Online Reflection #4 - Filling in the blanks

As the saying goes: time flies when you are having fun! It’s hard to believe that we are already halfway into November. It’s even harder to believe just how fast this semester has come and gone!  But as the semester begins to wrap up, I have noticed a lot more empty seats. After talking to my CT she said that it is typical: the first rainy days, the first cold days- all drawing the sleep-ridden seniors deeper into their beds rather than into an 8am English classroom. Is there any way to stop this trend?

Various articles online mention things like making a school or the environment feel safe, or talking to the students to say they were missed. Others talk about the use of incentives in the class room.  What do you do if this doesn’t work?

If the students aren’t in the classroom, they obviously can’t learn what you are trying to teach. With senioritis seeming to hit incredibly early, my CT has shown me a trick that she uses fairly regularly. Grades are among the most important thing for students (or so it seems). By tying in daily attendance into participation, she forces the students to take responsibility to come to class- or lose out on the opportunity for those points completely. These small points add up over time, teaching the chronically absent that the bare minimum isn’t enough. Is this better than incentives or individual talks with the students? For the classroom I am in right now it seems one of the most helpful strategies; but what others have you seen used? Does it matter what age the students are when trying to decide what strategy you use? Does it matter if half of the class is over 18?