A tardy in school is when a student arrives to class after the start time of the class. Tardiness in schools goes beyond punctuality; it affects academic achievement, classroom management, and school culture. Let’s take a look at what a tardy is and exactly how it impacts the school and what can be done to reduce them.
Definition of Tardiness
Tardiness is defined as arriving after the designated start time for school or a specific class period.
Once students enter middle school and into high school they are no longer in one classroom the whole day.
For example, science class ends and the bell rings so that students are dismissed from science class and have to travel to their next class.
At the middle school I teach at they are given four minutes to get to their next class.
It is typically considered a violation of school rules and may result in disciplinary action if the student has too many tardies.
Discipline may include a lunch detention, meeting with the teacher, phone call home, or an after school detention.
Academic Implications
Tardiness disrupts the learning process for both the tardy student and their classmates.
Late arrivals may miss important instructions, announcements, or introductory information, leading to academic setbacks.
Now that many classrooms are locking their doors (for safety reasons) once the bell rings to signify the start of class it’s really annoying when students arrive late and you have to open the door for them.
Chronic tardiness often correlates with lower academic performance too, I often have students that are late to class all the time not doing well in science.
If a student cares about learning they usually are not tardy to class very often.
Classroom Management Challenges
Tardiness presents challenges for teachers in managing classroom dynamics.
Having a student arrive late, knock on the door, and be let in is a distraction to me and the other students.
Teachers have to address late arrivals, reiterate instructions, and manage disruptions caused by tardy students, which can detract from valuable instructional time.
Impact on School Culture
Widespread tardiness can negatively impact the overall school culture and climate.
Having students walking around the school and not in a classroom learning is often a sign of greater problems.
Tardiness should be addressed as soon as possible so that students see that they need to be on time and that their time in the classroom is important.
After all, if they are not in the classroom they are not learning.
Addressing tardiness is essential for fostering a culture of accountability.
Strategies for Addressing Tardiness
Schools can implement proactive strategies to address tardiness, such as establishing clear expectations, providing incentives for punctuality, and offering support for students facing attendance barriers.
One of the most important things the teacher needs to do is contact the parent/guardian about their student being tardy to class.
After this they can together put together a plan to make sure the student gets to class on time.
As a part of the plan there may be some kind of incentive at home and/or school.
Over the years I’ve seen these plans work when they are correctly put in place and followed by teachers, parents, and the student.
Allen is an eighth grade teacher in a Chicago suburb.
