As the second semester starts, a problem that teachers and staff had from students in the past is started back up again.
This is only the fourth week back from Christmas break, and there has already been over 700 tardies. Even though last week was only a four day week, the middle school students still managed to rack up 230 tardies total throughout the middle school.
Rodney Strutton, one of the DMS Principals, had a lot to say about this topic. He said, “What we see is that with the vast majority of kids, they want to do the right things and do what they are supposed to do. These kids are really making an effort to get to class. But we have a small group of students that do not ever get to class on time and the consequences that we are able to give do not affect them in any way. They create challenges for us that require creative solutions and more supervision.”
As far as advice goes over the topic of tardies, he said, “One of the most beneficial things a student can do is communicate with their teachers, build trust, and do the right thing. Regardless of what any of us choose to do for the rest of our lives, being punctual is going to be an expectation on us. Whether it be for a job, a doctor appointment, or making plans to eat dinner, etc., it is more important that we learn to be on time.”
With that being said, we would like to encourage you to try your hardest to be on time to class, because it is less stress on teachers and staff, and will benefit you in the future.
