Ever since 1999, there has been a policy, that almost all schools across Canada have been accepting late assignments from students, without penalizing them. I am a student in Toronto, and I did not know about that policy until now. Most of us students think, "Yes, this is great, we get as much time as we want to complete any assignment!" Yes, of course this is great, but other assignments will come up and it will all catch up to you. Eventually, you'll have a load of work to do and it will be difficult to complete. If students are allowed to hand in assignments whenever, then what is the point of a deadline? I am a student who is all about handing in assignments on time and I like being responsible. I think every student should be like that. Being able to hand in assignments whenever you feel like it, does not give you a sense of responsibility and without consequences, students will never be responsible. In addition, parents will not be happy with their children because their work habits at school may affect the way they live at home, (doing chores for example). Doing things on time and being punctual is very important, because later on in life, students are going to realize that this will benefit them. In universities and jobs, there are going to be much stricter policies and deadlines. There will be no exceptions and students will not do well at all, except for those who are dedicated, hard-working and responsible.
Now, in 2012, there is a new policy that allows teachers to deduct marks for late assignments. This policy came up when parents and teachers started complaining to the school boards, that students were not learning the consequences of their actions and were not being prepared properly for university. I think this is good, because students will learn to manage their time, be responsible and work hard. Later on this will benefit them in life and they will succeed and prosper.
"In some parts of the country, kids in Grades 1 through 12 are about to experience their very first backlash, as educators start to acknowledge that students may have been getting away with too much for too long," (Paragraph 3).
This article sends out a message to parents, teachers and especially students. Students should listen to this article because it talks about the new policy and it is a major concern. This will tell them that there will be consequences for handing in late assignments, and this will teach them to be responsible and that life isn't just about playing around.
