Getting some of my students to turn in their assignments on time is like pulling teeth. I tell them the first week of school (and it’s on their syllabus) that deadlines are VERY important in journalism, so I will not be kind to those who turn in papers late. I’ve learned from the past. Last semester, my students took advantage of me and were turning in news stories months after it was due!
I told my students that I was going to be much more strict with deadlines. But do they listen or even care?! One-third of my newswriting class decided not to turn in their first lead writing assignment. Where did they learn their school ethics? Is this how they treat all their assignments in other classes? And I know there will be all kinds of excuses — I really have heard them all — car problems, computer problems, the dog ate my flash drive. There was also one student who did turn in his assignment, but he said he decided that he wasn’t going to follow the instructions and write whatever he wanted. I told him that was like an editor sending a reporter to cover a fire, and the reporter deciding on his own to cover a store opening next door instead. At least he turned something in …
Professor D's J-School 