sometimes if i'm in a good mood i let them in after a few minutes and then sometimes allow the st who came on time to leave early. Gets the message across. (If you've got locks)
I recently had a thai teacher get uppity about me locking the sts out of an exam, till i told her they were very late so they could shove it.
I'm just about to go down and check if the doors have locks. Can you just imagine it?
"Teeeesherrrr! Hell meee preeeease! Door can to not open!"
At my school we lock the doors.
I don't think my strategy will work with uni students but it works great for M1-M3. The first time a group of students show up late for class I have them stand to the side. The school installed the board and projector in such a way that half of my room is unusable and therefore empty which gives me plenty of space for my "punishment". I run the tardy students through a series of exercises, they have to stay in unison and any mistake by one student means they have to start over from the beginning. First they do jumping jacks, then mountain climbers, I finish up with push-ups. By the time they are done they are red in the face, breathing heavy and sweating profusely.
They never show up late again and none of the other students want to risk it. Problem solved.
"While Jim is milking the Russian Boar, I'm in the shade of a Baobab tree being served a cool drink by a beautiful young indigenous girl. "
Marlin Perkins
Aloha - Aloha HARD
I think for university students that's the way to go. Note that you need faculty management's approval to enforce this.
Good luck with that in a government EP. And consider if they or their parents really care about their grades.
I doubt they are tardy to their Thai teacher classes.
Side show: The NFL has hired new refs with much less experience. Have you seen a game lately? Same behaviour.
Have to admire the girls honesty.
Good luck with new strategies Bill.
Nothing springs to my mind right now.
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
―
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Usually students are late/absent because the teacher is uninspiring, sometimes the reasons can be that simple.
Just by what I'm reading, you appear to have no classroom management skills in relation to this issue.
If you couple sentence one with sentence two often the best way to get results is to change the teacher.
Maybe an inspiring lesson on the use of the definite article would work.
---Update---
Also you could ditch this approach and try humour instead.
He was obviously quoting a Thai student--do you think an "inspiring lesson" on articles will correct their errors instantly?
Talk about snap judgment. He cited one issue, and suddenly he has "no" skills? You're a douche.
How do you know anything about his in-class humor? From what I've seen on AF, he's a pretty funny guy.
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